Liverpool vs Everton: Klopp Minta Maaf Selebrasi Berlebihan
Jakarta, CNN Indonesia -- Juergen Klopp meminta maaf atas selebrasi berlebihan yang dilakukannya usai Liverpool menang dramatis atas Everton dengan skor 1-0 pada lanjutan Liga Primer Inggris yang digelar di Stadion Anfield, Minggu (2/12). Kendati mendominasi permainan, The Reds kesulitan untuk menjebol gawang rivalnya tersebut di waktu normal. Beruntung Divock Origi yang masuk sebagai pemain pengganti sukses mencetak gol di masa injury time .
Origi yang masuk menggantikan Roberto Firmino menjadi pahlawan kemenangan Liverpool. Penyerang Belgia tersebut berhasil memanfaatkan bola liar hasil tembakan Virgil van Dijk yang tak mampu diantisipasi sempurna kiper Jordan Pickford. Gol tersebut disambut gemuruh sorak-sorai fan Liverpool yang memenuhi Anfield. Klopp pun larut dalam sukacita hingga berlari ke lapangan dan memeluk kiper Alisson Becker. Selepas pertandingan, juru taktik asal Jerman itu melayangkan permintaan maaf dan mengaku tidak berniat untuk melukai tim lawan.
Liverpool kalahkan Everton lewat gol telat Divock Origi. (REUTERS/Phil Noble)
"Saya harus minta maaf karena saya tidak ingin bersikap tidak hormat tetapi saya tidak bisa menahan diri. Itu terjadi begitu saja," kata Klopp kepada Sky Sports . "Rencananya adalah tidak berlari [ke lapangan untuk selebrasi]! Ketika saya berhenti ternyata saya dekat dengan Alisson. Ia terkejut! Itu adalah situasi terakhir dari pertandingan. Kedua tim telah mempertontonkan pertarungan yang luar biasa," sambungnya. Aksi yang dilakukan Klopp bisa memicu sanksi dari FA selaku otoritas sepak bola Inggris.
"Kami tidak ingin mencari alasan. Saya tidak yakin apa yang harus dilakukan FA dalam situasi seperti ini tapi saya harus menunggu," ujar Klopp. Raihan tiga poin atas Everton amat penting bagi Liverpool yang tengah memburu gelar juara Liga Inggris musim ini. The Reds saat ini berada di posisi kedua dan hanya berjarak dua poin dari Manchester City yang berada di puncak klasemen. (jun)
Hasil dramatis tersaji saat Liverpool menjamu Everton dalam pertandingan bertajuk Derby Merseyside, di Anfield Stadium, Minggu 2 Desember 2018, malam WIB. Pasalnya, pemenang dari pertandingan itu baru diketahui pada menit ke-96 ketika Divock Origi membuat satu-satunya gol untuk Liverpool
“I thought, ‘What am I doing?” Virgil van Dijk admitted, as he recalled the moment he taekwondoed a strange sort of volley into the air, seemingly to the point of sanctuary for Everton’s defence in the 96th minute of the Merseyside derby.
Listen to Anfield and you hear a groan. The Kop suspects the outcome is settled, a fourth draw of the season would have opened up a four-point gap between Liverpool in second and Manchester City at the summit of the Premier League.
“I’m a defender so sometimes you need to think a little bit more as a striker when you are up there,” Van Dijk then acknowledged. Earlier, he had surged past Michael Keane and into Everton’s box. The delivery needed to be low and hard but instead it was mid-height and soft, allowing Yerry Mina to make a clearance. From Fernando Torres, he had morphed suddenly into Antonio Nunez.
