Jurgen Klopp is “over the moon” with his Liverpool men after a Xherdan Shaqiri double led the Reds to a dominant 3-1 win over Manchester United on Sunday at Anfield.
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“How the boys fought,” Klopp said. “The mix up of big fight and really playing football against an unbelievably strong team. United didn’t want to play defensively but we didn’t let them out.”
Klopp gave himself a little love for bringing Shaqiri into the fray at 1-1, as the ex-Stoke City midfielder had two deflected shots find the back of the goal.
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Entering at the 70th minute, Shaqiri scored in the 73rd and 80th. Klopp calls that timing “not too bad.”
But it wasn’t just about the Swiss scorer. From the BBC:
“The way the boys played tonight was outstanding. We saw the line up of United and their quality – how organized they were and they fight from the back. The plan was to be brave and chip the ball behind the lines. The first goal was how, if you could have drawn, it would have been the goal. It’s so deserved. Top, top first class team.”
Coupled with taking down Napoli in the UEFA Champions League, Liverpool now has a pair of marquee wins after a stretch in which they struggled against the big names. Now nearing their best again, the Reds are ready for the festive fixtures.
