Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp could not hide his delight with Fabio Carvalho's last-gasp winner against Newcastle United on Wednesday.
The 20-year-old came off the bench to fire in a 98th-minute goal to give the Reds a 2-1 win at Anfield, as they came from behind having conceded to Newcastle debutant Alexander Isak in the first half.
Roberto Firmino equalised after the break before Carvalho's late winner as he slammed in a loose ball off the crossbar following a corner.
Speaking at his post-match press conference, Klopp conceded his team had not been at their best as the visitors tried to stifle them, with Liverpool having just five shots in the first half.
"During the game we should have played more football," he said. "We told the boys in the first half, always when we played football it looked really good, we were dangerous, that was fine.
"Newcastle did really well how they put us under pressure; they had to invest a lot and I think we could see it was really a lot in the last 20, 25 minutes when they started struggling a little bit with the intensity. But we should have done better.
"So we scored the equaliser and then it was just a difficult game to play because we didn't play a lot. All of your colleagues asked me now about it, that's why I mention it, everybody asked me about it – it was just interrupted constantly for some reason and that doesn't give you the momentum. There was no chance to gain any kind of momentum.
"In the end, I was really happy in the moment when we got this last corner in the 98th minute. What Mo [Salah] and Fabio made then of it was obviously absolutely outstanding, a wonderful goal. A perfect moment; that we scored it after 98 minutes, I thought, is the perfect response to everything that happened during the game."
Carvalho joined Liverpool at the end of last season from Fulham and the goal came just four days after his first strike for the club in the 9-0 hammering of Bournemouth, and a day after his 20th birthday.
"He scored now twice in the last two games," Klopp added. "Yesterday, birthday. So it's probably a better week.
"He is an outstanding player, wonderful talent, very mature in a lot of departments already. So I'm really happy for him. Harvey [Elliott] was the best player on the pitch and Fabio decides the game. That says a lot about the talent of the boys."
The German coach did not have everything to smile about though as he revealed his captain, Jordan Henderson, went off with a hamstring injury.
Liverpool are already without Thiago Alcantara, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita from their options in midfield, while Curtis Jones was named on the bench for the first time this season, though was not brought on after only just coming back from injury himself.
Klopp had previously indicated he wanted to sign a midfielder before the end of the transfer window, which closes on Thursday, but seemed pessimistic about doing so in spite of losing Henderson to injury.
"I don't think so," he said when asked about making a signing on Thursday. "But as long as there is time we should not close the door completely.
"Obviously Hendo is injured, he got a hamstring [injury], which is absolutely not helpful.
"[It was] that serious that he couldn't carry on, so it was no tactical change [when he was substituted for Carvalho]."
Premier League clubs to vote on scrapping VAR after Wolves proposal
Premier League clubs will be asked to vote on the prospect of scrapping VAR for next season following a proposal from Wolves.
The use of VAR in the Premier League has been a talking point since its introduction at the start of the 2019-20 season, with a number of controversial decisions intensifying the debate surrounding its use this term.
Wolves have been on the wrong end of several contentious decisions this season, starting from their opening game last August, as Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) representative Jon Moss apologised for a failure to award them a penalty during a 1-0 loss to Manchester United.
More recently, Wolves saw a potential stoppage-time equaliser against West Ham disallowed for a subjective offside call against Tawanda Chirewa, with boss Gary O'Neil given a one-match ban for a post-match outburst towards referee Tony Harrington.
Nottingham Forest have also been angered by several decisions in recent weeks, while PGMOL memorably apologised to Liverpool after Luis Diaz saw a goal wrongly disallowed in a 2-1 defeat at Tottenham last September.
Wolves have now tabled a resolution calling for VAR to be abolished, with clubs set to vote on the issue at an annual general meeting on June 6. Premier League rules require 14 of 20 clubs to vote in favour of a proposal for it to pass.
In a widely reported statement, Wolves said VAR had been introduced "in good faith and with the best interests of football and the Premier League at heart" but lamented a number of negative repercussions.
