ADAM Lallana revealed that his Liverpool side followed Jurgen Klopp’s instructions to win “dirty” as a 1-0 victory at Sunderland catapulted them back into contention for Champions League places.
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| Liverpool's narrow victory at Sunderland means they climb three places in the Premier League table |
For the second time over Christmas, Christian Benteke scored the game’s only goal, chasing a Lallana “through ball” 22 seconds after the restart and adding to his Boxing Day match winner against Leicester. Victory lifted the Reds into seventh, only five points from the Champions League places.
And while Lallana admitted his telling touch for Benteke’s goal was a lucky one, he also explained how the Anfield stars followed the manager’s instructions to scrap out the win.
Lallana said: "The manager has tried to drum into us, sometimes we've got to be dirtier, fight a bit more and play teams at their own game. Coming here was always going to be a difficult place to come so to get the three points, we’re delighted.
"I don’t think I meant the flick to go directly into Christian’s path but sometimes you need the rub of the green, especially at tough places like this. They are scrapping for every point but it could have been two or three in the end on the counter.
"It’s a great result for us and hopefully we can push on and get another win Saturday.”
Benteke started after two games on the bench and provided Klopp with the perfect headache to start the new year.
Benteke said: “As a striker when you start you want to score and want to help your team mates, that’s what I tried to do tonight. I came to Liverpool to try to score a lot of goals. I'm in good shape and hopefully I can keep it up."
A relieved Klopp insisted that Benteke's new-found goal touch has not presented him with any kind of selection dilemma ahead of the weekend clash with West Ham.
Klopp said: "Where's the headache? I have no problem with this. Two goals, six points, that's the best thing."
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| Benteke's winner was Liverpool's fourth goal in five Premier League games |
Klopp remained with his feet firmly on the ground despite ending the calendar year on a winning note which sees them level level on points with Manchester United.
The boss added: “Both of us are on 30 points but at this moment Liverpool don’t feel too bad but at Manchester United the atmosphere is not the best.
“You can see how football be sometimes. We wanted 30 points and we got them - perfect!”
A fifth straight defeat leaves Sunderland seven points away from safety at the halfway stage of the Premier League campaign, a worrying state of affairs for the north-east club.
Manager Sam Allardyce said: "It's difficult to take because of the way the goal went in. It was such a lucky, lucky goal for Liverpool. Lallana tried to control it and it came off his toe and fell straight into Benteke’s path and I think even he mis-hit it.
“So we were a little bit unlucky but have to face the fact that after all our hard work we didn’t produce enough quality.”
Klopp was angry that Sunderland’s Jeremain Lens did not receive a red card for a foul on Mamadou Sakho and became involved in an argument with Allardyce and his staff on the touchline.
“He’s a soft German if that’s a red card,” Allardyce said. “There was some foul and abusive language towards my staff, which I didn’t like. But at the end we all shook hands and that’s how it should be.”
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