Jurgen Klopp’s hails Liverpool’s “life-saver” at Fulham as they progress to the Carabao Cup final after winning 3-2 on aggregate
Jurgen Klopp described Joe Gomez as Liverpool’s “life-saver” after he helped secure their place in the Carabao Cup final on Wednesday night.
The 1-1 draw at Fulham was enough to send Klopp’s side through to the final where they will meet Chelsea on February 25 at Wembley as they progressed 3-2 on aggregate at Craven Cottage.
Gomez’s excellent campaign continued in west London as he starred on the left side of the defence in the absence of both Kostas Tsimikas and Andy Robertson, who returned to the match-day squad on the night after three months out with a shoulder injury.
The former Charlton Athletic teenager has played in all three positions across the backline this term and his display against Fulham was notable for his forays into midfield at times as he tried to get his side on the front foot against Marco Silva’s men.
Klopp was full of praise for the 26-year-old Gomez after the game, saying the Premier League leaders would not be in the position they are in without the contributions of his defender.
“Without Joey nothing would have happened in the last 13 or 14 weeks pretty much while Robbo was out because of the things we could do,” Klopp said. “We could bring in Trent Alexander-Arnold in [midfield] after we brought Joey on.
“I am not sure how many games he has played but he has been exceptional and he is a real defender who is coming inside and playing well. He has tried a few times to end this discussion about not scoring and I would say for my tastes a bit from too far [with shots] but he is a life-saver that he is here and can play.
“People forget how important Joe was in the best years we had. I don’t know how many games he has played when we became champions or the Champions League but it is a lot and rightly so because he is a top-class player.”
On Jarell Quansah, who caught the eye with a solid defensive display alongside captain Virgil van Dijk, Klopp added: “We don’t make a real difference about it and I don’t know how it looks to Jarell but he is really calm about it all.
“It’s not that we mention during the week five or six times: ‘By the way it is a semi-final, don’t lose’. We try to help the boys with the experience we’ve had over the years but he is just a good player, a really good player.
“That is the most important thing and Conor Bradley, I don’t think he played in a sem-final or Bobby Clark, these boys are essential for what we do at the moment. It’s really nice for them and you can see how they grow every day. It is a really cool experience.”