The club say VAR has caused frustration and confusion among match-going fans, negatively impacted the atmosphere at games, diminished accountability of match officials and overreached beyond its original aim to correct "clear and obvious" errors.
Wolves also said persistent errors being made despite the presence of VAR were difficult to accept and had furthered "completely nonsensical" allegations of corruption from supporters.
The club added: "Our position is that the price we are paying for a small increase in accuracy is at odds with the spirit of our game, and as a result we should remove it from the 2024-25 season onwards."
A Premier League spokesperson said: "The Premier League can confirm it will facilitate a discussion on VAR with our clubs at the annual general meeting next month.
"Clubs are entitled to put forward proposals at shareholders' meetings and we acknowledge the concerns and issues around the use of VAR.
"However, the league fully supports the use of VAR and remains committed, alongside PGMOL, to make continued improvements to the system for the benefit of the game and fans."
Sweden recently became the first country to opt against the implementation of VAR at the top level following a fan backlash.
Wolves boss O'Neil has repeatedly spoken out against the use of VAR since saying the award of two controversial penalties to Fulham in a 3-2 loss last November had turned him against the technology.
De Bruyne: Man City know title race 'is not over'
Kevin De Bruyne insists the Manchester City players know the Premier League title race is not over, despite being in the driving seat with just one game left.
The Citizens beat Tottenham 2-0 on Tuesday in their game in hand over leaders Arsenal, leapfrogging them to the top of the table.
City will host West Ham on the final weekend and as long as Pep Guardiola’s side match Arsenal’s result against Everton, they will win an unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League title.
De Bruyne has played down suggestions that City celebrated like they had already won the title following the victory.
"We were happy, obviously, because it gets in the place that we wanted to be on Sunday," he told Sky Sports. "I didn't feel like there were any extra celebrations.
"Obviously, you're happy to win the game, but we know it's not done yet.
"I know everybody's talking now saying it should be easy, but we're used to playing these couple of games against Brighton and Villa before and it's never easy. There's always the pressure of being in that situation, so I think it's quite normal."
City’s win over Tottenham makes them big favourites to win the title, with the Opta supercomputer giving them an 84.3 per cent chance of lifting the Premier League trophy once more.
During their victory at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, sections of the crowd cheered Erling Haaland’s opener by doing the Poznan, a celebration often used by the City fans, as the result shifted the title race out of their North London rivals' favour.
Asked if he had ever played in an environment like that before, De Bruyne added: "I think it's strange, but I didn't feel it from a players perspective.
"I have to say I thought Tottenham were really good, I think they played better than they did the weeks before.
"Fans are always a different thing, but I feel it's more feeding from outside, I never thought that from the players' or coaches' perspective, they would not come and give their best. That's the only thing we worry about."
Italy forward Zaniolo to miss Euro 2024 due to foot injury
Italy forward Nicolo Zaniolo will miss Euro 2024 after suffering a foot injury during Aston Villa's Premier League draw with Liverpool on Monday.
Zaniolo – who joined Unai Emery's side on a season-long loan from Galatasaray last August – came on as a second-half substitute as they fought back from 3-1 down to clinch a 3-3 draw at Villa Park.
That result moved Villa closer to securing Champions League qualification, which was confirmed when Tottenham lost 2-0 at home to Manchester City on Tuesday.
Zaniolo only lasted 14 minutes following his 65th-minute introduction before being withdrawn himself, though, and scans have shown he sustained a microfracture to his foot.
The 24-year-old has now confirmed he will be unable to feature in Italy's title defence at the Euros, with their Group B campaign set to begin against Albania on June 15.
In a post to his Instagram account, Zaniolo wrote: "Thank you for your support in these hours, to you Villans and to the many Italian and Turkish fans. I can't wait to get back on the field stronger than before!
"Unfortunately, I will have to give up my dream of representing my country in a major competition. But that day will come, I'm sure, and it will be beautiful! Come on Azzurri!"
Zaniolo also missed Italy's triumphant run at the delayed Euro 2020 three years ago as he was recovering from a ruptured cruciate ligament.
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