Advertisement

Jurgen Klopp hails Liverpool intensity as Reds progress to Champions League last 16

SALZBURG, AUSTRIA - DECEMBER 10: (BILD ZEITUNG OUT) head coach Juergen Klopp of FC Liverpool final jubilee during the UEFA Champions League group E match between RB Salzburg and Liverpool FC at Red Bull Arena on December 10, 2019 in Salzburg, Austria. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images)
Jurgen Klopp was left delighted with his Liverpool side. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images)

Jurgen Klopp pointed towards Liverpool’s intensity as the deciding factor as the Reds beat RB Salzburg 2-0 in Austria.

After a goalless first half in which both teams spurned opportunities, Liverpool seized the initiative with two goals in as many minutes.

Naby Keita bagged the first with a simple header after Sadio Mane’s good work, before Mohamed Salah scored after rounding Cican Stankovic.

READ MORE: Liverpool beat RB Salzburg to confirm Champions League knockout berth

And Klopp was delighted with the win, which left his side top of the Champions League group en route to qualifying for the final 16.

He told BT Sport: "What a team. What an effort. It was a tough game.

"They started so direct. They did so many smart things - playing in between the lines, running in behind, standing in offside positions. We were ready to defend it. It was a very tense game.

"In the second half they couldn't cope with the intensity. We scored two wonderful goals. We could have scored six or seven which is crazy. We won the group, we won the game, all good.”

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, left, celebrates with Liverpool's Naby Keita after scoring his side's second goal during the group E Champions League soccer match between Salzburg and Liverpool, in Salzburg, Austria, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2019. (AP Photo/Kerstin Joensson)
Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane ran the show against Salzburg. (AP Photo/Kerstin Joensson)
Liverpool's Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Salah reacts at the end of the UEFA Champions League Group E football match between RB Salzburg and Liverpool FC on December 10, 2019 in Salzburg, Austria. (Photo by BARBARA GINDL / APA / AFP) / Austria OUT (Photo by BARBARA GINDL/APA/AFP via Getty Images)
Salah's second, which sealed the win, was a delightful finish. (Photo by BARBARA GINDL / APA / AFP)

The Egyptian forward’s strike was a magnificent one, having seemingly overrun the ball before slotting in from the narrowest of angles.

It came after a sequence of misses from close range, most notably when he scuffed wide of the near post under little pressure.

And Klopp praised the former Chelsea and FC Basel man for his efforts and the goal which sealed the match.

"First half, we had to put a proper shift in,” he added. “When we had the ball we had sitters and didn't score. Then Mo [Mohamed Salah] scored the most difficult situation of the whole night - he scored that goal.

"I have no idea [how]. With his quality, how he didn't score one or two of the others I have no clue.

"So many sensational performances. This kind of attitude, it's great. A tricky one but we did it."

Featured from our writers:

Yahoo Sport UK presents Tailgate