Shape Created with Sketch. Liverpool vs Everton player ratings Show all 22 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Liverpool vs Everton player ratings 1/22 Alisson - 7/10 Made a few huge saves, particularly from Andre Gomes who looked certain to open the scoring for Everton in the first half. So much better than last year’s options in net. REUTERS 2/22 Trent Alexander-Arnold - 6 Made some promising inroads in an attacking sense and looked solid at the back but his set piece delivery today was not as up to scratch as it has been recently. REUTERS 3/22 Joe Gomez - 7 Another good performance from the youngster who looks bound for a positive future. Saved a definite goal in the first half with his clearance off the line. EPA 4/22 Virgil van Dijk - 6 Won some huge headers as is his usual standard but was beaten by Mina early on and looked slightly more flat-footed and susceptible than perhaps we're used to. Mind, provided the assist - kind of... AFP/Getty Images 5/22 Andrew Robertson - 6 Like his fellow full back partner, not his most effective day at the office but tried his best to make things happen. Had a little niggle with Richarlison in the second half which was a bit of fun more than anything else. PA 6/22 Georginio Wijnaldum - 6 A strong performance in midfield without making a big impact. EPA 7/22 Fabinho - 7 Not featured at all for Liverpool this season but those long legs of his helped him dominate in midfield and spread some nice passes around. A decent introduction to the Merseyside derby. Action Images via Reuters 8/22 Xherdan Shaqiri - 6 Missed some big opportunities and moments in the game but also sent in some nice crosses and enjoyed some good touches. REUTERS 9/22 Roberto Firmino - 5 Continues to look ever so slightly off the pace and not in tandem with Salah and Firmino as effectively as he did last season. He’s never been a prolific goalscorer but he’s not really doing the other bits well at the moment, either. AFP/Getty Images 10/22 Sadio Mane - 6 Was probably Liverpool’s biggest threat but was also culpable for missing some pretty big chances in the game. Action Images via Reuters 11/22 Mohamed Salah - 5 Some more highlights for Salah include his predictability and the air shot in the first half. Still had some nice touches between himself and Mane but just not offering what he did last season. REUTERS 12/22 Jordan Pickford - 5 Looked to be a good performance from Pickford until that late mistake handed Liverpool victory. His decision-making let him down when it mattered most. A costly error which marred an otherwise decent performance. Action Images via Reuters 13/22 Seamus Coleman - 6 Still not quite at the Coleman levels we used to see but he’ll be quite happy with his performance this afternoon. AFP/Getty Images 14/22 Michael Keane - 7 Enjoyed a really strong game, winning headers and also dominating against Liverpool's attacking firepower. Action Images via Reuters 15/22 Yerry Mina - 7 Top game from Mina. Strong into the tackle, quick too. Could and probably should have given Everton the lead inside four minutes. AFP/Getty Images 16/22 Lucas Digne - 8 The full back had a composed performance and was a threat going forward. Has displaced the otherwise non displaceable Leighton Baines and done a good job of it. PA 17/22 Theo Walcott - 6 Not his finest performance and another game at Anfield flashes by without Walcott getting a goal here. Getty Images 18/22 Andre Gomes - 7 Will definitely look back on this game and think he should’ve scored, missing one of the best chances of the game. However, he was brilliant in Everton’s midfield, strong, and switched the ball with quality. PA 19/22 Idrissa Gueye - 6 A good gritty performance from the midfielder but gave the ball away a few too many times for a better rating. REUTERS 20/22 Bernard - 7 Some Blues might have been worried he wasn’t going to do his defensive duties but the diminutive midfielder did everything he was asked of and could have potentially scored. EPA 21/22 Gylfi Sigurdsson - 7 Really good day for Sigurdsson who played some wonderful passes at the CAM role of the attack. Sadly, his set piece delivery wasn’t quite at its best but reasonable all the same. Getty Images 22/22 Richarlison - 6 Hard to lead the line, especially not being a typical striker but he did his best running the line, holding up the ball, and winning fouls. Did well and created chances. Just not enough, though. EPA 1/22 Alisson - 7/10 Made a few huge saves, particularly from Andre Gomes who looked certain to open the scoring for Everton in the first half. So much better than last year’s options in net. REUTERS 2/22 Trent Alexander-Arnold - 6 Made some promising inroads in an attacking sense and looked solid at the back but his set piece delivery today was not as up to scratch as it has been recently. REUTERS 3/22 Joe Gomez - 7 Another good performance from the youngster who looks bound for a positive future. Saved a definite goal in the first half with his clearance off the line. EPA 4/22 Virgil van Dijk - 6 Won some huge headers as is his usual standard but was beaten by Mina early on and looked slightly more flat-footed and susceptible than perhaps we're used to. Mind, provided the assist - kind of... AFP/Getty Images 5/22 Andrew Robertson - 6 Like his fellow full back partner, not his most effective day at the office but tried his best to make things happen. Had a little niggle with Richarlison in the second half which was a bit of fun more than anything else. PA 6/22 Georginio Wijnaldum - 6 A strong performance in midfield without making a big impact. EPA 7/22 Fabinho - 7 Not featured at all for Liverpool this season but those long legs of his helped him dominate in midfield and spread some nice passes around. A decent introduction to the Merseyside derby. Action Images via Reuters 8/22 Xherdan Shaqiri - 6 Missed some big opportunities and moments in the game but also sent in some nice crosses and enjoyed some good touches. REUTERS 9/22 Roberto Firmino - 5 Continues to look ever so slightly off the pace and not in tandem with Salah and Firmino as effectively as he did last season. He’s never been a prolific goalscorer but he’s not really doing the other bits well at the moment, either. AFP/Getty Images 10/22 Sadio Mane - 6 Was probably Liverpool’s biggest threat but was also culpable for missing some pretty big chances in the game. Action Images via Reuters 11/22 Mohamed Salah - 5 Some more highlights for Salah include his predictability and the air shot in the first half. Still had some nice