With goals by Klavan, Coutinho and Origi, Liverpool defeated Derby County to earn a spot in the League Cup's fourth round. This win fills them with more confidence after they got to defeat Chelsea last weekend in the Premier League, manager Jurgen Klopp was really happy with this result and wanted to congratulate his players, as well as thank all the supporters who made the trip to Derby for this match.
He told the media that: "We were better and deserved to win, we created chances. Could we have done better? Yes, a lot. Is it important tonight? No, because that’s what you want to have. You need to be 100 per cent professional, be really serious and take games like these like they are. They could be difficult but it wasn’t difficult because of us. The opponent was ready for each opportunity but we didn’t give them [any]. So it was good. First half, we could have been a little bit better in the last pass. Second half, we could have been better in the counter-attack. That would have changed the result a little bit but we scored the goals, so it’s not that I would say ‘I would rather score this goal than this goal’. I take them like they are, 3-0, all good."
About the expectations for this tournament, Klopp added: "What can I say? I said already this is a very important tournament for us. Not only for me, it’s not because I say it’s an important tournament for us. For the players, it can be a very important tournament. If it is like this, you have to show it from the first second. Why should I go and make some magic things in a meeting that they [then] think it’s an important tournament? It is and so let’s go for it."
About the away seven-match winning streak, Klopp also said: "The pleasing thing is that I don’t feel anything – it’s not that we are surprised and think ‘OK, let’s take a week’s break and celebrate it’. We had the games, we played them, we are professionals. I’ve always thought in my life the difference between home and away should not be that big, especially when you have a good side – which is what we are – but of course it was difficult. I don’t want to underestimate it and say it’s normal. I know what the fixtures are and we have to play them again next year probably, that’s not a problem. In this moment, for us it is absolutely OK and it’s actually what we expected from us."
Photo credit: Liverpool FC