LIVERPOOL.- Jurgen Klopp smiled again no matter how much the Liverpool players made him suffer at the end.
Mohamed Salah immediately put a pitchside argument with Klopp behind him last weekend by opening the scoring in the Merseyside club’s 4-2 win over Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday.
The exchange of words between Salah and the outgoing coach in the final minutes of the 2-2 draw against West Ham — a result that essentially buried Liverpool’s aspirations to win the Premier title — was the focus of debate in the days that followed.
But the Egyptian attacker reappeared in the starting eleven and scored the goal that led to his team’s victory at Anfield.
Salah had already come close to scoring when he rose in the 16th minute to head Cody Gakpo’s cross from the left toward the near post.
Tottenham took the field with a glimmer of hope to qualify for the next Champions League, after Aston Villa – the occupant of fourth place – succumbed 1-0 at Brighton.
But Ange Postecoglou’s team never looked capable of taking advantage of the circumstances as they were vastly outclassed by Liverpool.
The home side took a 2-0 lead in the 45th when goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario repelled a shot from Salah, but Andy Robertson capitalized on the rebound.
It was the fairest reward for a Liverpool that had dominated in a first half in which Vicario was the protagonist with a string of providential interventions.
Gift from Liverpool to their coach:
Winning the championship may be impossible for Klopp’s team, but Liverpool tries to close by doing things well for the coach, who will leave at the end of the season.
Gakpo scored Liverpool’s third in the 50th with a header towards the far post from a Harvey Elliott cross.
Nine minutes later, Elliott scored a sensational goal that brought the fans to their feet and made Klopp smile.
After taking the ball on the right, Elliott took off Uruguayan Rodrigo Bentancur’s mark with a touch. Immediately afterwards, from about 20 meters, he took a left foot shot that hit the top corner.
But Liverpool got complicated in the end after the entry of Richarlison. The Brazilian striker scored in the 72nd and, five minutes later, he assisted Son Heung-min to reduce the difference.
Source: AP
