Premier League: Match against Burnley was like semi-final, says Klopp
May 20, 2021
London [UK], May 20 : After winning the Premier League clash against Burnley, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said that the match was like a semi-final.
Liverpool defeated Burnley 3-0 on Wednesday (local time) and as a result, the side has kept their hopes alive of qualifying for the Champions League.
With this win, Liverpool moved to the fourth place in the standings and if the side wins their last match against Crystal Palace, the Reds would seek attain qualification for Champions League.
"It was a semi-final. We had to win the semi-final and we did. Nothing is decided yet but we improved our position and we have the final. That's what we needed. It's what we deserve because this was a top performance. You can't give any chance away against Burnley because of the way they play. They wanted to go for our centre-halves but our boys did outstandingly well," Klopp told Sky Sports.
"We knew before the game it would be incredibly tough - they had about 3,500 people, not on our side. The atmosphere in football is massive. I thought the boys dealt really well with that. They didn't get distracted - they tried to use it because the noise is nice. We played a lot of good football stuff. You can't go to Burnley and hope to win 3-0. It's usually incredibly tight," he added.
Roberto Firmino, Nat Phillips, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain registered goals for Liverpool against Burnley and this helped Liverpool register an emphatic win.
Liverpool will now take on Crystal Palace at Anfield on Sunday and 10,000 home fans will also be in attendance.
"We have to make sure we recover quickly. We have a thin squad in some positions. We have to wrap them in cotton wool. I can't wait for the 10,00 fans at Anfield. Nothing is decided - Palace are strong," said Klopp.
