Jurgen Klopp rues ‘slapstick’ Liverpool defeat after highlighting out what went missing in Inter Milan loss

Jurgen Klopp felt a win apiece was a fair result from Liverpool’s Champions League last-16 tie against Inter Milan but rued one aspect of his side’s display in the loss at Anfield.

The Reds suffered their first Anfield defeat in a year after a 1-0 defeat to 10-man Inter Milan but still progressed to the quarter-finals courtesy of their two-goal first-leg advantage.

Lautaro Martinez’s 61st-minute stunner had given the visitors a chance of overturning the deficit but Alexis Sanchez’s red card for a second bookable offence less than two minutes later blew a hole in their hopes.

Liverpool, who have not lost a European tie when they have won the first away leg – 37 times and counting – should have put the result beyond doubt as Mohamed Salah hit both posts in the second half.

But in keeping with what was, for periods, not the easiest of nights against the Serie A champions Jurgen Klopp’s side saw things out to reach a fourth quarter-final in five years despite losing their 100 per cent record in the competition this season.

Speaking to BT Sport after the game, Klopp said: “The difficulties we had were pretty close to what I expected. Inter are a really, really good side, set up for these kind of games.

“Without playing brilliantly we had clear-cut chances. Over the two legs it’s completely fine that they won one and we went through. We could’ve done better against an opponent that makes life uncomfortable.

Inter a tough nut to crack

“It was a really interesting game. In the end we lost the game which obviously is not cool. We didn’t come here to lose a home game.

“The opponent caused us problems but if we had used our chances we win this game. We lost a lot of simple balls, which can happen and when the ball was in the air it was like slapstick with the wind.

“The counter-press was not really there. We were around challenges but not in challenges and we didn’t get the momentum, that’s what we were lacking.”

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Mohamed Salah, meanwhile, was thankful for the result in Italy to see the Reds through.

He told BT Sport: “A difficult team – in the away game we managed to win and the most important thing is we qualified.

“I hit the post twice. It’s OK – maybe in the next game I will score three. We lost the game and maybe that will give us a push and it’s a good game to learn from.

“Everyone wants to win the Champions League and the Premier League and we will fight for both so let’s see.”

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