Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool demonstrated its potential by demolishing reigning champions Leicester City 4-1 at the new-look Anfield. A Roberto Firmino brace and goals from Sadio Mane and Adam Lallana secured a comprehensive victory for the Reds against Claudio Ranieri's title-holders, who could only manage a solitary reply from Jamie Vardy.
Liverpool has been somewhat inconsistent early in the 2016-17 campaign but served notice of its capabilities by taking apart last season's surprise Premier League winners. "At the end it was a great performance over 90 minutes. I thought it was a good challenge for us today because I know we can be really strong," Klopp told BT Sport.
"If something does not work we have to show we can stay in the race, and believe in our style. We played calm football, but we can't create with each pass, each movement. Leicester has big quality, are always a threat, even after we scored our third. It was a good performance in a wonderful place," he added, referring to the new main stand that opened at Liverpool's historic home, increasing the venue's capacity to approximately 54,000.
"It's a wonderful place to play, the old Anfield was also but it was time to give more people the opportunity to watch our games. I'm happy they can do this. The noise can change games in both directions, it was wonderful that they could." Klopp was relieved Lucas Leiva, nominally a holding midfielder, survived a difficult assignment filling in at centre-back despite lacking match fitness, placing no blame on him after his error resulted in Vardy's strike.
"We had to throw him in cold water, he wasn't really ready for 90 minutes," he said. "The plan was he would be on the bench but after training we knew he would have to play. Especially against Jamie Vardy, with his over-the-shoulder game, it is very difficult to play."
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