Jurgen Klopp says he had to remind his Liverpool players of the actual result vs Inter on Tuesday evening. The Reds lost 1-0 but still qualified.
A little over a year since last losing at Anfield, the Reds suffered a home defeat. Inter won 1-0 vs Liverpool thanks to a Lautaro Martinez goal – and what a goal it was.
The Argentine found the net from outside the box, cutting across the ball beautifully to send it sailing past Alisson. The Reds actually had Alexis Sanchez to thank as he completely killed Inter’s momentum with a red card shortly after their goal.
But Liverpool should have won this regardless. They hit both posts and the crossbar at various times, while Luis Diaz had a close-range shot spectacularly blocked by Arturo Vidal. Fortunately, their 2-0 away win saw them through on aggregate.
Jurgen Klopp actually had to remind his players of that, though. He told beIN Sports after the game that the players weren’t really focused on the correct result here.
“I had to remind the boys in the dressing room – they were not happy – I had to remind them ‘by the way we are through’,” said Klopp. “That’s the main target of this competition – that we go to the next round.
“So we did that and I’m really pleased.”
Liverpool through vs Inter
The result and performance was a little disconcerting – Liverpool weren’t very good here – but Klopp’s right. The main thing is progression against a very good side.
Liverpool got just that, despite the defeat. It’s something to celebrate and there’s a chance that the Reds have an easier go of things in the quarter-finals. Inter were excellent over both legs and we imagine they’re incredibly disappointed not to get a better result.
So while there’s work to do, Liverpool can celebrate this. Despite the defeat.
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox
