Liverpool overcame Sheffield United 3-1 at Anfield to move back to the top of the Premier League
Jurgen Klopp labelled Darwin Nunez’s fortuitous opener in Thursday’s 3-1 win over Sheffield United as one of his “favourite goals ever” as Liverpool went back top of the Premier League
Uruguay striker Nunez scored his 18th of the campaign in the first half when he closed down goalkeeper Ivo Gbric’s clearance before seeing it cross the line after hitting his backside
It was the most unusual of all the Reds striker’s 33 goals since his move from Benfica in the summer of 2022 but Klopp was delighted with how his No.9 opened the scoring before Conor Bradley’s own goal evened things up in the second period
Alexis Mac Allister struck a superb goal to make it 2-1 before Cody Gakpo made the game safe in stoppage time and Klopp said he was pleased with a hard-fought result that took them back above Arsenal and Manchester City with just eight games
“As a manager you have to take it as you get it,” Klopp said. “I would prefer to be 5-0 up at the moment already but that is tricky. We scored one of my favourite goals ever to be 1-0 up, because I think a striker from time to time needs things like that and we try a lot to press the opponent, it is rare you get that close but he did. That is great
“These kind of games are difficult, a low block, knowing their set pieces can be difficult after 20 seconds when we could have been 1-0 down which would have been funny. They had a big chance [moments later] as well when nobody was there to finish it off at the back post
“We controlled the game but there are different ways to do it, but the way we did it today was not the right one. I didn’t expect to have chance after chance after chance. What you have to do is accelerate, speed up, underlap, overlap, that is what we did and Robbo (Andy Robertson) was going down the line constantly, which was helpful
“That is the problem. The game was a difficult one to get rhythm but we should have had a better rhythm than we did after 60 or whatever. We needed then Macca’s wonder goal to turn it around, The third goal was like it should have been before. This kind of moment, Robbo at full speed, wonderful cross, sensational header. We won the game before but in the end, all good
Klopp added: “I don’t know when we will next face a similar challenge, all the other games are different, especially the next one. But it is super positive the boys coming on, Curtis Jones back, Robbo back, Cody not out but a really good game which he needed, that was pleasing. No one got injured, so recovery has started already, now we recover
