Klopp Happy As Reds Edge Porto
Jurgen Klopp was happy but slightly frustrated as Liverpool beat Porto 2-0, and says there is still some hard work to be done.
Naby Keita’s deflected fifth-minute strike – his second goal in two games – and Roberto Firmino’s tap-in before the half hour put the Reds in the ascendancy in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
Sadio Mane saw his strike just after the resumption ruled out for offside and the hosts struggled for fluency thereafter, though Klopp was much the happier of the two coaches afterwards.
The Liverpool boss said: “We deserved the win 100 per cent, we scored two wonderful goals, we were in a lot of really dangerous situations. Overall it was a really good performance. “Two-nil is a really, really good result, I would probably have taken that before the game and I’ll take it now. “They had too many set-pieces because they are really good in there and we don’t want to give them away but that’s how it is.
They went for it as well but we defended them well. “The problem was a little bit in the second half, we gave one or two counter-attacks away and then we had to control it again a bit more. “We lost a bit of direction, didn’t play that clear any more.
We were still around in the box and all that stuff, which was good, but defending counter-attacks we had to work really hard which costs you a little bit and you lose a bit of rhythm. “But all good.
Two-nil, the game is still on, we have to go there and fight. Porto will try everything to strike back and that will be a really tough game again.”
