Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp heaped praise on both sides after Mo Salah’s hat-trick helped the Premier League champions edge past an impressive Leeds United side on the opening day of the new season.
Klopp spoke to reporters after Liverpool’s incredible 4-3 win over newly-promoted Leeds at Anfield, but warned there was much better to come from his side.
“What a game, what an opponent, what a performance from both teams!” said an elated Klopp after his side claimed the victory via Salah’s 88th-minute spot-kick.
“A proper spectacle, I loved that!
“It is pretty rare you see that many goals in a game, we have left space for improvement in our defending but that is not unusual for a first game. Our players have played a few days ago for their countries so it is possible (this happens).”
Leeds pushed the champions hard for the full 90 minutes as Marcelo Bielsa’s side threatened to mark their return to the top flight with a statement win over the champions. And Klopp gave due praise to the Yorkshire side for their high-octane performance.
“The opponent forced us to make mistakes, we can do better, we will do better but I loved a lot about the game against a well-organized, passionate side like Leeds,” said Klopp.
“We used our skills to cause them problems, we could have scored more and, in the end, we used set-pieces, which is fine by me.
“It is not like riding a bike, you can lose something in pre-season and it takes time to all come together again. I am really positive about this game. Leeds will have a good season if they can keep up that intensity and they did it in the Championship with more games so why not?”
Salah said he too was impressed by Leeds’ approach at an empty Anfield.
“It’s a tough team, to be fair. They had a great game. There’s no fans, but they play, they react really well and they scored three goals against us – that’s huge,” he said.
“I’m happy about the result and we have to keep on improving and try not to concede as many goals. Without fans it’s so tough – especially at Anfield, everybody knows that. But it’s a good start for us.”
Liverpool’s win extended their unbeaten Premier League run at home to a staggering 60 games.
