Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has praised his side’s performance against Manchester City and believes that it’s one of their best since he arrived at the club. The Reds raced to a 3-0 lead in the first half and while Manchester City did net twice, Klopp’s side held on for a place in the FA Cup final.

In light of Liverpool and Manchester City’s intense but exciting 2-2 draw in the Premier League, many expected something similar in their FA Cup semi-final clash. However, things did not go to plan for City as they struggled immensely in the first half as Liverpool played them off the field. So much so, that the Reds had a 3-0 lead going into the half-time break with Manchester City struggling to cope.

Things did change in the second half as goals from Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva saw City fight back but it wasn’t enough for the Cityzens as Liverpool held on for a place in the final. It saw Jurgen Klopp praise his side’s performance and he believes that it was one of the best games of football that the Reds have played since he arrived at the club. He also added that they could have decided the game earlier as they had the chances but while they didn’t do it, the result was fair given the performances.

“I think it was [one of our best performances]. That was the feeling I had when I saw the first half because of the quality of the opponent. We did all the right stuff, we scored in the right moments; we played an incredible game in the first half, I have to say. I loved each second of it,” Klopp said, reported Sky Sports.

“To deny them in so many moments is so difficult, as is creating your own opportunities against them. The first half was outstanding in pretty much all parts of the game. The second half they scored an early goal, like we did [at the Etihad], and then the game opened up.

“No footballer on the planet is safe against City with a 3-1 lead, it is always clear what they can do. We needed Alisson, what a game he had, but we had our moments as well, and could have decided the game earlier. We didn’t do it, but that made the game even more special, 3-2 was a fair result and it was good enough to bring us to the final.”