Jurgen Klopp: “Freak” Rangers result changes Liverpool mood completely
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes that the mood in the Anfield camp is now “completely” different after their “freak” 7-1 win over Rangers in the Champions League.
The Merseyside giants were aiming to bounce back from their 3-2 defeat at the hands of Arsenal at Ibrox and got off to the worst possible start when Scott Arfield opened the scoring with 17 minutes gone.
Roberto Firmino restored parity for Liverpool before half time, and the floodgates opened in the second 45, as a ruthless Reds side struck six more times to inflict a humiliating defeat on Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men.
Mohamed Salah’s quickfire hat-trick, alongside efforts from Firmino, Harvey Elliott and Darwin Nunez, got the job done in emphatic fashion for Liverpool, who now sit second on nine points in Group A.
With Manchester City preparing to visit Anfield for Sunday’s Premier League showdown, Klopp believes that the morale within his squad has been boosted tenfold with such a domineering win.
“Special. Typical Mo,” Klopp added. “Yes, of course we all know when Mo, when it is running for him, he is exceptional, absolutely exceptional. Obviously a different position tonight coming on, it was just good. Of course, I hope for him that everything works well from now on, like I hope for us.
“I cannot think of one player who didn’t have a good game; the two kids of the right and left wing, really good, Fabio [Carvalho] and Harvey. And then when you can change like we changed tonight, if you can do that, the boys come on and are ready to contribute and things like this can happen.”
Elliott’s strike represented a personal milestone for the 19-year-old – his first goal in the Champions League – and Klopp affirmed that his “exceptional” showing warranted that moment.
“A very nice moment. I thought he was going to run into the crowd, that would have been not too cool, but yes. If you know him a bit closer you would even more understand how much it means to him. But he played an exceptional game and deserved this goal, really,” Klopp said.
Liverpool now need just a point on matchday five away to Ajax to seal their place in the knockout stages, with Napoli already through after picking up four wins from four so far.
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