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Liverpool needed a win and they delivered in style.
With top four on the line, three points were needed away at Burnley. In the end, it wasn’t close. Roberto Firmino opened the scoring before Nat Phillips made it two and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain finished things off.
The Liverpool manager was upbeat after the game.
“It was a semi-final. We had to win the semi-final and we did”, BBC Sport report Klopp as saying. “Nothing is decided yet but we improved our position and we have the final. That’s what we needed. It’s what we deserve because this was a top performance.
“You can’t give any chance away against Burnley because of the way they play. They wanted to go for our centre-halves but our boys did outstandingly well.
“We knew before the game it would be incredibly tough - they had about 3,500 people not on our side. Atmosphere in football is massive. I thought the boys dealt really well with that. They didn’t get distracted - they tried to use it because noise is nice. We played a lot of good football stuff.
“We have to make sure we recover quickly. We have a thin squad in some positions. We have to wrap them in cotton wool. I can’t wait for the 10,00 fans at Anfield. Nothing is decided [as] Palace are strong.
“It never was easy. I can’t remember an easy game against Burnley. What a job Sean Dyche is doing here. The way they play is so tricky to defend against. They are smart. Apart from a nervy start passing-wise, we had to adapt to the atmosphere in the stadium, but then we played really good football.
“We scored a wonderful goal. In the second half they started again with the highest intensity. Alisson was constantly under pressure on the set-pieces. It’s just tricky. You cannot deny them all the time and you have to score in the chances. Nat Phillips had a really great header and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had really nice skill. An important goal for him. I’m really happy.”
It’s only Crystal Palace to go. At Anfield. With fans. Three points will probably be needed. Let’s go.