Liverpool FC manager Jürgen Klopp has promised to bring home the Reds’ first piece of silverware since 2012 following a dramatic penalty shoot-out win over Stoke City at Anfield
With Liverpool FC going into the second-leg of their Capital One Cup semi-final tie at Anfield with a 1-0 advantage, many thought the Reds would have little trouble in seeing out the threat of Mark Hughes’ men in front of their home fans on Tuesday. Stoke City, however, had other ideas.
A highly controversial goal from Marko Arnautović right at the stroke of half-time had the Reds’ supporters frothing at the mouth, and replays later confirmed that the Austrian was indeed in an offside position. Reds manager Jürgen Klopp understandably did not spend much time focussing on the incident, declaring that Liverpool FC would win the Capital One Cup regardless of their opponents in the final.
‘We will win the cup’ – Klopp
Liverpool FC inched a step closer to winning their first trophy since 2012, and will face the winner of the tie between Manchester City and Everton in the final. When asked in his post-match interview which team he would like to face at Wembley, Klopp was at his pithy best.
Speaking to Sky Sports following the dramatic penalty shoot-out win, the German declared: “Manchester City or Everton, I don’t care, we will win the cup. We have been here for four months now and I can only say the best about Liverpool. It’s great to live here and live in the surroundings to meet people – even when you meet Everton fans!
“Over the two legs, with all the games the players have had in the last two months, they deserved it. The fans deserved it. Liverpool deserved it. It’s a great moment for us. It was hard work but it was never easy to get to a final – I take this game as difficult but deserved.”
Flanagan receives praise for man-of-the-match display
Young full-back Jon Flanagan continued his build-up to full match fitness as he started and played 105 minutes of the semi-final second-leg against Stoke. Manager Jürgen Klopp was so pleased with the 23-year-old’s display that he declared the Liverpool FC academy graduate his man of the match.
Addressing the media after the game, Klopp said of Flanagan (via Liverpool Echo): “My man of the match. He was great. 105 minutes after – you know it better than me – May 2014, right?
“So it’s unbelievable making this match. Usually of course we know it’s not the best thing (playing so long) but we had no other choice and we always were in contact with him, asking Flanno.
“Even when we took him out he was saying ‘I could go on’. That was really great and with all the problems you lose the feeling for the game, you can lose it in shorter times. You can do all your things with the ball, that’s what you don’t forget, but defending in the right spaces, we defend different maybe than when he played last time.”
