Birmingham’s latest Aston Villa newsLiverpool manager Jurgen Klopp reacts live to his team’s 1-1 draw with Unai Emery’s side
Aston Villa were “screwed” in the second half of their match against Liverpool at Anfield, according to Jurgen Klopp, as Unai Emery’s side came within minutes of securing a win on Merseyside.
Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino scored in the 89th minute to tie the game after Villa’s Jacob Ramsey opened the scoring in the first half. After Ollie Watkins missed a penalty, the Villa midfielder put the visitors ahead. This was his 100th appearance for the club.
Villa were on the verge of a memorable win at Anfield, but Firmino’s goal late in the game knocked them back, and Klopp insisted that his team should have won.
“Frustrating wherever you sit,” Klopp said after the game to BBC Sport. “We put up a good fight, chasing the Champions League in general.” They received more points. We would have loved to keep it exciting for another week, but we were unable to do so.
“After the game, I asked the boys, “Who was really, really good today?” It was difficult to come across one. However, the character we presented was excellent. Aston Villa were screwed in the second half and didn’t know what to do.”
“The time wasting was… wow,” he added. We saw that the ball boys left the country against Sevilla, and how long was the ball in play against Leverkusen? Ten minutes [added time] was sufficient, but we should have an additional five minutes within the 10 minutes.
“Everyone’s doing it. We’ve seen it too many times this season, and it has nothing to do with the game today; it’s just a general football issue.”
When asked about Emi Martinez’s 77th-minute booking, Klopp responded, “It is really difficult, I think it is an important thing to talk about, but I am afraid you’ll make it.”
“I believe the issue is obvious. You say it’s smart, and if you [time-waste] like that, that’s fine, but I think you saw it too many times throughout the season. It’s not just a waste of time; it’s also a disruption to one’s rhythm. You’re in the final seconds and you’re really going for it when an opponent player goes down.
“I believe today was obvious.” 10 minutes was sufficient; however, you have the impression that another five minutes could have been added. That presents a challenge. Again, it has nothing to do with the outcome, the day, or our season. But it would be great if we could also talk about that.”
Klopp also told Sky Sports: “I think 15 minutes [additional time] would have been fine.” We need to talk about it.”
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