Liverpool beat Southampton 2-0 on Saturday night, with Sadio Mane and Thiago Alcantara on the scoresheet.
Mane was able to score against his former club in the first half, though a number of players with history on both sides missed out.
Virgil van Dijk and Danny Ings both missed out through injury, whilst Takumi Minamino wasn’t allowed to play.
The Japanese attacker was ineligible due to the terms of the loan deal that took him from Liverpool to Southampton in February.
Minamino departed Anfield in search of playing time having started just two games for Liverpool in the first half of the season.
Since joining Southampton on loan, Minamino has started six games and scored twice, which may not seem like quite enough for a first-team role at Liverpool next term.
Still, the 26-year-old has the backing of Reds boss Klopp, who told Liverpool’s matchday programme that he feels Minamino has played ‘really well’ for Southampton.
Klopp added a prediction that there is ‘no doubt’ Minamino will be an important player for Liverpool moving forward, giving the former Red Bull Salzburg ace real hope of playing for Liverpool next season.
“He’s done really well there and this is no surprise,” said Klopp. “When we allowed him to go in January it was a tough call to make because he is an important player for us and will be again in the future, no doubt.”
“But opportunities at that time had been short with us and therefore going to play somewhere else made sense for him and us. Southampton was perfect because of how Ralph [Hasenhuttl] plays and what he demands from his players,” he added.
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