Lawrenson hails Klopp's influence

Former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson is in awe of the influence Jurgen Klopp has had on the Liverpool team, as evidenced by their 4-1 win over Manchester City.

The Reds put City to the sword at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday in a performance that Lawrenson thought was reminiscent of Klopp's former team when they shot to prominence in the Bundesliga and Champions League.

"There's only one way to describe Liverpool's emphatic win at the Etihad yesterday," he wrote in the Liverpool Echo. "They played like Borussia Dortmund at their best under Jurgen Klopp.

"It is remarkable how quickly the Reds have embraced the German's methods. And it's remarkable how quickly they have proven effective in the two biggest games of his reign.

"The 3-1 win at Chelsea could at least be partly explained by the Londoners going through a rough patch. But the display against Manchester City - and the first half in particular - was of another order entirely.

"We were, to be quite frank, absolutely brilliant."

It would be wrong to say that Klopp's time at Anfield has gone perfectly, as he suffered his first Premier League loss against Crystal Palace last weekend before a vast improvement against City.

Next up for Klopp's Liverpool, who are now up to ninth in the Premier League standings, is a Europa League clash against Bordeaux at Anfield on Thursday, before Swansea City visit Merseyside on Sunday.