The first half was coming to a close and the frustration inside Anfield increased when Harvey Elliott overplayed a through ball to Luis Diaz, prompting more groans from all four corners of the pitch.
Liverpool were behind and Jurgen Klopp turned towards the main stand to make an angry gesture to the fans. Tensions were rising and yet, just over an hour later, Klopp was all smiles and galloping away, delivering his trademark punches to all four sides of the ground. Quite a change of direction.
Liverpool had produced arguably their most ruthless half-season despite losing several key players, to destroy Luton with three goals in 15 minutes, before Harvey Elliott capped off his 100th Liverpool appearance with his 100th goal. who have scored in all competitions this season.
Time and time again, they find a way and the emphatic nature of this return further highlighted their strength in depth which will be so integral, if Liverpool are to go all the way on all four fronts. For the sixth time this season, they turned a deficit into a victory.
Klopp was so delighted he compared it to Barcelona’s comeback in 2019 (when Liverpool faced similar hurdles with injuries) and could barely contain his joy as he spoke of a ‘stormy’ second half before admitting he broke a promise he made to stop. mentioning that Barcelona game to his players. He even went so far as to compare the four goals from both nights, linking Conor Bradley’s quick throw-in to Alexis Mac Allister for Cody Gakpo’s goal with Trent Alexander Arnold’s famous corner kick to Divock Origi and so on.
Jurgen Klopp compared Liverpool’s comeback against Luton to their historic 2019 victory against Barcelona
Luis Diaz (pictured), Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo and Harvey Elliott scored in the second half to seal a 4-1 win at Anfield.
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‘It’s one of those nights when it’s hard to stop talking. “I’m very happy,” Klopp admitted.
‘In the first half we had to get used to the crowd, but the boys already knew that the last pass was not good.
“Not that I needed proof in the second half, but what this place (Anfield) together with a group of fantastic footballers is capable of creating is very special. Oh my God, I love that. This is an example. This is now their Barcelona. It was against Luton.
‘A difficult situation with many reasons to give up, but I saw a super group fighting. If you don’t limit yourself to bad thoughts, you can fly and that’s what the boys did. I will mention this game several times,” he added.
This is now your Barcelona. It was against Luton. A difficult situation with many reasons to give up, but I saw a super group fighting. If you don’t limit yourself to bad thoughts, you can fly and that’s what the boys did. I will mention this game several times,” he added.
And so, when the 56-year-old finally looks back on his time at Anfield, he will remember some of his most memorable nights, from Borussia Dortmund to Manchester City, Roma and Barcelona.
Now, among that list will be Luton, as one of the most satisfying Anfield nights during Klopp’s tenure.
The Merseyside club have turned defeat into victory on six occasions this season.
Luton manager Rob Edwards praised the atmosphere on the pitch, saying: “We saw Anfield and Liverpool at their best.”
Chiedozie Ogbene (left) put the visitors 1-0 up in the first half after looking confident in possession and disciplined in their form.
Rob Edwards’ side were worthy of their half-time lead – confident in possession, disciplined and fit and, once again, a credit to their manager – but in the end, they looked helpless amid Liverpool’s attack in the second half.
‘We made them angry, didn’t we? (taking the lead),’ Edwards said. “After a really good first half, I think we saw Anfield in the second half. It was like the Kop was sucking the ball.
‘We saw Anfield and Liverpool at their best. I thought we were good but they were better. “Bigger and better teams have come here and it’s happened to them too, so there’s no shame in it,” Edwards added.
It is perhaps also worth noting that the last time a team beat Luton by three goals or more was during the opening two games of the Premier League campaign. This is a team that is not often dismantled and this was demonstrated by a depleted Liverpool, who will travel to the capital for the EFL Cup final, injured but alive in every way.
“As long as we have 11, we’ll do it,” insisted Klopp, when asked for an injury update ahead of Sunday’s clash against Chelsea at Wembley.
The reality is that now they are all cup finals.
But they were powerless against Liverpool’s second-half blitz, with Harvey Elliot scoring the Reds’ 100th goal of the season in his 100th appearance for the club.
Klopp now has six more Premier League games left at Anfield before leaving the club, but said: “In my ideal world, the best memories are yet to come.”
Klopp has six more Premier League games left at Anfield, with Manchester City’s next one on March 10.
You have to go back to October 2022 to know the last time his team suffered a league defeat at home. And March 2021 before that date.
“In my ideal world, the best memories are yet to come,” said Klopp, when announcing his shock departure last month.
Last night made him feel nostalgic but created more memories. He knows very well the role Anfield can play over the coming weeks and months if he wants to win more. And with the way the inner mood transformed from frustration to ecstasy, fans will also know his role.