"We just want his dad to be released" - Jurgen Klopp makes claim after Luis Diaz's goal in Liverpool's draw against Luton
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said after Luis Diaz's late equaliser at Luton Town on Sunday (November 5) that the entire team want the attacker's father to be released by his captors.
Diaz missed his side's Premier League win at home to Nottingham Forest and the midweek EFL Cup win at Bournemouth following his parents' kidnapping in Colombia. Although his mother has been released, there's no whereabouts about his dad, prompting calls for his release in Diaz's Cancun region and beyond.
The Colombian striker came off the bench at Kenilworth Road for a seven-minute cameo and saved his side's blushes. Newly promoted Luton were on the cusp of their first league win of the season and first in the top flight against Liverpool since 1991, but they weren't to be.
A relieved Reds manager Klopp said post-game (as per transfer expert Fabrizio Romano) that Diaz scoring is 'wonderful' but that the team is aware of his mental state:
“It’s wonderful to see Lucho scoring, wonderful moment, but it does not change the situation. We just want his dad to be released”.
The draw took Klopp's side to third in the standings with 24 points from 11 games, ahead of fourth-placed Arsenal on goal difference and three behind leaders Manchester City.
"I think we made it very difficult for ourselves" - Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk had no qualms admitting that his side were far from their fluent best at Luton Town. Klopp's side left it late to salvage a late equaliser.
Tahith Chong's 80th-minute opener sparked hopes of a first home league win for the newly promoted side. Diaz, though, ensured that they would have to wait for a while, with his strike in the fifth minute of added time.
Acknowledging his side's difficulties, Van Dijk told BBC Sport:
"I think we made it very difficult for ourselves. It was always going to be difficult coming here, we have seen it with other teams coming here.
"You have to make it a bit easier for yourself and scoring a goal helps, it changes the dynamic of the game. They only need one moment, and to be fair, they did it very well."
The Reds will now hope to return to winning ways when they travel to Toulouse on Thursday (November 9) in the UEFA Europa League. Klopp's side are on the cusp of the knockouts, winning their first three games, scoring 10 times, and conceding twice.