This is what Liverpool boss said at the conference after Liverpool win over westham

CARABAO CUPPJürgen Klopp press conference: Curtis Jones, West Ham victory, semi-final draw, and more

Jürgen Klopp described Liverpool’s 5-1 victory over West Ham United in the Carabao Cup quarterfinals as “a really good performance in all departments.”

At Anfield on Wednesday night, goals well-taken by Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo, Curtis Jones (two), and Dominik Szoboszlai secured the Reds’ place in the competition’s final four.

With a spot in the Wembley final at stake, the victory set up a two-leg matchup with Fulham for the following month.

Regarding the distinction between the effort of this evening and the draw with Manchester United on Sunday…

Naturally, tonight was different—everything made sense. On Sunday, a few things didn’t make sense. To be honest, I’m not sure if I’m allowed to discuss what they did because, on Sunday, we played against a team that played deep defense, and I’m not sure I want that. Everyone is really vying for you. It’s the hardest thing in football to do. Despite our best efforts, we missed the goal approximately thirty times due to excellent goalie saves and occasionally poor decision-making.

We won these moments tonight. Occasionally, an inch on a player’s foot can make all the difference in whether the ball travels or not. That was the case with Dom’s 1-0 tonight, though there wasn’t much of a difference between this goal and the others. In every other situation, we were in control and failed to score. And we did it in the second half. Curtis through the legs, I believe, was 2-0; so cheeky, but you have to be lucky. Three goals to zero, Cody! Great goal, but similar circumstances throughout the game. This is a really unique and enjoyable shot from Cody. Perfectly calm, no hurry, just take your position, complete it, and make it very challenging for the goalie. These are the variations. Apart from that, the game is distinct.

I must say, we had a lot of really great performances tonight. Though we didn’t play exactly the same football in the game on Sunday, overall, the performances were probably better than in that match. With such a strong performance across the board, tonight was one of those nights where you could truly enjoy the game from beginning to end. Naturally, it was tough for West Ham, and we prevailed in the match. All is well.

Regarding Jones’s rendition…

Jones, CurtisMIDFIELDER

2023–2024 Season

Looks

16

Played Time

886

Complete Passes

621

To be honest, he performed even better [than he had in recent months] because he incorporated the crucial element of ball acceleration into his game. You can’t do that against every opponent, but there are some against whom you can; in those situations, you have to go with the ball after passing the first line. His second goal is now considered a crazy goal because it almost goes straight towards the penalty spot from where he scored. This is a rare but crucial move for him to make. Yes, the game was excellent. It is probably not surprising that he looked so fresh considering that he hasn’t played thousands of minutes in recent weeks. The performance was merely mediocre overall.

Fortunately, Harvey understood the role as the right-winger entirely differently than Mo did, which is significant because Mo shouldn’t be the only one to play it that way. We have to play to our strengths if Mo isn’t there, and Harvey did just that. It was excellent. Dom had an amazing appearance. Wataru had a great appearance. These guys are cheeky both offensively and defensively, and they are the team’s engine room in midfield. Darwin poses a threat from behind, and Cody is a really good player. Once again, I was a little unlucky with the post, but other than that, the game was excellent, and the final line indicated how difficult it was.

We all know this because they have long balls and we had pretty good pressing. Our defense of the first ball was perhaps not too shocking given the boys we had there, but the second ball was just excellent. We were prepared for these frantic moments—throw the ball into the air, bring it down, and then resume playing. What can I say—that was all fine? That was excellent tonight, and I’m very glad about that. The boys we brought on had a great impact. It would also help that we could make a change early. We now get better and continue.

Regarding Darwin Nunez’s wide opening…

There is no doubt that he can play there. Therefore, the fact that we have these various opportunities is all that matters to us. When we begin in this manner, as we are doing today, there are obviously two players who are likely to drop a bit more in the 10 position, but everything is back to normal if Dom is on the other side and Joey offers these runs in behind. Darwin doesn’t care if a person starts from the left or the center or anything else. I felt he performed admirably this evening. I liked that he defended on that side and was once again a real handful.

We’re currently second in the league, which is not too bad, but because we have to talk about ourselves constantly, you make up stories, and then after a scoreless draw, we start talking about who isn’t scoring, the front line isn’t clicking, and other things like that. I sometimes hear that what I’m reading is a story, so when I look at the headlines, I just think, “Oh my God.” I’m so sorry that you all have to invent these tales.

All we can do is make the best of what we have, despite all of our human frailties. It wasn’t too bad so far; tonight was excellent, but we need to put in an additional 40, 50, or 60% by Saturday. Arsenal is a very formidable opponent and very strong. All we want to do is make sure that we are challenging too.

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Regarding if the approach of the championship ‘changes the feeling of a season’…

I would suggest that we discuss being close after the semifinals. It isn’t about that; there are two games in the semi-finals. However, as we all know—let me put it that way—Wembley is a fantastic stadium and a great place to be—we visited it quite a bit, perhaps two years ago. Indeed, everyone saw that tonight, so yes, we do want to go there. However, since there are a lot of games to play between now and then and it’s a difficult time, we don’t even know who we play with yet. I discussed it with David [Moyes] prior to the game, speaking for them as well. It’s a really trying time, so I’m glad we were able to put on a show like we did this evening.

However, I must admit that I was not entirely happy when the boys played their outstanding first half, as I mentioned a long time ago. I must admit this now, with the atmosphere behind me. ‘What do you want?’ I asked the people. We made a lot of changes, dominated West Ham a lot, and let opportunities slip by. I would be completely focused if I were in the stands. I’m not sure if the Man United match was so awful that we had to apologize for not outlasting them. Anfield is required on Saturday.

I would say that they didn’t play this week without Anfield. Just to be sure—I know, I’m sorry—they weren’t playing. They trained for this match, and [those] who are somewhat familiar with them will also be ready. So, without me getting into a fight with the opposing coach or anything, we need Anfield to be alert from the start. We have needed you from the beginning. I’m sorry, but we have to play football too, even if you truly feel that it’s too much in December. Give your ticket to someone else, though, if you are not in good health.

No, the stadium was free of negativity, but it was all around us. Just not the thrill I had anticipated from the show. I felt that this was a performance that you could truly enjoy because there were so many outstanding group performances, outstanding solo performances, noteworthy challenges, and other things of that sort. However, we were only leading 1-0 and had a shoot-heavy game in which we failed to score. However, I’m content if it’s getting warmer for Saturday.

Regarding playing Fulham in the round of four…

Given how amazing the last game was, it appears that there will be two equally spectacular games. David and I talked about Fulham’s excellent preparation before the game. We felt it here, and a few days later, West Ham felt it too. They were, in my opinion, incredibly unlucky when playing Newcastle. I noticed that a little bit with the red card and other things like that; to be honest, our perceptions could have been different. To be honest, I’m not sure if I would have given that red card. I know how it appears at first, but after you take another look, I probably wouldn’t have. We will sense that, though, because they are a really good team and, to be honest, they are very strong. They also want to go to Wembley. Until we play them, we have a few weeks, right? Three or two weeks?