Liverpool Manager Attributes Self-Belief To Comeback Wins
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said the team’s self-belief has enabled them to fight back from losing positions this season after his side’s 2-1 comeback victory against Fulham in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final at Anfield.
Fulham took a first-half lead with a goal from Willian, before Curtis Jones and substitute Cody Gakpo scored three minutes apart to turn the match around.
It marked the seventh time Liverpool have won after conceding the first goal in all competitions this season, the most of any side in England’s top four tiers in 2023/2024.
⚡️⚡️ @curtisjr_10 & Cody Gakpo to @LFC’s rescue!#EFL | #CarabaoCup pic.twitter.com/ZxRpjpGmtF
— Carabao Cup (@Carabao_Cup) January 11, 2024
“To turn around a game, first and foremost you need quality; to turn a game around you obviously need belief. That’s the main thing and summing up everything beyond that is mentality,” Klopp told reporters on Wednesday.
“We had that this season where we had to overcome real difficulties very early in the season and nobody knew how we would react on that because you cannot plan it, you cannot train, you just watch it.”
“The boys did it against Bournemouth at home, against Newcastle away, so many moments,” Klopp added. “So, in the situation we are in with a lot of players not in – we don’t go for excuses and stuff like this, but it is obvious, you have to change.”
Gakpo’s winner was the 30th goal contribution this season by a Liverpool substitute, 12 more than any other Premier League club, with Klopp saying it was important to take risks when making changes.
🔴 A second-half turnaround sees @LFC take a slender advantage to @FulhamFC!#EFL | #CarabaoCup pic.twitter.com/bLujEyRwQC
— Carabao Cup (@Carabao_Cup) January 10, 2024
“That’s how it is, but it must be the right moment,” Klopp added. “When we have all available, the quality we can bring on then is pretty good, I have to say.”
Liverpool, top of the Premier League standings, face 12th-placed Bournemouth on January 21st, before travelling to Craven Cottage for the second leg against Fulham on January 24th.
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