Mentality and resilience have been key themes of Liverpool’s season. But on this occasion, the Mentality Monsters performed poorly. Instead of fighting until the last second as so often, it was a truly bizarre display of game management.
It meant the Reds players could have few complaints about the result as they trudged back along East Lancashire Road after the grueling defeat. The all-star team will now travel the world to begin an international break with a hint of regret.
“We didn’t finish the match,” summed up Jurgen Klopp. And he is right: his team has won this victory twice. But lapses in concentration and sloppy errors led to Liverpool managing to squander what would have been a seismic step in their quest for four trophies.
They were lucky to escape with one of the last kicks of normal time when Marcus Rashford narrowly pushed a shot wide after Liverpool’s defense was swaying after squandering the win late on and being blown open too easily.
Rashford’s poor effort from close range led one to wonder if it was written in the stars that Klopp would conquer all he surveyed in his final dance of English football. But instead, he finds himself with a daunting task: healing the wounds of a bruising defeat at the hands of his team’s bitter rivals.
Liverpool led twice but found themselves on the wrong side of the game after a dramatic 120 minutes.
Jurgen Klopp admitted his Liverpool side failed to finish the game against Man United
Darwin Nunez was punished for giving the ball away in the build-up to Marcus Rashford’s goal.
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When Rashford finally scored, it came from a touch of inexperience from Darwin Nunez, who was cheaply robbed of possession in his own half. United’s winner was an excellent counter-attack, but they were given permission to move on with Klopp’s defense nowhere to be seen.
This goal came from a Liverpool corner. Yes, Klopp’s men shouldn’t be criticized for throwing men forward in search of late goals – it would be hypocritical to mark Liverpool for something that led to their 99th-minute winner at Nottingham Forest there fifteen days ago.
But the manner in which Liverpool lost this game leaves Klopp with a big job to do to rally his troops ahead of the big trips ahead in the Premier League, including a return here to Old Trafford on April 7 and a Merseyside derby at Goodison. Park still to be redeveloped.
“We didn’t finish the game, when you leave the door open, away at Old Trafford it’s clear they will have chances,” Klopp said. “It was really hard for us. It was the first time I really saw my team really struggling.
Some fans would say the excuse of fatigue was redundant after Klopp fielded an XI not too far from his best on Thursday against Sparta Prague, a draw they led 5-1 after the first leg. This seems a bit of a stretch to critics, but some players seemed broken here.
“There was a time when they played one-on-one at the back,” Klopp said. “We should have used it better, but that’s the problem. The longer the game goes on, the decision making doesn’t get better, let me put it like that. They take the risk and we don’t use it properly.
The German was referring to the fact that United’s defense during extra time looked like what you would see on five-a-side pitches on a Tuesday night. Harry Maguire stayed back, most of the time, then the rest was just a bit random, with Bruno Fernandes covering often.
Liverpool should have taken advantage of this. But they looked tired and it felt like, after overcoming so many obstacles during a difficult few months with an injury crisis, maybe this was a step too far.
Amad Diallo’s winning goal came after Liverpool were hit on the break from their own corner.
Liverpool failed to take advantage of Bruno Fernandes in defense for Man United
Klopp expects his Liverpool team to regroup after international break
This will probably also be Klopp’s verdict when the dust settles. No one, least of all him, expected Liverpool to be chasing four trophies in mid-March. And so this defeat will have made him angry and will have left him full of regrets, the Reds coach knows that his team has the mental courage to bounce back.
His tenure on Merseyside won’t end with a fairytale sweep of the trophies, but they are still in an extremely strong position to win a second Premier League crown and also add a Europa League to their glittering cabinet. ‘silverware.
Key midfielder Curtis Jones was an underrated loss – he brings stability and calm in central areas and would have been in the England squad if not for a recent injury. He should be back within the next fortnight, with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Diogo Jota also hoping to return in early April.
So while this latest defeat casts a sour note on the Reds heading into the international break, it’s certainly not the time to panic.