Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has claimed that his side's 4-3 win over Manchester City at Anfield is proof that they can cope with the loss of Philippe Coutinho.
Coutinho joined Barcelona in a record-breaking £146m move last weekend, but that did not seem to lessen Liverpool's attacking threat as they became the first team to beat Man City in the Premier League this season.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah were all on the scoresheet for the hosts, and Klopp was pleased with the statement his side sent out.
"It's not that I said in a meeting, 'Boys, it would help a lot if you could win tonight so nobody speaks about Phil Coutinho anymore'. We like speaking about him. He'll still be jumping in his new living room in Barcelona, happy about the win tonight. But it was important to show we can play without him and we did that. That's a very important statement," Klopp told reporters.
"You need a really good football team to do that (to City) and, thank God, I have one. They tried really hard today. It was just a joy to watch, how both teams threw everything on the pitch. It is a nice commercial for Premier League football.
"The whole world was watching. If someone didn't watch football until now, now they'll see why people watch it all the time. I'm really happy about it."
The victory lifts Liverpool above Chelsea into third place in the Premier League table.
Barney Corkhill
