Jurgen Klopp’s sensational reign at Anfield is finally coming to an end, after announcing plans to leave the club at the end of the season.
Having won absolutely every trophy and becoming endeared to the Reds fans, his team have had their fair share of brilliant performances.
From the drama of the Champions League to a season-defining victory, these are Klopp’s top five games for Liverpool.
- Liverpool 3-1 Manchester City, 2019/20
Liverpool’s 2019/20 campaign had got off to a flying start and they sat six points ahead of reigning champions Manchester City just 11 games into the season, with the match at Anfield already being dubbed a title decider. Liverpool wanted to show how serious they were as title contenders, having missed out the previous year by a single point.
Despite City fielding a strong line-up featuring Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero, they were no match for a ruthless Liverpool side, who led just six minutes in from a Fabinho rocket. City were two down before they could recover, with Mo Salah heading home on 13 minutes and they never got back into the game after that.
Sadio Mane wrapped it up early in the second half and even a late consolation from Bernardo Silva couldn’t stop a rampant Liverpool side, who would storm to an incredible 99 points on way to their first league title in 30 years.
- Liverpool 3-0 Manchester City, 2017/18
Manchester City came into their Champions League tie at Anfield the overwhelming favourites to win the competition, considering they would win the Premier League title just a week after the match.
City had arguably their greatest team ever, but they were no match for Klopp’s high intensity football. It was the high press that gave Liverpool the lead, as Roberto Firmino robbed Kyle Walker and played in Mo Salah for the opener on 12 minutes.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored a screamer from 25 yards to send Anfield ecstatic, before Mane’s header made it three before the half hour.
After that, Liverpool were content to allow City to have the ball, but an incredible defensive display followed, so good that City failed to even record a shot on target for the first time that season.
Liverpool would wrap the tie up next week at the Etihad, but it was won with that devastating display at Anfield, in a season where they would go all the way to the final, before winning the trophy the next season.
- Liverpool 7-0 Manchester United, 2022/23
It was probably the game that highlighted the difference between the two great rivals during the Klopp era; Liverpool hitting extreme highs and United finding new lows.
While the first half was relatively even, with only Cody Gakpo’s goal on 43 minutes separating the sides, no one could have predicted the massacre that would take place in the second half.
Liverpool took just five minutes to score twice in the second half, with Darwin Nunez’s header doubling the advantage before Gakpo’s second after a mazy Mo Salah dribble. It was the Egyptian’s bullet strike on 66 minutes that seemed to break United.
Nunez and Salah would both get their second goals before substitute Roberto Firmino wrapped it all up to give United their worst ever Premier League defeat to add to 5-0 and 4-0 losses to Liverpool the previous year.
- Liverpool 4-3 Borussia Dortmund (5-4 agg), 2015/16
What was almost certainly the most dramatic game of Klopp’s time at Liverpool came in his first season at the club.
Having taken over a Liverpool side stuck in mid table and only in the Europa League, Klopp made it his mission to win the latter in his first year. It wasn’t an easy task, as they’d take on a strong Borussia Dortmund side, who’d held them to a 1-1 draw in Germany the week before, and Klopp’s former club no less.
Many great Liverpool performances under Klopp have been the result of early goals, but it was the visitors that would make a flying start, going 2-0 up in just ten minutes.
Liverpool wouldn’t score until Divock Origi’s strike early in the second half, but Marco Reus made it 3-1 to seemingly put the tie to bed before the hour mark. Or so they thought.
Philippe Coutinho’s fine finish gave some hope before Mamadou Sakho’s header got Anfield rocking.
Liverpool were still going out on away goals as the clock rolled down, before Dejan Lovren’s injury time header sent the Reds into ecstasy, and the semi-final.
- Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona (4-3 agg), 2018/19
Liverpool were coming off the back of a 3-0 defeat at the Camp Nou in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie against Barcelona, with few people giving them a chance of making the final. Not only did Barcelona have the advantage, they had the world’s best player, Lionel Messi, at their disposal.
Not only that, but Liverpool were without two-thirds of their talismanic front three; both Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino missed out through injury, paving the way for Divock Origi to lead the line off the back of his dramatic winner against Newcastle at the weekend.
And it was the Belgian who got Anfield roaring, as he swept home Jordan Henderson’s parried shot to open the scoring on seven minutes.
But it was Barcelona who looked the better team, with Alisson having to deny Messi more than once to keep his side in the tie.
It was the second half where the game really got going, as Gini Wijnaldum came off the bench to score two goals in as many minutes to level it all up, with Liverpool having all the momentum.
With just under 10 minutes to go, Trent Alexander-Arnold caught the Barcelona defence napping with a quick corner to find Origi, who steered home the winner to send the Kop into bedlam.
Barcelona had no response, and Klopp’s most incredible performance of his time at Liverpool saw his side through to the Champions League final, where they would lift the trophy for the first time since 2005, and act as a precursor to their title winning campaign the following season.
