Juergen Klopp on Wednesday hailed “incredible” UEFA Super Cup hero Adrian and then admitted that he had no idea where the goalkeeper even was two weeks ago.
The Spaniard, only in the side because of an injury to primary goalkeeper Allison Becker, saved Tammy Abraham’s penalty to give Liverpool a 5-4 shoot-out win against Chelsea after the showdown between the winners of the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League had finished 2-2 in Istanbul.
The 32-year-old former Real Betis Balompie shot-stopper joined Liverpool on a free transfer to replace Simon Mignolet on Monday last week, the day after Klopp’s team lost on penalties to Manchester City in the Community Shield.
Photo: AFP
Released by West Ham United, he was thrust into the spotlight when he had to replace Alisson in the first half of the Premier League opening 4-1 win against Norwich City on Friday last week.
“I don’t know where Adrian was two weeks ago when we played Man City,” Klopp said after seeing his European champions win the UEFA Super Cup for the fourth time. “When I spoke to him for the first time, it was clear he would need time to get fit, but we didn’t have that time, so he has to be fit now, and he was fit, he played an incredible game, he made sensational saves.”
Adrian made notable interventions during the game, diving at the feet of Mateo Kovacic in the first half and batting away a Mason Mount strike late in extra time.
However, he also fouled Abraham to give away the 101st-minute penalty that Jorginho scored to make it 2-2 after Sadio Mane’s 95th-minute second goal had seemed to have put the Merseysiders on course for an extra-time victory.
“In penalty shoot-outs you’re always lucky, but his performance over 120 minutes was incredible, making the save from the penalty was the icing on the cake,” Klopp said. “He helped us a lot and he can be really proud of what he did tonight,” added the German manager, who described Adrian as “a proper personality in the dressing room.”
Adrian had once been a regular for West Ham, but did not play in the Premier League last season and his last appearance before arriving at Anfield had been an FA Cup defeat by third-tier AFC Wimbledon in January.
“Welcome to Liverpool! It was a crazy week, but with them it’s so easy playing at the back, so I am really happy for the team, happy to get that trophy, that title,” Adrian told BT Sport.
Klopp was also effusive in his praise of the all-female refereeing team, headed by France’s Stephanie Frappart, even if he was not happy with the penalty awarded to Chelsea in extra time.
“I told the ref team that if we had played like they whistled we would have won 6-0, that was my opinion, that they played a brilliant game,” Klopp said.
SSC Napoli will have to wait one more week to seal the Serie A title after on Sunday being held to a goalless draw at Parma, while closest rivals Inter drew 2-2 in a dramatic game with SS Lazio. Antonio Conte’s team stayed one point ahead of Inter and were unfortunate not to win after twice striking the woodwork through Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Matteo Politano, while Scott McTominay also had a free-kick tipped onto the crossbar. The away side thought they would be handed a chance to take the points from the penalty spot in the 96th minute when David Neres
A stunning Lamine Yamal strike on Thursday helped crown Barcelona La Liga champions with a 2-0 win over local rivals RCD Espanyol, with victory ensuring Real Madrid cannot catch them at the top of the table. Yamal’s effort and Fermin Lopez’s goal took Hansi Flick’s side seven points clear of Los Blancos with two matches remaining, to clinch Barcelona’s 28th title and complete a superb domestic treble. Only the UEFA Champions League title escaped an exciting young Barca side this season, as they won the league for the second time in six years, at Espanyol’s ground again just as in 2022-2023. Back then,
Jannik Sinner on Thursday marched into the semi-finals of the Italian Open after destroying Casper Ruud in straight sets 6-0, 6-1, while Coco Gauff won a marathon three-set battle with China’s Zheng Qinwen to advance to the women’s singles final. American Gauff is to face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in today’s title match after pulling through 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) in a match that lasted over three-and-a-half hours. Ruud was supposed to be Sinner’s toughest test in Rome since he came back from his three-month doping ban, as the Norwegian came into the match in hot form on clay after winning in
Omar Marmoush’s stunning long-range strike on Tuesday upstaged Kevin de Bruyne on the Manchester City great’s Etihad farewell. Marmoush let fly from about 30m to put City ahead in their 3-1 win against AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League. The victory moved Pep Guardiola’s team up to third in the standings and left qualification for the UEFA Champions League in their own hands heading into the last round of the season. “It’s really important. To be in the Champions League after what happened [this season] will be really nice,” the City manager said. De Bruyne was making his final home appearance for City before
RSS