Records tumbled at Anfield as Liverpool extended their unbeaten home run to 64 league on Sunday and Jurgen Klopp was disappointed fans were not there to see it.
The Reds went 63 games without defeat under Bob Paisley between February 1978 and December 1980, but bettered that under Klopp as they eased to a 3-0 win over Leicester City.
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Diogo Jota also wrote his name into the club’s history books as he became the first Reds player to score in his first four home top-flight league appearances.
His first-half header added to Jonny Evans’ opening own goal before Roberto Firmino’s 87th-minute header added further gloss to the scoreline.
“The boys played an incredible game against a top, top, opponent. They were really on fire football wise,” said Klopp.
“There will be a moment in the future when I think back on the record and hopefully it will not be the number 64 but more. It is incredible, absolutely incredible, but it is all about the boys.
“It is really difficult to achieve something like this but when you think about how tight a lot of the games were the boys had to dig in and that shows their incredible character.
“We really enjoy playing here, it is our ground, our home and everything feels like home even when then the people aren’t here – which is absolutely bull****.
“The boys on the pitch performance-wise are incredible and that is the only reason for the number. It is difficult to set records at this club because our fathers and grandfathers were obviously pretty good.”
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While the focus fell on the record the performance itself was equally impressive.
Without the likes of Virgil Van Dijk, Jordan Henderson, Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Thiago Alcantara, Liverpool dominated a Leicester side which had won its previous four away matches.
“We had to play really good because otherwise you would have no chance and the boys did it from the first second,” added Klopp, whose delight at the return to fitness of Fabinho was tempered by the loss of Naby Keita to a hamstring problem.
“We controlled the game, we passed the right passes, moved in the right spaces, offered direction, used these offers. So, a lot of things were really, really good. We scored two goals after a set-piece but a lot of good football moments in a really, really good performance.”
Klopp was also delighted to see Firmino score, with the Brazilian having struggled to find the net this season and missing a series of chances before finally getting on the scoresheet.
Asked how happy he was for Firmino, he replied: “Very. I think you saw it earlier than me, I only saw it once now that obviously he had the new record as well for closest no goal or whatever with the goalline technology. So, congratulations! But, of course, we were really happy and relieved.
“He deserved it so much. He played a super game, was so important for us tonight again and you could see in the face of all the players when he scored that everybody thought, ‘Yes, exactly the right goalscorer.’
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Mohamed Salah, meanwhile, is set to return to training on Tuesday after a negative Covid-19 test following two positives while on international duty with Egypt.
“I think from now he is pretty normal in all the testing. He can train with us. There are two tests in the next two days so he will be tested,” said Klopp.
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