Klopp targets strong finish after Man City thumping

Liverpool's German manager Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool's Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Salah (L) on the pitch after the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, on July 2, 2020. (AFP/POOL/ LAURENCE GRIFFITHS)
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Updated 04 July 2020
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Klopp targets strong finish after Man City thumping

  • Liverpool still have a 20-point lead over Pep Guardiola’s second-placed team but with 6 games remaining but the German boss still wants to finish strongly

LONDON: Jurgen Klopp was adamant results remain important to him in Liverpool’s closing games after the newly crowned Premier League champions were humbled 4-0 by Manchester City.

The Reds came down to earth with a bump at the Etihad on Thursday in their first match since securing the title last week.

Klopp’s side still have a 20-point lead over Pep Guardiola’s second-placed team but with 6 games remaining but the German boss still wants to finish strongly.

“If someone said the result didn’t matter for my team, I cannot help them,” Klopp said.

“Yes, results matter a lot. I am not only looking for results but we want to win football games — that is the reason we work on the training ground, go to away games and play home games.”

One motivating factor could be the challenge of beating City’s record of 100 points from two seasons ago.

Liverpool, who have dropped points in just four games this season, currently have 86 ahead of Sunday’s home clash with Aston Villa.

“To get there we have to win football games and we didn’t do that here,” he said.

“So now we make sure we are ready for Aston Villa and the points tally at the end of the season is the result of the results we collect until then.”

Liverpool started brightly against City, with Mohamed Salah testing Ederson and then hitting the post, but the hosts took charge after Kevin De Bruyne opened the scoring from the penalty spot on 25 minutes.

Further goals came from Raheem Sterling and Phil Foden before Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain put a Sterling shot into his own net.

Despite the big points gap, City remain a potent force and could end the season with Champions League glory.

“It’s a reminder how good Man City are,” Klopp said. “I didn’t need that, I knew it before. The surprise that it’s still possible, nice, that in a league where City are playing, someone else can be champions. That’s not very likely with the quality they have.

“We will see next season but it’s a while until then. Next season we will think about next season.”


Alcaraz swats aside Walton as career Grand Slam bid begins in Melbourne

Updated 18 January 2026
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Alcaraz swats aside Walton as career Grand Slam bid begins in Melbourne

  • The 22-year-old Spaniard can eclipse Don Budge and become the youngest man to win all four major singles titles at least once

MELBOURNE: Carlos Alcaraz kicked off his latest bid for a career Grand Slam by dismantling unseeded Australian Adam Walton 6-3 7-6(2) 6-2 in the first round of the Australian Open on Sunday, as the world number one showcased the power and precision befitting a player chasing history.
The 22-year-old Spaniard, who can eclipse Don Budge and become the youngest man to win all four major singles titles at least once, gave a packed Rod Laver Arena an exhibition in shot-making that ‌had fans ‌either glued to their seats or ‌rising ⁠in ovation.
“I’m really ‌happy to step on to the court for the first time this season. I think it couldn’t be better than here at Rod Laver Arena. It was a good match, I felt great,” Alcaraz said.
“Adam (showed) a great level in the match so I had to stay there. Overall, I’m happy ⁠with the level I played at today.
“It was difficult to find good spots (against ‌him) ... he was always in a ‍good position, long rallies and ‍solid from the baseline. His flat ball was sometimes ‍really difficult for me.
“It was a really solid match and when he was able to step in on the court and play aggressive, he did, and that made it really difficult in the match.”
A ferocious forehand helped Alcaraz to grab the first break for a 5-3 lead and the ⁠six-times Grand Slam champion closed out the opening set on his retooled serve, which now bears more than a passing resemblance to the delivery of Novak Djokovic.
That technical tweak followed Alcaraz’s abrupt split last month with long-time coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, whose steadying influence was missing when the Spaniard was dragged into a second-set tiebreak after a spell of loose, crowd-pleasing tennis.
A ruthless Alcaraz came out all guns blazing to double his advantage in the clash and then rode the ‌momentum to ease through the third set, booking a second-round meeting with Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann.