Liverpool twice led in the first half through a Bernd Leno own goal and Alexis Mac Allister strike, only to be pegged back each time by Harry Wilson and Kenny Tete before the break. An 80th minute header from Bobby Decordova-Reid had seemingly clinched an unlikely win for the Cottagers.
But late strikes from Wataru Endo and Trent Alexander-Arnold would see the Reds snatch back all three points at the end of a rollercoaster game. Klopp moved Alexander-Arnold into midfield after bringing on Cody Gakpo and Joe Gomez in the 65th minute as Liverpool changed systems to a double-pivot midfield, before later dropping their inverted full-back.
And explaining his thinking behind the changes, the German revealed how the switches resulted in Liverpool snatching a late victory.
“There was a reason for that, it was Trent in the middle,” Reds boss Klopp told reporters after the final whistle. “We saw this game is for the six when the eights are not that compact. “I didn’t like, I didn’t like how we defended with the front line. Coming back, and our defensive press was not outstanding in the first half. That makes it really intense for midfielders, but especially for the six.
“We change the system in that moment as well. We brought on Joey (Gomez), we needed the width as well. We needed the wing, finally again, because that didn’t work out too well.
“It worked out very well but there are days when it’s not happening. When you see Mo (Mohamed Salah) gets on the ball and in the first half it was really good, when Dom (Dominik Szoboszlai) could underlap and then we arrive there in the very important area. “But now we had Joey out there which helped. And we had two midfielders, the double six we played with Ryan and Trent next to each other. With Joey again in possession, first going inside then, with the next change, staying wide.
“So with all the things you try to do in these moments, if it works out it’s because it’s tricky for the opponent as well. They get used to different things.
“I think Tom Cairney pretty much played man-marking against Trent in moments when he was just in the middle. That’s why it was really helpful that we had the wing. “I’m not sure how many crosses Joey fired in in the end but there were a few really good balls. All of a sudden they had to adapt again and that didn’t work out for them and that’s why we could win the game.
“In these moments, it becomes a bit of chess. You just try to change something to improve yourself and to make it a bit more tricky for the opponent as well. That’s how it went today, it worked out.”
Klopp also praised Alexander-Arnold’s performance after his late winner for Liverpool. The England international’s free-kick eventually went down as a Leno own goal, though his manager made it clear he believes the player scored a brace. Alexander-Arnold now has four goal contributions from his last three appearances, with such a run seeing him play both as an inverted right-back and in midfield. And Klopp shared a big change he is seeing in the Reds vice-captain.
“Nobody is in doubt about how highly I think about Trent,” he said. “Played here since I’m here, longer of course but with the first team since I’m here, and the development is crazy.
“His shooting skills we knew before. He scored with a free-kick, it would not be bad if he could do that more but for that we need more fouls around that area and we don’t have that a lot. “Today he was a real leader on the pitch. That’s probably the biggest improvement if you want. It was super intense, but he got another push when we put him a bit more inside in that moment.
“He is so often in these changes, it is no change really. He is very often in half-spaces in the centre. It was just really good and he was a real leader on the pitch, that was most important.”
Jurgen Klopp has explained how changing systems during Liverpool’s clash with Fulham enabled the his side to win the game.
