Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp has revealed the talks he had with Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk, the players at fault for the second goal conceded against Arsenal.
Jürgen Klopp has revealed that he has already spoken to the players involved in Liverpool’s errors against Arsenal. The talk arrived after Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker failed to clear the ball which led to Gabriel Martinelli’s second-half effort.
Mikel Arteta’s side took the lead in the 14th minute through England international Bukayo Saka following a strong start to the clash. But Arsenal saw its opener canceled out just before half-time after Luis Díaz’s effort deflected off Gabriel and into his own net.
Momentum looked as if it had shifted in favor of Liverpool in the opening stages of the second half, as Klopp’s side looked to secure all three points and extend their lead at the top of the table. However, the upper hand was short-lived after Martinelli capitalized on the previously noted error by the Reds duo, firing Arsenal ahead in the 67th minute.
The game would then spiral out of control for Klopp’s side as they went in search of another equalizer in North London. Defender Ibrahima Konaté was sent off by referee Anthony Taylor for his second bookable offense in the 88th minute before Leandro Trossard would add a third for the Gunners — securing all three points.
Speaking after the game, Klopp revealed the talks he had with the players in the dressing room after full-time while reflecting on the performance. “We conceded a very strange goal,” Klopp said. “We have already spoken in the dressing room with all the people involved, it’s just unlucky. Can you hit the ball directly? Yes, but it flies strange.
“Should you expect that Martinelli brings the body a little bit, yes, but we didn’t and then all of a sudden, the ball rolls there and he has an easy goal. That doesn’t happen very often and will not happen very often but it has happened before and can happen. That made the job a bit more tricky. We will never know how it would have been had we not conceded the second goal.
“Our two main guns had a misunderstanding. It just shows they are human beings and that makes the things they usually do even more special. Sometimes you forget they are humans as well. They are not happy and we are not happy, 100 per cent. But that’s it now. We had to make more of the game. Take it, deal with it, go from here.”
