-Egyptian striker secures three points, saves day for Liverpool at Palace
LONDON: Jurgen Klopp admitted Liverpool rode their luck as Sadio Mane escaped a second yellow card before Mohamed Salah struck his 37th goal of the season to grind out a 2-1 win at Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Luka Milivojevic drove relegation threatened Palace into a 13th minute lead from the penalty spot.
Mane levelled four minutes after the break, but, having already been booked for diving, was later given a huge let off by referee Kevin Friend when he deliberately handled the ball just outside his own penalty area.
Klopp quickly replaced the Senegalese and Liverpool took advantage when despite having one of the quieter games of an incredible debut season at the club, Salah proved the match winner.
While Klopp insisted he believed Mane’s first yellow was unfair, even the German was surprised a second booking wasn’t forthcoming when he handled just after the hour mark.
“For Sadio it was not a perfect day and he made the wrong decision to put his hand on the ball,” said Klopp.
“I thought that was it, ‘Au Revoir, see you later’, but then it became even more strange.
“In that moment we are lucky, but in my opinion it would have been his first (deserved) yellow card of the game.”
Victory edges Liverpool ever closer to sealing a place in the top four and a return to the Champions League next season.
However, they will need a much-improved performance if they are to progress to the semi-finals of this season’s Champions League when they host runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City in the first leg of their quarter-final on Wednesday.
“The dirty three points are very often the most important,” added Klopp, who lamented his side’s lack of preparation for the lunchtime kick-off with various members of his squad only returning to training on Thursday after their international duties.
“Nobody should be worried about our mood. Our boys are really on fire.”
LIVERPOOL BAILED OUT BY BENTEKE:
It is Liverpool’s defensive deficiencies that will most concern Klopp ahead of facing free-scoring City as they were also bailed out by two huge misses from Christian Benteke.
A third straight home defeat for Palace leaves Roy Hodgson’s men still perilously placed just above the relegation zone.
However, the former England manager was magnanimous in his evaluation of whether Mane should have seen red.
