Jurgen Klopp reaction: Mixed feelings from Liverpool boss after ‘exceptional win’ at Villa despite missing factor

Jurgen Klopp was thrilled with Liverpool’s first-half performance in the 3-1 victory at Aston Villa on Boxing Day, but was disappointed with one aspect of their display in the second half.

The Reds held off Villa’s plucky challenge to close the gap on the Premier League’s top four thanks to goals from Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk struck and Stefan Bajcetic’s first senior strike.

Victory moved them five points adrift of the Champions League spots, remaining sixth, ahead of Friday’s visit of Leicester.

Yet they rode their luck against mid-table Villa, who put up a fight but missed chances and lacked the quality when it mattered most despite Ollie Watkins’ strike.

Klopp had seen second-placed Newcastle move 11 points clear with a stroll at Leicester so knew victory was imperative not just to keep in touch with the Magpies but reel in the top four.

And speaking after the game, Klopp told Amazon Prime: “It was a top performance in a difficult game. I think we played exceptionally in the first half.

“Villa had their moments but we were really good. I liked what I saw. We told the boys at half-time where we could do better and the only problem was in the second half we missed the last step all of a sudden.

“Villa were pushing hard, in a home game that’s normal, we knew that would happen, and you have to get through those periods.

“We could have scored the third goal much earlier but it’s fine, and I loved the situation around the third goal.”

Robertson hails improved road record for Reds

Meanwhile, Andy Robertson was thrilled to get a positive result away from home as the Reds had to dig in.

He added: “It was almost perfect. Away from home, we’ve not been good enough.

“We had a big result at Tottenham before the break and it was important for us to back it up. It was an important three points for us.

A moment Stefan Bajcetic will never forget ❤️

Just a couple of minutes after coming onto the pitch the teenager scores his first senior goal to restore Liverpool’s two-goal cushion 👊#PLonPrime #AVLLIV pic.twitter.com/nEy3AGa7oQ

— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) December 26, 2022

“The first half couldn’t have gone much better for us. We knew they were going to react, be more positive and get after us.

“They made it tough [in the second half], we conceded a goal and sometimes you have to dig deep.

“Today we showed a different side to us where we dug in and then we hurt them on the counter-attack.”

READ MORE: Jurgen Klopp makes massive Liverpool January transfer claim with one position needing boost