LIVERPOOL, England (AP) - For Juergen Klopp, it wasn’t the time to dwell on an opportunity missed.
Liverpool’s manager had just seen his team concede a late, fluke goal to draw with Chelsea 1-1 in the English Premier League on Saturday, and was putting the whole thing in perspective.
“The world is a strange and crazy place at the moment, and there are so many much more important things that happen, crazy things,” Klopp said. “So I can easily live with a point against Chelsea.”
Klopp was speaking a day after an attack on a mosque in Sinai, Egypt, which killed more than 300 people - including 27 children - and injured 128.
Liverpool’s best player at the moment is Mohamed Salah, a superstar in his native Egypt particularly of late after scoring the penalty this month that earned the national team a place at the World Cup in Russia.
Salah scored the opening goal for Liverpool - his 15th in 20 appearances this season - against the club that sold him last year. After the ball hit the net in the 65th minute, he put both of his hands in the air and didn’t really celebrate.
Asked what Salah’s state of mind was heading into the game, Klopp said it was “not the place to talk about things like this.”
“Our life as professional footballers, actually nobody cares how we feel,” Klopp said. “We have to do it. Obviously, he was able to do that. That was good.”
Salah became Liverpool’s record transfer when he joined for 42 million euros ($49 million) and must go down as the signing of the summer, with this latest goal keeping him as the league top scorer on 10.
Two months ago, it was Kevin De Bruyne - discarded prematurely by then-Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho - scoring the winner against the Blues for Manchester City.
Salah was at Chelsea around the same period and made just six league starts before being sent on loan by Mourinho to Fiorentina and then Roma, which he eventually joined on a permanent deal.
As with De Bruyne, it looks like another wrong decision.
Willian scored the 85th-minute goal for Chelsea, which stopped his team being embarrassed by another former player. It also denied Liverpool a place in the top four and might even spark more debate about the merits of goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.
The Brazilian, just for two minutes as a substitute, appeared to aim a cross to a couple of teammates at the far post but the ball instead went over Mignolet, who appeared leaden-footed, and into the top corner.
“Everything was good,” Klopp said, “until Willian crossed the ball.”
Salah had been Liverpool’s most dangerous player to that point, yet was still upstaged by Eden Hazard - the Chelsea forward who caused the home defense all sorts of problems with his close control and movement.
“Chelsea team had quite a different approach tonight,” Klopp said, “deep defending and giving the ball to Eden Hazard. Wow.”
Chelsea stayed in third place and the point was celebrated wildly by manager Antonio Conte after the final whistle. He was particularly happy because Chelsea had to endure a 5,000-mile round trip in midweek for a Champions League match against Qarabag from Azerbaijan.
“For us, it was very difficult to play this game after a long travel and no rest for my players,” Conte said. “And also because when you play at Anfield, it is not simple because you play an atmosphere and a team who are strong. We must be pleased.”
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Steve Douglas is at www.twitter.com/sdouglas80
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