Jürgen Klopp was quick to praise the impact of Liverpool's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the Reds' comeback victory over West Ham on Monday night.
The Hammers looked set to cause one of the biggest shocks of the season and end Liverpool's unbeaten run as they led 2-1 at Anfield with less than 25 minutes to play.
Seeing the lack of impact that his midfield were having, Klopp swapped Naby Keita for Oxlade-Chamberlain with his side trailing - a change that dramatically altered the outcome of the game.
The midfielder gave his side some extra energy and attacking impetus, playing a key role in the the buildup to Mohamed Salah's equaliser.
Speaking to the Standard, the German manager pointed to the directness and dynamism that the English midfielder showcased in the second half, saying: "We needed that direction. Ox came on and the first was a finish. Close, but still a finish.
"Next one was dribbling with a foul or not, if it was not a foul then probably we have the ball in a good position again. So, the dynamic helped, of course.
"Always, if you get direction in a game, our people appreciate that obviously. That helped."
It's been a long road to relevancy for Oxlade-Chamberlain. His substantial knee injury suffered in the Champions League campaign of 2017/18 was particularly cruel as he had just begun to hit form.
This season was his first full season since the injury and it's been one where Chamberlain has been somewhat on the periphery of his side's greatest ever Premier League season.
However, the England international has hit a personal best for goals with eight, recently started six Premier League games in a row and looks likely to be a factor in Gareth Southgate's Euro 2020 squad.
Oxlade-Chamberlain will be concentrating on Liverpool for now and Klopp was quick to refocus on Liverpool's next match against Watford.
"The next three [points] are always the hardest – it was always like this and we’ve never seen it differently," said the German.
"It would be really strange if we would now say these next 12 points are so difficult… they are difficult, you saw it tonight. If we would have lost tonight, everybody would have said ‘two [defeats] in a row’, under pressure at Watford – we are still under pressure at Watford because they are just good, they are really good."
If things continue to go their way, Liverpool could first clinch the Premier League title in just four matches' time against Crystal Palace at the end of March.
Source :
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