Jurgen Klopp will leave Anfield after his trophy-laden nine-year reign as the manager of Liverpool this summer, so Rousing The Kop has looked at his best games in charge.
The Merseyside club lured Klopp to England to vast success in October 2015 as they sought to replace Brendan Rodgers. He had been out of work for four months at the time Liverpool decided the German was the coach to take charge, having left Borussia Dortmund that June.
Klopp would transform the Anfield side over the following seasons to make them one of the best teams in the country. He even made Liverpool the best team in Europe in 2018/19 with the Champions League trophy returning to Merseyside in the Reds’ first triumph in 14 years.
Premier League, FA Cup and EFL Cup honours have also hit the shelves of Liverpool’s trophy cabinet with Klopp at the helm. But he has opted to bow out after over 3,000 days at their helm. Klopp will take his final Liverpool fixture with the visit of Wolves to Anfield on May 19.
Wolves’ visit on the last day of the 2023/24 Premier League term is also Klopp’s 489th game as the manager of Liverpool. The Stuttgart native has won 303, drawn 100 and lost 85 of his ties in charge, with his side’s scoring 1,086 goals to 550 conceded across all competitions.
READ MORE: Jurgen Klopp’s first XI as the manager of Liverpool
So, ahead of Klopp bowing out at Anfield on May 19, Rousing The Kop has taken a look at his best games as Liverpool’s manager since debuting at Tottenham Hotspur in October 2015…
Norwich 4-5 Liverpool – Klopp proved what his heavy-metal football meant
Klopp took charge of Liverpool with a reputation for playing heavy-metal football at Borussia Dortmund. His BVB teams were famed for their relentless attacking approach, quick passing and overlapping runs. And it did not take Klopp long to show Liverpool what the style led to.
The Reds sealed an entertaining 5-4 win away to Norwich City in January 2016. Liverpool hit first through Roberto Firmino but fell 3-1 behind after 54 minutes, only to respond and lead 4-3 in the 75th. Yet the match was not over as the Canaries scored, only for the Reds to win.
Sebastien Bassong thought he had rescued a point for the Carrow Road natives after scoring from 20 yards out in the 92nd minute. But substitute Adam Lallana had the last laugh in the 95th. He fired home the winner to spark wild celebrations in the away end and the dugout.
Liverpool 4-3 Borussia Dortmund – Anfield witnessed a Europa League miracle
Anfield witnessed a miracle as Borussia Dortmund came to Merseyside in April 2016 for the second leg of Liverpool’s Europa League quarter-final. Mats Hummels had tied the match at 1-1 in Germany after Divock Origi fired home, yet BVB led 2-0 after nine minutes in England.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang soon put the Reds’ hopes of reaching the semi-finals in doubt. But Origi gave his side a lifeline after Liverpool survived the rest of the first half, only for Marco Reus to quickly put Borussia Dortmund 3-1 ahead on the night.
Still, Liverpool refused to crumble as Philippe Coutinho and Mamadou Sakho lashed home to draw level on aggregate. The Reds’ miracle on Merseyside was not over, either, as Dejan Lovren found James Milner’s cross in the 91st minute to beat BVB 4-3 and 5-4 on aggerate.
Liverpool 4-3 Man City – Klopp established the Reds as a genuine title threat
Liverpool enjoyed a steady rise up the Premier League table after Klopp took charge with an eighth-place finish in 2015/16 plus fourth places in 16/17 and 17/18. But Klopp established the Reds would soon be a title threat when Manchester City visited Anfield in January 2018.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain gave Liverpool the ideal start by scoring after nine minutes. But it was not until the second half that the Reds got control after Leroy Sane equalised. Goals by Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah handed the Anfield natives an unassailable lead.
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Manchester City threatened a comeback with Bernardo Silva scoring in the 84th minute and Ilkay Gundogan adding another in the 91st. But Liverpool weathered the Citizens’ storm and claimed the victory, as well as giving Manchester City their first Premier League loss all term.
Pep Guardiola’s visitors did not have an answer for Liverpool’s blitz on Manchester City’s net with Firmino, Mane and Salah all scoring within eight minutes. Ex-Everton centre-back John Stones also helped Liverpool restore a lead by letting Firmino in to score under his pressure.
Liverpool 5-2 Everton – Klopp got Silva the sack after a brutal Merseyside derby
Klopp oversaw 19 Merseyside derbies during his tenure as Liverpool’s manager, in which the Reds beat Everton in 11 games, drew six and lost just twice. The German enjoyed his biggest win over their Stanley Park neighbour in his first Merseyside derby with a 4-0 win at Anfield.
But Liverpool’s 5-2 win over Everton in December 2019 was particularly brutal and proved to be the final nail in Marco Silva’s tenure at Goodison Park. The Toffees sacked the Portuguese coach two days later as their defeat at Anfield left Everton 18th in the Premier League table.
Origi started the onslaught after only six minutes and while Michael Keane responded, goals by Xherdan Shaqiri, Origi again and Mane built the conclusive lead. Richarlison firing in first-half stoppage time was immaterial as Georginio Wijnaldum got the fifth in the 90th minute.
Liverpool simply handed Everton a crushing loss, despite Klopp missing Alisson Becker and Fabinho. The German even rested Salah and Firmino for the visit of Liverpool’s local rivals to Anfield. And yet the Toffees never mustered a genuine threat for the Reds to take seriously.
