Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has admitted that his side were not patient enough in their thrilling win over Crystal Palace at Anfield.
Eagles’ goalkeeper Julian Speroni’s error gifted Liverpool the win to keep them on track in the title race after the Premier League leaders had almost squandered their advantage in a 4-3 victory.
Klopp’s quadruple fist-pump in front of the Kop at the end showed just how tense – and how vital a result – it was for Liverpool.
“It’s a massive relief. We knew for different reasons the game would be difficult. Crystal Palace traditionally do well against Liverpool and with the physicality it was clear it would be like the first half was,” Klopp told BBC Sport.
“They are really good at counter attacks and set pieces, Wilfried Zaha is a world-class player and he gets into a one-on-one situation and we’re one down. We had to stay positive, being one down is not a massive blow, we just needed to win the second half and did what we had to do.
“We tried to control the game but we were not patient enough. They didn’t come out of their half so we were trying to play in really small spaces. They had their counter attack still and that’s how they got their set pieces.
“I think it’s a foul on Virgil van Dijk, they always block heavily but then they go and score the goal for 2-2. We got lucky for 3-2 and with all the set pieces they’re still a threat so it stayed interesting until the end.
“The result is massive, we have 60 points now it’s crazy, it’s an important number. I’m really proud, a few things happened that we don’t really need, we’re a bit short now on players but we have a few days and need to use the time now for recovery.”
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