Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp: 'Only thing that counts is to score'

• The Reds came from a goal down to seal their first Premier League win at Anfield in four months.

Klopp was pleased with how his Reds played against Aston Villa [Getty]

FT: Liverpool 2-1 Aston Villa.

Jurgen Klopp was pleased with how his Liverpool side performed when they hosted Aston Villa on Saturday.

The Merseyside club went a goal down due to an Ollie Watkins strike late in the first half after the hosts wasted several chances earlier on.

Roberto Firmino found the equaliser moments later, but it was cancelled following a VAR review that saw Diogo Jota in an offside position during the build-up.

Then, Mohamed Salah calmed Liverpool’s nerves by hitting the net with a header just before the hour mark.

The Egyptian's goal was Liverpool’s first from open play in 12 hours and 44 minutes at home in the English top flight.

And, that was before Trent Alexander-Arnold scored a last-gasp winner to hand Liverpool a 2-1 win over Villains as the Reds club ended their four-month wait for a Premier League victory at Anfield.

The England right-back, who has come under immense scrutiny in recent weeks, got the ball on the edge of the area and fired home in the 91st minute to seal a comeback for the champions.

However, Klopp was pleased with the result and insisted that Alexander-Arnold's criticism needs to come to an end.

He told BBC's Match of the Day: "I can’t remember the last time we did it easy but it’s fine in our situation after losing six home games.

"Aston Villa are a really good team. You play a good game, a really good game, then you can see it with your first half mistake.

"You score a goal which is disallowed for... I don’t know what. You go in at half-time and you think 'what’s going on here?'

"There was a lot of things we wanted to see from the first half but didn't, we needed to play creatively, our pressing must be the same as the first half.

"In the end, when you’re one nil down, the only thing that counts is to score a goal, which we did. It was great goal, really nice and the second goal was even nicer! We took a risk with the change - we brought in an extra midfielder - and that had a proper impact on both goals. It’s exactly what you wish for.

"All we have to do is put the other teams under pressure and win games. We have no time to waste, it’s so important to score in the moment and it’s exactly why we’re doing this."

On England right-back Alexander-Arnold, the German said: "I don’t think he has to prove anything, to be honest. You can play the best season of your life and the coach of the national team has to make decisions and we respect that.

"The only thing Trent is doing is playing his best football. In the last 10 days, twice he’s played outstanding and now he scores a goal. The most important thing is we stop talking about it.

"It’s normal in football coaches make a decision. If you win the game, the coach is right, if you lose the game, the coach is wrong. When I got him he was already brilliant - the rest was Trent himself and his academy coaches."

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