touches between himself and Mane but just not offering what he did last season. REUTERS 12/22 Jordan Pickford - 5 Looked to be a good performance from Pickford until that late mistake handed Liverpool victory. His decision-making let him down when it mattered most. A costly error which marred an otherwise decent performance. Action Images via Reuters 13/22 Seamus Coleman - 6 Still not quite at the Coleman levels we used to see but he’ll be quite happy with his performance this afternoon. AFP/Getty Images 14/22 Michael Keane - 7 Enjoyed a really strong game, winning headers and also dominating against Liverpool's attacking firepower. Action Images via Reuters 15/22 Yerry Mina - 7 Top game from Mina. Strong into the tackle, quick too. Could and probably should have given Everton the lead inside four minutes. AFP/Getty Images 16/22 Lucas Digne - 8 The full back had a composed performance and was a threat going forward. Has displaced the otherwise non displaceable Leighton Baines and done a good job of it. PA 17/22 Theo Walcott - 6 Not his finest performance and another game at Anfield flashes by without Walcott getting a goal here. Getty Images 18/22 Andre Gomes - 7 Will definitely look back on this game and think he should’ve scored, missing one of the best chances of the game. However, he was brilliant in Everton’s midfield, strong, and switched the ball with quality. PA 19/22 Idrissa Gueye - 6 A good gritty performance from the midfielder but gave the ball away a few too many times for a better rating. REUTERS 20/22 Bernard - 7 Some Blues might have been worried he wasn’t going to do his defensive duties but the diminutive midfielder did everything he was asked of and could have potentially scored. EPA 21/22 Gylfi Sigurdsson - 7 Really good day for Sigurdsson who played some wonderful passes at the CAM role of the attack. Sadly, his set piece delivery wasn’t quite at its best but reasonable all the same. Getty Images 22/22 Richarlison - 6 Hard to lead the line, especially not being a typical striker but he did his best running the line, holding up the ball, and winning fouls. Did well and created chances. Just not enough, though. EPA
Fast forward to the dying seconds of the match, all that Jordan Pickford needed to do was stand there and let van Dijk’s subsequent effort sail over. Half of the ball was over the line already and it was whirling backwards.
“It spun and as I tried to flick it over, my hand hit the bar,” Pickford recalled. Then, “it hit the bar again…”
Twelve minutes earlier, Divock Origi had been introduced as a substitute for his first appearance in the Premier League since May 2017. There is an arc to this story because his Liverpool career was really accelerating in 2016 when, in this fixture, he sustained a season-ending injury after Ramiro Funes Mori applied the studs of his boots to his knee, earning the Argentine a red card.
Jurgen Klopp had sent Origi on with a basic message. “Basically, he said to just to play my game and playing like I was training. I was feeling good, I’ve kept in shape…”
Origi had already struck the crossbar in injury time when the second opportunity presented itself. Van Dijk had been involved in that sequence as well, knocking a header into his path from a Trent Alexander-Arnold corner. Liverpool’s corners all afternoon had been poor but this one was much better.
Origi offered thought for introspection.
“It is like a trap for a striker; you miss a chance and you keep dwelling on it,” he said. “For me, instantly, my reaction was, no; I just have to focus, chill, play my game and see whatever happens…”
“I think he should have scored,” van Dijk assessed, smiling. “And I told him…”
For someone whose minutes this season have amounted to just 11, as a substitute in Belgrade when Liverpool lost miserably to Red Star, it was impressive that Origi instinctively thought to position himself in an area to capitalise on any goalkeeping mistake, especially as the chances of one happening seemed so remote.
Pickford had experienced a mixed afternoon. His kicking was wild at times, though one of his saves in the first half when he blocked Xherdan Shaqiri was important.
He referred to Origi’s goal as a “freak”, though a “freak mistake” might have been a more appropriate description.
“I think it is the Everton luck when we come to Anfield,” he reflected, as though a curse exists on the other side of Stanley Park. “There’s nowt I can do about it now. I will get over it. I just want to say sorry to the Everton fans. You could see our progression as a group, the chances we created and the football we played. That’s a positive but what can I do?
“I don’t sleep well after many games, really, but we have got a game on Wednesday [against Newcastle] and I will show people what I can do. You can’t practice what happened there in training. You just have to get on with it and I will show you my character.”
Liverpool had kept another clean sheet. Since Van Dijk’s arrival and then the signing of Alisson Becker there has been less pleasure in their play but they have become attritional.
Van Dijk believed there was a perfectly reasonable explanation for the amount of added time, which helped make Liverpool’s victory possible.
“The added minutes definitely occurred because they were stopping the game,” he said. “To score in the dying seconds is always special.”
Origi’s goal-scoring record at Liverpool is probably a bit better than most remember, with 22 in 79 games. This was the most special for him. “You could see the emotion of the fans and the coach and the players so we celebrated all together,” he said. “It is a good day for Liverpool.”
He wonders now whether there is a future for him at Anfield. Klopp was prepared to sell him to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer but he rejected the move. Ironically, Everton also made an enquiry about his availability but did not follow it up with an offer.
It was suggested to him that he could be Liverpool’s super-sub but he left with a feeling that he wants more than that. Liverpool need extra options in attack because Roberto Firmino looks in need of a rest while there are concerns about Daniel Sturridge’s availability after he was charged by the FA for infringing on betting rules.
“It’s on the pitch you have to do your talking and it is the coach who makes the decisions,” he said. “As a player, you always want to play a lot of minutes but as a team we have a lot of goals this season. I just try to shine my light and see wherever it goes.”
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