Jurgen Klopp says one West Ham player was ‘great’ against Liverpool

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Jurgen Klopp paid tribute to West Ham United goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski after the Poland international made a couple of impressive saves during Liverpool’s 1-0 Premier League win at Anfield on Wednesday night, speaking to the club’s official website.  

It truly was a game for the goalkeepers.

Alisson Becker hogged the headlines with a crucial penalty save to keep Jarrod Bowen off the scoresheet. But, at the other end, Fabianski ensured that he would not be outdone; helping keep West Ham in with a shout following a handful of superb reflex saves on Merseyside. 

“I think the first half was a really good first half, with a bad ending for us with the penalty,” Klopp says after Liverpool followed up their nail-biting victory over Manchester City with another home win.

“We played an exceptional game. We played really good football, we created, we scored a wonderful goal, hit the post. Fabianski with great saves and big blocks in the decisive areas from West Ham.”

Lukasz Fabianski vs Darwin Nunez

Fabianski was forced to pick the ball out the back of the net when Darwin Nunez glanced a fine Kostas Tsimikas cross into the far corner; the Uruguayan’s first Anfield goal. Nunez might have had a first Anfield hat-trick, however, if he hadn’t come up against a ‘keeper in such fine form, tipping one rasping drive over the bar prior to the striker’s 22nd minute opener.

Liverpool are now seventh in the table after successive wins; just four points behind Chelsea in the Champions League places. West Ham, meanwhile, are 13^th; left to rue not only Bowen’s penalty miss but also a glorious chance spurned by Tomas Soucek at the death following some superb backs-against-the-wall work by Alisson and James Milner. 

“We didn’t play that well in the second half,” Klopp adds. “So that’s why the game opened up. Then the long balls flying in and (West Ham are) great (from) set-pieces.

“In the end, we needed Ali, we needed Millie’s big toe and we needed a couple of things.”