Jurgen Klopp has said that Liverpool’s 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest this afternoon wasn’t one ‘to enjoy’.
The Merseysiders made it two wins in a week but were made to earn the three points, having twice been pegged back by the visitors before Mo Salah eventually struck the winner.
The home side dominated possession, with 81% of the ball in total (BBC Sport), but went in goalless at half-time; and unlike last Monday’s romp away to Leeds, today’s victory wasn’t secured until Michael Oliver’s final whistle.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Klopp admitted it was a difficult afternoon as Liverpool needed to be patient against a disciplined Forest defence in the first half. The German also said that his side found it difficult to prepare for the visitors’ threat from throw-ins.
The Reds manager said: “We made it much more exciting than it should have been. We scored wonderful goals but we had to be patient…when you play against such a deep block, you have to be patient. It’s obviously not a game to enjoy.
“Their throw-ins were a massive threat. We prepared [for] it but how can you prepare for that? In training, nobody behaves like this. We cannot bounce off each other or we would risk injuries, but we should’ve done better in these situations.”
It was no thing of beauty today, but in a season where dropped points have been all too frequent, Klopp and Liverpool will go to bed tonight satisfied with winning ugly and having the resilience to twice come back from Forest sucker punches.
You can see the manager’s post-match comments below from Sky Sports, shared on Twitter via @footballdaily:
🗣️ “We deserved the three points. We made it much more exciting than it should have been.”
Jürgen Klopp says Liverpool were worthy of their victory over Nottingham Forest today. pic.twitter.com/VVmRZTwrZm
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) April 22, 2023