Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is experienced enough not to expect his free-scoring side to continue their goal glut against Manchester City.
Their 5-1 Champions League win over Porto was the sixth-successive match the team had scored three or more goals, only the third time in the club’s history the feat has been achieved.
They have scored 20 times in 17 days and 26 goals in their first nine fixtures to equal a record (for a top-flight campaign) set in 1922 and replicated only one other time in the 2016-2017 season.
Good morning, Reds 🔴 pic.twitter.com/c31iSJEu61
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 29, 2021
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Mohamed Salah has eight goals in as many games already, having only failed to score against Burnley, while Sadio Mane (four), Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino (both three) are all contributing.
But Klopp knows it will not just be about the goals when Pep Guardiola’s side visit Anfield on Sunday.
When told his side had scored 20 goals this month, the Reds boss said: “Unfortunately, it didn’t feel like that, but thank you for telling me. We conceded as well, some or a few.
“We play against Man City, I don’t think now it makes too much sense to think too much about how many goals we can score against them.
“We need a complex and complete performance against them to have a chance only and that’s it.
“But I’m really looking forward to it. I’m looking forward to playing at home again after a while.
“We have to work hard, we had to work hard in all the games we had. But now we have two days more (than the three they had between Brentford and Porto) to the City game, which will be helpful, and then we will be fresh again and then give it a go.”
Liverpool are the Premier League’s leading scorers with 15 but City – who have already put five unanswered goals past Norwich and Arsenal – are not far behind and defensively they have conceded just once.
Last season Pep Guardiola’s side secured their first win at Anfield since 2003 with a 4-1 victory in front of an empty ground during Liverpool’s unfathomable run of six-successive home defeats.
But the Reds are on an 18-match unbeaten run and midfielder Fabinho believes the win over Porto was just the confidence boost they needed.
“A performance like this just gives us more confidence for the future,” he told liverpoolfc.com.
It’s all about building momentum, says @_fabinhotavares 💪#UCL
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 29, 2021
“The next game is against Manchester City at Anfield, so we know Anfield will have a really nice atmosphere.
“These are the kind of games every player likes to play. We just have to play our football, to give everything and we know the fans will be with us.
“It’s really important to be top of this (Champions League) group – a really hard group – and top of the league as well.
“We don’t have easy games and we have to always be ready to play and play in our way and keep the intensity and keep the quality.
“We played a hard game against Brentford last weekend and we played a hard game against Porto but we put in a high intensity (performance) – that was really important for us.
“We just have to keep playing in our way and hopefully we will keep on winning games.”
