MX23RW : Saturday, December 21 10:06:49| >> :120:10269:10269:

Jurgen Klopp's greatest moments as Liverpool manager

Sports Mole looks back on Jurgen Klopp's greatest moments as Liverpool manager.

Already establishing a reputation as one of Europe's top coaches while on the books at Borussia Dortmund, even beating Bayern Munich to a Bundesliga title before the Bavarians' unrivalled reign of dominance began, Jurgen Klopp enhanced his world-beating credentials in front his beloved Kop.

Taking the reins from Brendan Rodgers at the start of the 2015-16 season, Klopp oversaw a major rebuild from the team that were only teetering on the edge of European qualification to one that conquered England, Europe and earth.

Thanks to the marquee arrivals of the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker, Mohamed Salah and others, Liverpool won a staggering eight major trophies at the Anfield helm, including an inaugural Premier League honour and sixth Champions League/European Cup title.

A handful of domestic knockout successes were also added to Klopp's CV while he barked orders from the Reds touchline, and while he has since passed the reins over to Arne Slot, his Liverpool legacy will remain iconic for decades to come.

Here, Sports Mole picks out Klopp's greatest moments as Liverpool manager.



10. - Norwich City bedlam

Adam Lallana celebrates with team mates and manager Jurgen Klopp after scoring the fifth goal for Liverpool on May 7, 2024© Reuters

It took just two months for a set of Klopp's famous glasses to fall victim to unrestrained Reds celebrations, as in a nine-goal Premier League spectacular with Norwich City in January 2016, Liverpool emerged on the right end of a 5-4 scoreline in the most outrageous of circumstances.

Thanks to Roberto Firmino's brace, Jordan Henderson's strike and a James Milner effort, Liverpool had ostensibly rendered goals from Dieumerci Mbokani, Steven Naismith and Wes Hoolahan - which had put the Canaries 3-1 up - inconsequential.

That was until the second minute of second-half injury time, when Sebastien Bassong crashed the eighth goal of a crazy game home from 25 yards, but there would be another twist to the Carrow Road tale with 95 minutes on the board.

As a brief game of pinball broke out in the Canaries box, Norwich failed to clear their lines and paid the ultimate price when Adam Lallana's volley into the ground, sparking delirious scenes between Klopp and his players in which the German emerged without his trusty bifocal lenses.



9. 2019 Club World Cup final triumph

Conquering the globe at club level may not bear the same significance as lifting the coveted World Cup trophy aloft once every four years, but Liverpool's celebrations were not at all inhibited when the Reds added another title to their extensive CV.

Rather than the controversial 32-team tournament which will soon grace TV screens, Champions League holders Liverpool were just one of six sides to gun for glory at the 2019 edition, proving too strong for Mexican outfit Monterrey in the semi-finals to set up a showdown with Flamengo.

Nothing could separate the two continental champions in 90 minutes at the Khalifa International Stadium in Qatar, but just as the clock ticked over to 99 minutes in extra time, Sadio Mane's slick turn and pass to Firmino ended with the Brazilian clinically doing the rest.

The shirt immediately came off before Liverpool were presented with their inaugural Club World Cup honour by FIFA president Gianni Infantino; while Klopp may or may not ever enter the international management landscape, he can proudly claim to be a planetary champion.



8. Divock Origi winner in Merseyside derby

The admiration held for Liverpool cult hero Divock Origi is arguably close to that of the departing Klopp, and the Belgian attacker triggered an iconic pitch invasion from his manager during a December 2018 Merseyside derby with Everton at Anfield.

The Christmas contest would ostensibly end without the net rippling once, but as Jordan Pickford made a meal out of a sliced Virgil van Dijk volley in injury time, who else but last-minute saviour Origi was on hand to nod home.

As Anfield erupted into a chorus of cheers, Klopp took the celebrations one step further by storming onto the field of play and giving goalkeeper Alisson Becker a bear hug, before surging back to his technical area and giving his coaching team the same treatment.

