Liverpool 2-1 Brighton: Jurgen Klopp praises 'frozen' goalkeeper Adrian
Jurgen Klopp hailed a special victory after his Liverpool side extended their Premier League lead to 11 points with a nervy 2-1 win over Brighton.
The Reds were cruising to victory at Anfield after two first-half Virgil Van Dijk goals but the sending off of goalkeeper Alisson Becker and a crafty Lewis Dunk free-kick made for a tense finish.
In the end the hosts held on with 10 men and with back-up goalkeeper Adrian on the field on what was a freezing afternoon in Merseyside.
Manager Klopp said: "We scored two nice goals from set plays but the biggest chances we had were from open play. We could have and should have finished it off in that period, and we didn't.
"In the second half it was hard work again and the boys put in another incredible shift. Of course life became more complicated with the red card and the change we had to make.
"We brought on a frozen goalkeeper. Everyone sitting here was not warm. Imagine going on there with shorts, a really thin shirt and gloves that are not made for keeping you warm.
"Then some people make the free-kick happen like that. We looked a bit silly in that moment but you have to accept it.
"We carried on fighting and Adrian helped us with two really good saves and crosses he caught, but with his cold feet he couldn't kick the ball as far as he wanted.
"It kept it interesting but in the end the most important thing is we won the game. I am very pleased about that, happy about the effort of the boys and proud of the desire they showed. The red card made it a really special win."
⚽️⚽️ Two goals for Virgil van Dijk
— Sporting Life Football (@SportingLifeFC) November 30, 2019
👌 Both assisted by Trent Alexander-Arnold
🔝 11 points clear at the top
😅 10-man Liverpool survive late scare to beat Brighton 2-1 and equal their longest unbeaten run in the top flight of 31 games! #LFC #LIVBHA pic.twitter.com/Uf2q0JR9ys
Liverpool's victory equalled the club's record of 31 top-flight games unbeaten, set in 1987-88. That run ended with defeat to rivals Everton, their opponents in their next game on Wednesday.
Alisson will now miss that derby through suspension.
Liverpool have also not kept a clean sheet in 12 matches in all competitions, but Klopp is concerned primarily about results.
He said: "None of these 13 games we have won was easy. We didn't feel that for a second.
"It is not as though we feel ourselves as favourites in some games. We fight with all we have for the result.
"Results-wise it is an incredible period but we don't think about the last 14 games, we have to think about the next one, which is Everton and a big one. We don't think about the points gap."
Brighton boss Graham Potter was pleased with the performance of his side but felt they paid the price for some lapses.
Potter said: "We put a lot into the game against a top team. I'm very proud of the effort and what we tried to do.
"We started OK but not good enough for how we really want to be. Two set plays made the scoreline 2-0 and you have to survive some moments.
"Over the course of the 90 minutes we did a lot well, showed some personality and some courage. Lots to be positive but still disappointed to come away with nothing."
Opta Stats
- Liverpool have equalled their longest ever unbeaten run in the top-flight (W26 D5), also going 31 games without defeat between May 1987-March 1988.
- Brighton have lost nine of their 11 away league games against Liverpool (W1 D1), with their only victory coming in the top-flight in March 1982 (1-0).
- Liverpool have registered 14 consecutive home wins in the Premier League, their second longest home top-flight winning run behind a 21-game streak between January-December 1972.
- Brighton are without a win in their last six away Premier League games (D1 L5), losing each of the last four.
- Liverpool have scored 40 Premier League goals via set-pieces (inc. pens) since August 2018, the most of any side in this period.
- Liverpool are unbeaten in each of their last 98 Premier League games at Anfield when leading at half-time (W89 D9), since a 1-2 defeat to Arsenal in December 2009.
- Since the start of last season, no player has provided more Premier League assists than Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold (17).
- Since the start of last season, Virgil van Dijk has scored more Premier League goals than any other defender (7).
- Alisson became the first Liverpool goalkeeper to be sent off in a Premier League game since Doni vs Blackburn in April 2012.
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