Jurgen Klopp insisted that his Liverpool side was the ‘dominant’ outfit out of the two during the Merseyside derby.
This follows from comments made after proceedings by Frank Lampard in which the Everton boss claimed his side were denied a clear penalty.
“The match at the weekend was a good example of how important it is to keep the focus on yourself and trust your own abilities,” the 54-year-old was quoted as saying in the Villarreal matchday programme (as covered by liverpoolfc.com).
“I know there was a lot of conjecture around certain incidents in the game, but the reality is we thoroughly deserved to win over the course of the 90 minutes. We dominated, in my view.
“We have definitely played better in matches than we did on Sunday, both recently and over the course of the season, but at this stage of the season it really is about showing the ‘street-smart’ to ensure the end outcome is what you are working for.”
The Reds ran out 2-0 winners on the day in a perfect response to Manchester City’s 5-1 thrashing of Watford to cut into the league leaders’ then four-point lead at the table’s summit.
Context is key when considering our prior results at L4 in the Champions League knockout stages, though, with the return trip occurring at the Estadio de la Ceramica, we can ill afford to be anything but ruthless on our home turf.
That’s easier said than done when coming against an opponent that has secured surprise victories against Juventus and Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.
Regardless, with us forced to play our next three games in the space of seven days, Klopp’s men will face a significant rotational challenge to stay competitive on all fronts.
Coming out of the blocks quickly under the Anfield lights, with the help of the lessons learnt against a robust Everton unit, could help immensely in that regard.
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