Of course, Klopp's unbridled joy landed him in hot water with the FA - a misconduct charge and £8,000 fine came his way - but that financial penalty was a drop in the ocean for the elated German.



7. 2024 EFL Cup final

The kids were more than all right for Klopp in the 2023-24 EFL Cup final, where Liverpool arrived at Wembley to tackle Chelsea with absentees in the double figures, including the revered Mohamed Salah, defensive stalwarts Alisson and Trent Alexander-Arnold and ever-chaotic Darwin Nunez.

Academy products were plucked from the Reds' Kirkby ranks to fill their dugout, where Klopp and co witnessed both the Reds and the Blues each have a strike chalked off; the former far more questionably so as Van Dijk's header was disallowed for Wataru Endo's alleged impediment on Levi Colwill from an offside position.

However, the towering Dutchman was not to be denied in the additional 30 minutes, meeting a Kostas Tsimikas corner and once again triumphing in the air to spark familiar celebrations on the Wembley soil for Liverpool, who by that point had all of Jarell Quansah, James McConnell, Jayden Danns and Bobby Clark on the field.

Liverpool's EFL Cup triumphs count ticked over into the double figures with their beating of Chelsea, which ultimately did not translate into a fantastical quadruple, but Klopp at least has one more winners' medal to pack into his suitcase.



6. 2022 FA Cup final

Breaking Chelsea hearts at the home of English football has been a theme for Liverpool during the Klopp era, as after also besting their capital counterparts on penalties in the 2021-22 EFL Cup final, Wembley lightning struck twice in the FA Cup showpiece.

Bidding to end a 16-year drought without success in the prestigious knockout tournament, Liverpool kept Chelsea at bay for 120 minutes in the sunshine but also failed to draw any blood from the Blues, so another 12-yard shootout would be required to decide the destiny of the crown.

While only Mane fluffed his lines from the white spot for Liverpool, both Cesar Azpilicueta and Mason Mount - the latter of whom was denied by Alisson - were off target for Chelsea, allowing the Greek Scouser Tsimikas to make history for Klopp.

By keeping compatriot Thomas Tuchel under his spell, Klopp became the first German-born head coach to win the FA Cup, while Chelsea were left to lament a third final defeat in as many years.



5. Alisson Becker goal vs. West Bromwich Albion

Little can shock a manager of Klopp's calibre and experience any more, but the Liverpool boss admitted that he had never seen anything like Alisson Becker's "unbelievable" header against West Bromwich Albion in May 2021.

With their dreams of back-to-back Premier League crowns already in tatters, Liverpool were simply scrapping for Champions League qualification during the closing stages of the 2020-21 season, where Hal Robson-Kanu and Salah netted at an empty Hawthorns in May 2021.

Liverpool's last-chance saloon came from a corner five minutes into second-half injury time, where Alexander-Arnold's delivery was on the money for an unmarked Alisson, who flicked his noggin and found the far corner to become the first-ever goalkeeper to score a competitive goal for Liverpool.

The historic occasion was particularly poignant for Alisson, who had lost his father in a tragic drowning accident just a few months before, and Klopp could hardly be more accurate when saying that the Brazilian's incredible contribution meant "the world" to everyone associated with Liverpool.



4. Liverpool 7-0 Manchester United

Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring for Liverpool against Manchester United on March 5, 2023© Reuters

Revenge was the special dish on the Anfield menu in March 2023, as Klopp's crop sought to atone for their 2-1 loss at Old Trafford earlier in the Premier League season, and they did so with a sensational seven-goal slaughter.

Erik ten Hag's troops were on the verge of getting to half time with their clean sheet intact, but the floodgates burst open in the 43rd minute, and a six-goal flurry in the second 45 rewrote many pages of desired Reds records and unwanted Man United history.

Salah, Nunez and Cody Gakpo both found the back of the net twice alongside Firmino's closing act, as Liverpool condemned Man United to their heaviest-ever Premier League defeat and joint-biggest loss in their entire league history.

