Liverpool fought back to earn a late point against Aston Villa at Anfield, but Jurgen Klopp was frustrated by the visitors’ efforts, whom he accused of wasting time
Jurgen Klopp was enraged by Aston Villa’s inefficiency as they left Anfield with a point.
Liverpool scored a late equalizer thanks to Roberto Firmino, who was playing in his final home game as a Red. Villa had taken the lead in the first half through Jacob Ramsey, and the visitors were on the verge of extending their lead, but Klopp was unimpressed with their tactics.
The German objected to how long Unai Emery’s men took to take over free kicks, goal kicks, and throw-ins. The hosts eventually got the goal they desired, but Klopp insisted that teams were too often allowed to run down the clock.
“The time wasting was… wow,” he said after the standoff. We saw that the ball boys left the country against Sevilla, and how long was the ball in play against Leverkusen? “Everyone is doing it. We’ve seen it in a number of games this season. Nothing to do with today’s outcome.”
The Reds had put together an impressive winning streak, but it was ended by Villa, who are also vying for a place in the Europa League. Klopp admitted that, after a wildly inconsistent season, Liverpool might not be deserving of a seat at Europe’s top table next season.
“I think the whole season is more about qualifying for the Europa League than the Champions League,” he said. For far too long, we were not good enough for ourselves.”
Firmino was the man who delivered for Liverpool on a day that was all about him. He is one of four players who will leave Anfield this summer, but his efforts have been crucial to the club’s success, and Klopp praised the fans’ gestures.
“What the people did anyway, like the mural for Bobby Firmino...” he continued. I’m not sure when the last time that happened to me. Yesterday we drove to the stadium because we leave our cars here and then you pass that and it’s not finished yet, it was in the middle of something, and you think, ‘Wow’.
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