Table of Contents
It would be easy to compile a list of Jurgen Klopp’s top 10 games and even if you weren’t a Liverpool fan, you could name them.
But what about his most important games? This is something a little different and the inclusions in this list, which runs chronologically, may surprise.
DOMINIC KING was at the front row of Klopp’s journey to Liverpool, going back and forth for eight years and seeing the impact the results had on the evolution of the team and the club.
This is his personal view of the key events and turning points that brought the good times back to Anfield.
Mail Sport reviews the 10 most important victories of Jurgen Klopp’s time at Liverpool
Fans have taken the charismatic and passionate Klopp to their hearts and will bid him a fond farewell on Sunday.
Since his arrival in 2015, the German coach has fostered a strong bond with the club
1 – Chelsea, visitor; October 31, 2015. Won 3-1 (Coutinho 2, Benteke)
Even now, nine years later, the incidents of that day are still easily remembered. Ramires put Chelsea in front from the start, Klopp immediately rose from his seat and stood tall, taking the fight to Jose Mourinho and his staff. It worked. It was he who said that Liverpool would not be intimidated.
While Klopp shouted at his players (James Milner received a particular reprimand), Mourinho fumed and spent his time fighting with the match officials. Chelsea melted, with Philippe Coutinho inspired. It was Klopp’s first Premier League win and he faced questions over the Champions League
He slid down one wall of the tunnel, all the way across the top and in a theatrical manner. He watched referee Mark Clattenburg leave Stamford Bridge as the line of inquiry was developing and shouted: “They’re asking me about the top four!” Clattenburg simply replied: “Welcome to England.”
Klopp endured a tough test against Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea early in his reign at the club.
2 – Borussia Dortmund, home; April 14, 2016. Won 4-3 (Origi, Coutinho, Sakho, Lovren)
The story of the comeback is well told, but its importance was the taste it gave to everyone in the stadium for the good times, the nights that gave Liverpool its reputation.
Klopp had told his team upon arrival that he was a coach who wanted to be in the Champions League and made his group accept what he said.
James Milner and Daniel Sturridge, combining to set up the winning goal for Dejan Lovren, striving to go further, embodied what he preached.
Dejan Lovren’s final goal against Borussia Dortmund gave fans a taste of what was to come
3 – Leicester City, home; September 10, 2016. Won 4-1 (Firmino 2, Mane, Lallana)
This was the day the Klopp era really began. In California there had been a good preseason, a lot of money had been spent on the newcomers and expectations were high.
Then they played their three games away from home and got four points out of nine.
What was going to happen when the champions arrived? A blitzkrieg, that is. With the new main stand opening for the first time, a different energy ran through the club. It was a spectacular victory and Roberto Firmino, especially, was starting to blossom.
A decisive victory over Leicester early in the 2016-17 season kicked off Liverpool’s momentum.
4 – Middlesbrough, home; May 21, 2017. Won 3-0 (Wijnaldum, Coutinho, Lallana)
Looking back, the task was simple: beat a team that had already been relegated at home and finish fourth. The reality was different.
Liverpool simply had To win, not qualifying for the Champions League was not an option.
When Coutinho scored the crucial second goal, Mike Gordon, John W. Henry and Tom Werner, Liverpool’s future owners, looked to the sky with joy and shouted in relief.
A comprehensive victory over Middlesbrough on the final day secured the Champions League
5 – Manchester City, home; January 14, 2018. Won 4-3 (Oxlade-Chamberlain, Firmino, Mane, Salah)
Klopp was no stranger to beating Manchester City at home, but this was different.
The nine minutes of the second half in which they went from 1-1 to 4-1 and Andy Robertson pressed like an out-of-control expresso lit a fuse. This told you that a suitable team was emerging.
They would face criticism in the coming months, even losing the Champions League final in kyiv to Real Madrid. But that chilly afternoon it was like they’d unlocked two new levels on a PlayStation and their trajectory was climbing high.
An Andy Robertson-inspired victory against Man City in 2018 set the tone for what was to come
6 – Bayern Munich, out; March 13, 2019. Won 3-1 (Mane 2, Van Dijk)
Liverpool’s best away performance in Europe in a generation. The compliment could not be greater.
After drawing 0-0 in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16, Bayern were supposed to quickly overtake them.
What Bayern got was the scare of their lives. They couldn’t get close to Liverpool, they couldn’t cope with their ability, their aggression, or their finishing prowess. Klopp’s affection for this performance (considering who he faced) is immense.
Liverpool’s best European night away from Anfield in a generation came in the 3-1 win over Bayern Munich.
7 – Barcelona, home; May 7, 2019. Won 4-0 (Origi 2, Wijnaldum 2)
You know what happened, the best night at Anfield. The aspects that will live forever with this observer are the interview he gave, away from the cameras, in his pre-match press conference. Listening to him, you immediately knew that Klopp felt that 3-0 was not a terminal score.
Then there were the consequences of the match. Sitting by the tunnel with a laptop on his knees, trying to meet the deadline, Klopp started walking towards me. Instinctively, he high-fived her.
Forget what happened in Madrid on June 1. It was then, indeed, that Liverpool won their sixth European Cup.
An incredible comeback against Barcelona laid the foundations for the Reds’ sixth European Cup
8 – Burnley, out; August 31, 2019. Won 3-0 (Wood og, Mane, Firmino)
Why this game? The fans were still bathing in the glory of beating Tottenham and talking about past events. The template, however, was absolutely different. The past had already passed, the future was what mattered and the Premier League had to be won.
Burnley were devastated: Firmino was impressive, the final score could have been 6-0, but the only unforgettable element was after the game.
To a man, the squad came out with a stone face, absolutely in the zone. It’s easy to forget that they won 26 and tied one of their first 27 games that year.
A thoroughly professional defeat to Burnley showed the Reds were prepared to build on their European success.
9 – Manchester United, home; April 19, 2022. Won 4-0 (Díaz, Salah 2, Mane)
There have been many momentous games against their bitterest rivals, but this one was different from the strange 7-0 at Anfield and the spectacular 5-1 at Old Trafford.
This was the night that laid bare the chasm of class and the directions in which the two clubs had traveled during the Klopp era.
Not for a second was there any doubt that Liverpool were going to gut United and that was precisely what they did, Thiago Alcántara’s performance in midfield a joy to behold. Klopp seemed almost apologetic when he later shook hands with his friend Ralf Rangnick.
A 4-0 win against Man United in 2022 served as definitive proof of the chasm that had developed between the bitter rivals during Klopp’s tenure.
10 – Chelsea, Wembley; February 25, 2024. Won 1-0 (Van Dijk)
With a skeleton squad, Klopp’s last trophy as Liverpool manager is arguably the best example of his managerial excellence.
The last of his eight trophies and, perhaps, the best example that can be seen of him as a coach. He did not think about the injuries that ruined the preparation and found the solutions from within, without complaining for a moment.
The young people came off the bench to have the best time of their lives; Previously skeptical signings such as Wataru Endo were hugely influential, but leaders – this time Virgil van Dijk – stepped up when it mattered most.
Sentiments, you could say, that define the Jurgen Klopp era as a whole.