Even on an afternoon when Liverpool cruised to victory over Nottingham Forest, Jurgen Klopp still cut an animated presence on the touchline at Anfield.
In a piece for the Liverpool Echo, Paul Gorst noted that the 56-year-old had been raging at ‘something and nothing in particular’ shortly before one of his team’s three goals against Steve Cooper’s side.
The journalist wrote: “The Liverpool boss could be seen getting particularly animated on the sidelines as he raged and gesticulated wildly.
“Perhaps the Reds manager was simply unhappy that Forest had been given a chance to hurl the ball into the box via a long throw? Or maybe Klopp was becoming frustrated that the result was not yet totally secure, despite his team’s dominance?
“Either way, Klopp needn’t have worried or wasted the negative energy. From the throw, Liverpool cleared the ball to Dominik Szoboszlai and moments later it was 3-0 via Mo Salah, who tapped into an empty net after a rush of blood from goalkeeper Matt Turner following a sumptuous pass from the No.8.”
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While Liverpool were comfortable for much of the afternoon, Forest had their moments at 2-0 down, and a goal at that juncture would’ve made for a nervy final quarter-hour at Anfield.
That might explain why Klopp looked agitated just before the throw-in which ultimately led to Salah putting the result beyond any lingering doubt a few seconds later.
Some minds may have flashed back to the 2-2 draw against Sunderland at this venue in 2016 when, at a similar point in the game, the Reds appeared to be cruising at 2-0 before carelessly throwing away two points.
However, this current Liverpool crop are made of sterner stuff and, despite giving Forest glimpses at times yesterday, the home side were ultimately in firm control. Even then, the players know full well that the manager will keep them on their toes right to the final whistle!
#Ep94 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones🎙️