Jurgen Klopp hails three Liverpool players after Inter Milan win and explains post-match message

Jurgen Klopp has insisted that Liverpool’s Champions League tie with Inter Milan isn’t job done just yet despite his side winning 2-0 at San Siro with two late goals.

The Italian champions’ tactical strategy against the Reds looked like it would work a treat for Simone Inzaghi, with Ivan Perisic and Lautaro Martinez failing to hit the target from close distance.

Luis Diaz, Jordan Henderson and Naby Keita were all introduced in the 59^th minute for Liverpool and 15 minutes later Roberto Firmino, who replaced Diogo Jota at half-time, opened the scoring with a neat header.

Seven minutes later Mohamed Salah scored his eighth Champions League goal this season with a well-struck low strike past Samir Handanovic.

“It is half-time and nothing else”

The Reds play five times before hosting Inter on 8^th March, including a date with Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley, adding to the heavy schedule that Liverpool have due to competing in four different competitions.

Despite the two-goal lead, Klopp has insisted that the tie isn’t over and the balance of the tie isn’t as obvious as it may seem.

“It is still dangerous,” Klopp told the media after the win. “It is half-time and nothing else. That’s how it is in the knockout stages, you learn a lot about an opponent.

“Before you make the analysis without playing them and after that you make the analysis with playing them. Both teams know much more about each other.

“We don’t feel like halfway through or whatever, we know it will be a tricky one and we have to be ready for that.

“There were a lot of different things but they are good, really good, so that’s why half-time, 2-0 up.

“If it is a proper half-time, like today and we are 2-0 up at half-time, I don’t tell the boys, ‘Job done, put your legs on the table’, it is a very tricky result so why should we think different about it now?”

Super-subs in Milan

Liverpool were the better of the two sides in the first 45 minutes but in the first quarter of an hour in the second half, Inter upped their tempo and were finding space behind the Liverpool defence.

The triple substitute on the hour mark changed the swing of things in Italy and Klopp praised the aforementioned players who came off the bench as

“The boys who came on had a proper impact, all three were really, really good,” the Reds boss stated.

“Bobby scored and from there we controlled the game and scored a really nice second one – again after a set-piece.

“It’s half-time, not more but not less as well.”