"It is football" - Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp says Premier League title race with Manchester City is far from over
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp remains confident of his team's chances in their race with Manchester City for the Premier League title.
Klopp's comments came after his troops rallied from a goal down to pick up a vital 2-1 win at Southampton last night (May 17). That put them within a point of league leaders City, who dropped points in a 2-2 draw with West Ham United over the weekend, with one game to play.
Matchday 38 of the Premier League season will see Manchester City travel to Aston Villa, managed by Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard. The Reds, meanwhile, will face Wolverhampton Wanderers at home, with both games taking place simultaneously on Sunday, May 22.
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Klopp opined that if he was in Guardiola's shoes, he wouldn't think the title race is over. He said (as quoted by The Guardian):
“If I was in the other situation, then I don’t feel like I am champion already, that is how it is.”
The German tactician elaborated that he wants his team to do their job against Wolves but believes a Manchester City win is likely at Villa Park:
“From my point of view, in second you are thinking that of course City will win that game. But it is football. We have to first win our game. It is not like we are talking about Wolves like they are not there. It is possible, not likely but possible. That is enough.”
Liverpool dig in to beat Southampton and keep pace with Manchester City
Liverpool needed a win at St. Mary's Stadium last night to give themselves a good shot at winning the title on the final Matchday. However, Klopp's much-changed side fell behind after just 13 minutes, thanks to Nathan Redmond's right-footed strike.
However, the Reds responded in the 27th minute when Takumi Minamino slammed one into Alex McCarthy's near post to level things up. The visitors created a few more chances before deservedly taking the lead midway through the second half.
Southampton failed to clear Kostas Tsimikas' corner, and Joel Matip found the back of the net with an instinctive looping header.
Roll on Sunday.
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The Reds managed to see the game out to pick up a priceless win. They will now head back to Anfield hoping to win their final game against Wolves and Manchester City slipping up against Aston Villa.