Klopp rejoiced in Liverpool's best performance in a "long, long, long, long, long, long time" under the Anfield lights but toned it down to a "freak result" before December's goalless draw, where another 7-0 scoreline would not have been beyond the realm of possibility had Liverpool actually converted their chances.



3. Barcelona remontada

After suffering Spanish-inflicted heartbreak in the 2017-18 Champions League final, Liverpool's dreams of European stardom were seemingly destined to come to an end versus another La Liga superpower, as Barcelona arrived at Anfield for the second leg of their 2018-19 semi-final with a 3-0 aggregate advantage.

However, 14 years on from the miracle of Istanbul, Lionel Messi and co were left dumbstruck at becoming the victims of the miracle of Merseyside, which was put into motion when Origi pounced with just seven minutes on the board.

A quickfire brace from Georginio Wijnaldum early in the second half remarkably got Liverpool back on level terms, before the quick-thinking Alexander-Arnold caught a dilly-dallying Barcelona unawares from the corner flag; Origi was not napping, though, readjusting his feet and curling into the top corner to give Barcelona a taste of their remontada medicine.

At full time, erstwhile Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren humorously remarked that Klopp implored his players to "show f*cking balls", motivational words which preceded one of the greatest turnarounds the Champions League has and will ever see.



2. Sixth Champions League title

Just over three weeks on from spectacularly sending Barcelona back to Catalonia with the gloomiest of expressions, Liverpool would trek to Madrid's Wanda Metropolitano to fight for continental stardom with Tottenham Hotspur, who had also completed their own scarcely-believable fightback versus Ajax.

Many wondered whether the favourites tag would weigh too heavily on Liverpool's shoulders against their unfancied North London opponents, without any form of major silverware since 2008, but the outstretched arm of Moussa Sissoko quickly helped to settle any nerves.

Salah crashed home that controversially-awarded spot kick with just 106 seconds on the board, and after security ejected a pitch invader whose leotard left little to the imagination, who else but the inevitable Origi rubber-stamped a 2-0 victory in Liverpool's magical night in Madrid.

Klopp broke out into song in his post-match interview as Liverpool talked about six (baby), which also represented the German's maiden trophy with the Merseyside giants and one that can arguably only be topped by our top pick.



1. Winning the Premier League

There is certainly a case to regard the Champions League conquest of 2019 as Klopp's greatest Liverpool moment, but the Reds had already conquered the continent five times before his arrival, whereas the Premier League box remained unticked for almost 30 years.

Leicester City, Chelsea and Manchester City had all been crowned kings of the land in the earlier years of Klopp's Anfield tenure, but the German's team were the irrepressible force of the 2019-20 campaign, albeit one with the caveat of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic.

Either side of the enforced hiatus, though, Liverpool were almost always looking down on the other 19 Premier League teams and sealed their first-ever Premier League title with a record seven games to spare thanks to Chelsea's beating of Manchester City on June 25.

While no fans were permitted inside the stadium to witness Liverpool's long-awaited trophy lift, many defied social distancing regulations to celebrate long into the night outside the grounds, as the revered Klopp achieved a feat that none of his eight Premier League predecessors at Anfield managed.


ID:542970:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect20400:
Written by
Ben Knapton
Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring their second goal on March 31, 2024
Read Next:
All-time PL combined XI: Tottenham vs. Liverpool
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free daily transfer newsletter! Sent twice a day during the transfer window.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
6pm
Texans
@
Chiefs
9.30pm
Steelers
@
Ravens
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool15113131131836
2Chelsea16104237191834
3Arsenal1686229151430
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest168442119228
5Manchester CityMan City168352823527
6Bournemouth167452421325
7Aston Villa167452425-125
8Fulham166642422224
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton166642625124
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1672736191723
11Brentford167273230223
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle166552321223
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd166462119222
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham165472129-819
15Crystal Palace163761721-416
16Everton153661421-715
17Leicester CityLeicester163582134-1314
18Ipswich TownIpswich162681628-1212
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1623112440-169
20Southampton1612131136-255


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!