Firmino apologised for not scoring more goals, reveals Klopp

Jurgen Klopp says Roberto Firmino apologised for not adding to his decisive strike in Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Tottenham on Saturday.

The result means the Reds have now won 20 of their opening 21 Premier League games of the season to sit 16 points ahead of second-placed Leicester City at the summit.

That lead could be cut to 14 points if Manchester City overcome Aston Villa on Sunday, but Liverpool are firmly on course to be crowned champions of England for the first time in 30 years.

Firmino scored the only goal of the game after 37 minutes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium but the Brazil international was in sheepish mood at the final whistle, according to his boss.

“When I went to him and wanted to give him a hug after the game, he wanted to stop and talk first,” Klopp said. “He said: ‘I know I should have scored more goals’. It was absolutely not what I wanted to say!

“It is true probably. He should have scored immediately with the first chance.

We’ve now made the best-ever start to a season across Europe’s big five leagues after 21 games (61 points) 

WE. KEEP. GOING. pic.twitter.com/0YGSa9wx7B

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 11, 2020

“He is a super player, super. I don’t say this for the first time and will hopefully not say it for the last time. [He’s] pretty impressive.”

Giovani Lo Celso squandered a golden opportunity to snatch a scarcely deserved point for Spurs in the closing stages.

It would have been exceptionally harsh on a Liverpool side who had dominated for long periods, with Klopp keen to highlight his side’s impressive “fight” against Jose Mourinho’s men.

“We had to play for it and in the end we had to fight for it, really hard,” he said.

“We could have closed this game earlier; we should have I would say. The chances were clear. We had moments when we didn’t make chances, but they were ones I would say usually would have to be a 100 per cent chance.

“I think we played some exceptional football to bring in Andy Robertson on the touchline but then we didn’t find the free player or the defender blocked the last ball. We could have done better in these moments, but then it was only 1-0 and that’s normal.

“Against a team like Tottenham, it is not decided and in the end we needed luck in one situation and Alisson in two or three other situations.

“It was intense, really, but I think we deserved the three points. It was not our best game we played so far, but it was a very good one and, as I said, [we played] really good football in a lot of parts of the game and in the end a proper fight. All good.”

Liverpool are back in Premier League action next Sunday against bitter rivals Manchester United, who are the only side to have taken points from them this season.