Liverpool 3-0 Barcelona – Klopp made the impossible a Champions League reality
Klopp made the impossible a reality when Liverpool faced FC Barcelona in the semi-finals of the 2018/19 Champions League. The Blaugrana visited Anfield with a 3-0 lead on aggregate, and the Reds’ task got even harder as injuries ruled Salah and Firmino out of the second leg.
But Liverpool refused to lie down and Origi gave the Reds a lifeline after only seven minutes. And while Lionel Messi almost put the match to bed throughout the first half, Barcelona just would not score again. Then cometh the hour, cometh the man as Wijnaldum fired in twice.
READ MORE: Liverpool’s top seven European nights at Anfield of all time
It took Wijnaldum just 120 seconds to claw the Merseyside natives level with 35 minutes left to play. Origi then rose as Trent Alexander-Arnold delivered his famous corner taken quickly that caught Barcelona cold to secure Liverpool a shock 4-0 win and their route into the final.
Man Utd 0-5 Liverpool – Klopp secured the Reds’ biggest win at Old Trafford ever
Klopp faced Manchester United 21 times through his tenure at Liverpool and enjoyed seven wins over their fierce rivals. The Reds and Red Devils also drew nine times with the German in charge. But Liverpool’s 5-0 win at Manchester United was one of Klopp’s best games ever.
Liverpool secured their biggest-ever victory at Old Trafford in October 2021 during a Premier League visit. It was a match of exhilarating football from the visitors as Naby Keita and Diogo Jota tore through the Red Devils within the first 13 minutes, before Salah bagged a hat-trick.
Hordes of Manchester United fans began flooding out of Old Trafford before the second half had started such was Liverpool’s control. The Reds hit the break 4-0 up as Salah pulled their strings. Keita arrowed the Egyptian’s pass home before returning the favour on 38 minutes.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer introducing Paul Pogba at the break proved irrelevant for the result as Salah awaited his Man of the Match award. The Reds’ Egyptian King further became the first away player to score a hat-trick at Old Trafford since Dennis Bailey for QPR in January 1992.
Liverpool 2-0 Tottenham – Klopp wins their first Champions League title in 14 years
While the tie itself was not the best from a competitive point of view, Liverpool’s win against Tottenham Hotspur in the 2018/19 Champions League final ranks among Klopp’s best games as the Reds’ manager. It yielded the Anfield club’s first trophy in the competition in 14 years.
Liverpool won 2-0 at the Metropolitano after Salah scored his second-minute penalty before Origi added another on 87 minutes. Referee Damir Skomina frustrated Spurs early in Madrid after punishing Moussa Sissoko for a debatable handball. But the result was never in doubt.
Alisson had an answer for the scarce threats that Tottenham managed to muster. Origi then punished the north London side for failing to capitalise on their chances to claim Liverpool’s sixth Champions League title and first since their iconic comeback against AC Milan in 2005.
Liverpool 7-0 Man Utd – Klopp vanquished their old foe as Salah set a new record
The 2022/23 campaign marked Liverpool’s worst Premier League term under Klopp since his first half-season in charge in 2015/16. For the only time over his tenure at Anfield, the Reds failed to finish in the top four when Klopp oversaw all 38 games as they settled for fifth spot.
Yet despite the disappointing end result, the 2022/23 campaign also featured one of Klopp’s best games as Liverpool’s manager. He took an emphatic 7-0 win over Manchester United at Anfield, as Salah even became the Reds’ record scorer in the Premier League with 129 goals.
Liverpool vanquished their old foe in a devastating style once they found a way through Erik ten Hag’s squad. Cody Gakpo only broke the deadlock on 43 minutes but scored again in the 50th. Darwin Nunez (47’, 75’), Salah (66’, 83’) and Firmino (88’) also built a fierce scoreline.
Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford had enjoyed chances to hand Manchester United the opener. But the Red Devils’ misery just got worse and worse as the game wore on. Ten Hag’s side were at sixes and sevens while Klopp’s men were just wondering who would score next.
Liverpool 1-0 Chelsea – Klopp’s kids beat Chelsea’s billion-pound bottle-jobs
Virgil van Dijk sealed Liverpool a 1-0 win over Chelsea in the 2024 EFL Cup final and Klopp’s final trophy as their manager. Gary Neville even nicknamed the game as ‘Klopp’s kids against the billion-pound bottle-jobs’ after an injury-ravished Reds team beat the Blues at Wembley.
Klopp was forced to turn to youngsters on the big occasion without Salah, Alexander-Arnold and Nunez. Academy talents Jayden Danns (18), James McConnell (19), Conor Bradley (20) Bobby Clark (21) and Jarell Quansah (21), plus Harvey Elliott (20), would all play at Wembley.
Such was the disparity between Mauricio Pochettino’s expensively-assembled Chelsea team and the Reds’ prospects that even Klopp picks the 2024 EFL Cup final as his favourite game as the manager of Liverpool. The German relishes the way the Anfield outfit rose to the task.
“It was really outstanding that night,” Klopp told The Anfield Wrap in May 2024. “I enjoyed a lot of games but in that specific way, it was my game of all time. Because the team we had [and] the atmosphere in the stadium was absolutely crazy.
“Then you go again the full distance, then the goal, it was outstanding. I cannot remember a game that I enjoyed so much because it was really super special.
“Winning a trophy that night, looking in the eyes of the boys – everybody but especially the young boys – but everyone enjoyed it that way. Top-class. Top, top, top.”