Klopp heaps praise on 'really brave' Diaz for his opener vs Brighton
Jurgen Klopp heaps praise on ‘really brave’ Luis Diaz for heading Liverpool in front against Brighton before being recklessly clattered by goalkeeper Robert Sanchez: ‘It’s what strikers have to do and he did it really well’
- Jurgen Klopp has heaped praise on Luis Diaz for his bravery against Brighton
- Colombian nodded Joel Matip’s long ball before the keeper on edge of the box
- Sanchez collided heavily with Diaz, his raised leg going into forward’s chest
- Klopp praised the January signing for his commitment to Liverpool’s cause
Jurgen Klopp has hailed Luis Diaz for his bravery after the Colombian put his body on the line to score Liverpool’s opener in their 2-0 win over Brighton.
January signing Diaz stuck his head in to direct Joel Matip’s long ball past the onrushing Robert Sanchez, who then felled him with a raised leg into the Liverpool attacker’s midriff while also impacting with his head.
Diaz was left floored and requiring treatment, with Liverpool’s players unable to celebrate, while the Video Assistant Referee Stuart Attwell checked for serious foul play.
Jurgen Klopp (left) has heaped praise on Luis Diaz (right) for his bravery against Brighton
Brighton goalkeeper Robert Sanchez took out Liverpool forward Diaz as the Colombian scored
The impact between Sanchez and Diaz was a heavy one after the Liverpool forward had nodded the ball beyond the keeper and into the net
But the decision was made not to even show Sanchez a yellow card, let alone a red, after replays were checked with on-field referee Mike Dean restarting the game after a chat with the keeper.
While fans and pundits were left incensed by the decision not to punish the Seagulls keeper, Klopp praised Diaz for his commitment to the cause.
On Diaz’s bravery, the Reds boss told BT Sport: ‘He did what a striker had to do. I didn’t see it back but it was spectacular enough in the first moment. To get in there with his head it was really brave. A great goal.’
Diaz showed his bravery by sticking his head in to direct Joel Matip’s pass beyond Sanchez
Diaz required treatment but Sanchez escaped a card of any colour after a VAR review
The German was happy with what he saw at the Amex, which brings them to within three points of league leaders Manchester City, with a game in hand.
Klopp added: ‘We knew that Brighton are a really good team and can cause really big problems. That’s what we saw from the beginning.
‘When we took the ball to the ground and started playing the extra pass and switched the sides then we were really, really strong. We scored a great goal and had other really good moments.
‘In the last period I would have loved to have controlled it even more but it’s an intense period for the boys. I’m really happy with big parts of the performance and even more so with the result.’
Diaz is checked over by Liverpool’s medical team after the collision 19 minutes into the game
Klopp is hopeful the problem that forced Mohamed Salah off is not too bad, saying: ‘We will see. He thinks it’s not serious. I think the foot got slightly over-stretched.’
Liverpool recorded an eighth successive Premier League victory, a run which has seen them score 21 goals and concede just two, as they bounced back from their first home defeat in a year against Inter Milan in the Champions League.
Brighton’s poor run of form continued as they slipped to a fifth defeat in a row – and they were unable to add to their poor tally of one goal in their last five matches.
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