Jurgen Klopp insists Liverpool produced one of the best first-half performances of his reign in their commanding FA Cup semi-final win over Man City… but he remains unconvinced a quadruple is on the cards for his side
- Liverpool beat Manchester City 3-2 to reach their first FA Cup final in a decade
- Ibrahima Konate’s header and a Sadio Mane brace put them 3-0 up at the break
- Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva scored after the interval for City, but it was not enough to mount a comeback
- Jurgen Klopp has not seen his team produce many better first-half performances
Jurgen Klopp hailed the best 45 minutes of his Anfield reign as Liverpool reached their first FA Cup Final in a decade.
Liverpool roared into a three goal lead in the opening half to maintain their ambitions of completing an unprecedented clean sweep but, true to form, Klopp refused to engage in discussions of his team doing the quadruple.
A header from Ibrahima Konate and a double from man of the match Sadio Konate left Manchester City startled and though the Premier League leaders staged a second half comeback they paid the ultimate price for Liverpool’s jet propelled first half.
Liverpool will now face Crystal Palace or Chelsea, who they faced in 2012 when they last contested English football’s most historic fixture and Klopp is determined to become the first Anfield boss since Rafa Benitez in 2006 to lift the trophy.
Jurgen Klopp hailed the best first halfof his Anfield reign as Liverpool reached the FA Cup final
Klopp said; ‘ I think so was the feeling I had when I saw first half, the quality of the opponent – which you saw in the second half, how good they were really are. Denying them in so many moments, creating your own opportunities, using them is very difficult, first half was outstanding in pretty much all parts of the game.
‘Second half they score [early] like we did in previous game and yes it clear it open up. No football player on the planet feels safe against City with a 3-1 lead. It’s always clear what they can do.
‘There were moments of course. They got one time through, we needed Ali. But we had our own moments and could have decided the game earlier so makes it more special. 3-0 against City feel kinda strange, 3-2 is a fair result.’
Liverpool now roll into games against Manchester United and Everton before the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Villarreal and, for that reason, Klopp feels all talk of pursuing history is futile because the challenges ahead of them are so complex and demanding.
Ibrahima Konate headed Liverpool in front against Manchester City at Wembley on Saturday
Sadio Mane then scored twice to ensure they went in at the half-time break 3-0 ahead
He said: ‘You can mention whatever you want. It doesn’t make it more likely that you get the answer you want from me. I think a game like today shows even more how unlikely it is to do something like that (quadruple).
‘We went through against City which is incredibly difficult and intense and in three days we play against against Man United with their three points today and with the Arsenal and Tottenham results the fight for a Champions League spot, the door is open for all of those three. So they will be on their toes and historically it’s not a friendly game.
‘A few days later we play Everton, in the situation they are, will not be a friendly game, then we play Villareal, will not be a friendly game then Newcastle and all this kind of thing. It’s just incredibly intense and it’s really unlikely that a team will win all the games.
‘It’s really unlikely but I couldn’t care less to be honest, let’s go for it and try to win the next game and see how we can recover between now and then.’
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