Well, if you're gonna win a Merseyside Derby you may as well break some hearts and do it in extra time! What a massive result that was for Liverpool on Monday night. Conte, we're coming.
1) The Estonian
At 31 years of age the defender was signed by Klopp as some extra cover but if you've ever watched a performance from a man demanding a place in the side, last night was one of them.
Klavan had an absolute stormer. Every aerial ball defended, every challenge in the box nailed, distribution, positioning, timing. You name it, he bossed it. Without a glimmer of doubt Klavan was most definitely the man of he match.
2) Sturridge
I've said this many times on the blog; I often get frustrated at Klopp in games that are 0-0 when he refuses to chuck on Sturridge. For me if your initial tactical set up hasn't broken the opposition down within 70 minutes, chances are it's not going to happen so why not pull out the ace up your sleeve.
Sturridge soon found space in extra time to have a pop at goal and we all know what happened next! I honestly still feel he has a role in the side but can't shake the feeling he'll be off in January.
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| Image via theguardian.com |
3) Mane goal
What a way to win the Merseyside Derby, dramatic but assured you have to admit it wasn't a coincidence that Mane was on the end of that deflected Sturridge effort.
His work rate in any game shows he'll never give up and chase down every ball. His instinct and pace are what threw him to victory on Monday night, what a man. The celebrations with Klopp at the end were brilliant to see and when you have a manager like that, so pleased with your performance it's difficult not to repay him with goals.
4) Barkley tackle
How on Earth was this man still on the pitch? After a few handbags early in the game, something Liverpool were also guilty of, Barkley just never seemed to settle in. He was hell bent on trying to prove he had the Merseyside hard man title but it resulted in an absolutely shocking challenge on Jordan Henderson.
I honestly don't think I'm exaggerating when I say I'm surprised Henderson even stood up. It was a terrible, terrible challenge and should have been a straight red.
5) Migs
Last but not least it's that man Mignolet. He didn't have massive amounts to do on Monday night but when called into action he was composed. The main thing for me is that now after collecting two clean sheets, one from the Merseyside Derby, he should go on to the next fixture with even more confidence and hopefully we can continue to improve defensively from there.