The West Ham captain said the Premier League leaders are becoming increasingly anxious. His comments divided the Reds fanbase.
West Ham United captain Mark Noble has spoken out about Liverpool’s Premier League title tilt following his side’s 1-1 draw against the Reds at the London Stadium on Monday night.
Jurgen Klopp’s charges held a nine-point lead over Manchester City at the tail end of last year but that has now been whittled to three points as they drew their second game in succession.
The Hammers put in an impressive performance against Liverpool at the London Stadium and picked up a point after Michail Antonio’s goal cancelled out Sadio Mane’s controversial opener for the Merseysiders.
Noble now thinks Liverpool are becoming increasingly nervous as their whittled-down advantage, combined with the weight of history, could now be weighing down heavily on Klopp’s charges as they seek their first top-flight title since 1990.
“I watched the (Liverpool against Leicester) game at Anfield on TV and you could tell that with the history Liverpool have got, the anxiety around the stadium, it does feed into the players,” Noble told Sky Sports News on Monday night. “I could even feel it sitting at home on my sofa.
“It’s just that Liverpool want to win that league so much. They’ve got a great chance of doing it but the fans have just got to stick by them, keep supporting them because it is going to be tough.”
Noble, however, is confident that if anyone can help deliver the Premier League title to Liverpool, Klopp can, and he insists they will be fine in the face of the increasing pressure, not least thanks to the manager’s quality and the on-pitch talent at their disposal.
“Especially when you’re leading and you’re top and everyone is chasing you and you know Man City are not going to rest for one game. You need to stick together. But I’m pretty sure they’re going to be fine. They’ve got a fantastic squad of players and a world-class manager.”
Here is how some Liverpool fans reacted to Noble’s comments on Twitter:
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
