Jurgen Klopp admits Liverpool rode their luck to overcome West Ham 1-0 and further intensify the pressure on Premier League leaders Manchester City.
The Reds ground out a narrow victory at Anfield on Saturday thanks to Sadio Mane's 27th-minute strike as they moved to within three points of top spot.
Despite being without star midfielder Declan Rice and losing Jarrod Bowen to injury early in the second half, West Ham more than held their own on Merseyside.
Pablo Fornals had an effort saved off the line by Trent Alexander-Arnold, and big chances went begging for Manuel Lanzini and Michail Antonio in the final 20 minutes.
Liverpool finished with a higher expected goals (xG) return than their opponents – 2.0 compared to 1.4 – but Klopp accepts his side could easily have dropped valuable points.
"I don't know if we will remember this game as one of the most important. It was a tricky fixture but we did really well in the first half," he told Sky Sports.
"We know about all the different things West Ham are really good at, and in the first half we denied them in all these situations.
"We could've scored more, we didn't and then the game is open. I told the boys if you are not well organised you have to defend with passion and that's what we did.
"For their first chance Ali [Alisson] was calm, Trent cleared the situation. But this situation is a good example – people say we defend with a high line.
"But there was no pressure on the ball at all, we still had a high line and forgot completely Fornals, and that's obviously not how you defend.
"The other situations were different. We lost the challenges and they were really there, had their big chances.
"We were lucky in these moments, but you can't win the number of games the boys have in the last few weeks without stressing a bit of luck."
Liverpool have now won seven top-flight games in a row, making this their best such run since stringing together 18 victories on the bounce two seasons ago.
The Reds went on to win a maiden Premier League title that campaign and are well in the hunt for another crown this time around after closing the gap on City.
City can restore their six-point lead at the summit on Sunday with victory over Manchester United, albeit having played a game more than their closest challengers.
Klopp will have one eye on events at the Etihad Stadium, where Liverpool are still to travel next month in what is shaping up to be a potential title-deciding showdown.
"Of course, we are interested in that game, but we have no influence on it," he said.
"We have to win the games we play. Those we do not play in we have no hand in it. We don't think about it or talk about it, we just try to win our games."
Alexander-Arnold's assist for Mane's winner was his 16th of the season, setting a new benchmark for the full-back having previously registered 15 in two separate seasons.
Only Bayern Munich attacker Thomas Muller (19) has set up more goals than the right-back this season among players from clubs in Europe's top five leagues.
Klopp hailed Alexander-Arnold's latest match-winning contribution from the back, while also praising Mane for getting on the end of what appeared to be a shot from the defender.
"When you see him [Alexander-Arnold] playing I think we help him a little bit with positioning and stuff like this," Klopp said.
"We try to bring him into positions, formation-wise, where he can be that influential but of course it's all about him and his skill-set and his quality and his right foot.
"That's it, that he is really in the situation and focused to set up goals in these moments, that he knows where the dangerous situations and positions in the opposition box are.
"It's very helpful if you work together for a longer time because the strikers obviously expect that as well. It was a brilliant run from Sadio for the goal.
"And I don't think it was a shot, by the way, I really think he wanted to… bring the ball in the box and then you need somebody who picks it up. It was a really good goal."
Benzema: Mbappe must adapt to Madrid role and forget 'best in world' Vinicius
Kylian Mbappe must learn to play as a central striker at Real Madrid because he cannot displace Vinicius Junior on the left wing.
Those were the words of Los Blancos' second-highest scorer of all time, Karim Benzema.
Mbappe has scored eight goals in 14 appearances in all competitions for Madrid since his move from Paris Saint-Germain, but has failed to score in his last five games.
The 26-year-old has been deployed in a more central role since under Carlo Ancelotti, as opposed to the wide role where he enjoyed success with the Parisiens.
"The problem, in my opinion, is that [Mbappe] is not a central striker, even with the national team, every time he plays as a number nine he doesn't feel right, because that's not his position," Benzema said on Spanish television show El Chiringuito.
"On the left, he's got a guy who's at the same level as him, Vinicius, so there is a problem.
"You can't play Vinicius as a number nine or on the right, because when he plays on the left he makes the difference in every game.
"Mbappe isn't a real number nine. People ask a lot of him and he's under a lot of pressure, this isn't Paris Saint-Germain."
The France captain has underperformed his expected goals (xG) figure in LaLiga by 1.75 this term, recording a shot conversion rate of just 18.18% from his 33 total attempts.
He has also missed seven big chances, with only Real Betis duo Abde Ezzalzouli and Vitor Roque (both eight) and Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski (11) wasting more in LaLiga.
In Madrid's last game, a 4-0 Clasico defeat, Mbappe recorded just 27 touches. Only Aurelien Tchouameni (24) registered fewer among those who started the encounter.
Benzema also endured a difficult start to life in the Spanish capital, netting just nine goals in his 33 appearances in all competitions in his debut season after his move from Lyon.
He would, however, go on to become one of Madrid's best ever players, scoring 354 times in 648 outings, a total that puts him behind only Cristiano Ronaldo (450) in the club's history.
Benzema won 25 major honours during his time at the club, also scooping the Ballon d'Or in 2022, and had some advice for his compatriot moving forward.
"Don't give up, because I don't think he's going to push Vinicius to move. He's the best player in the world at the moment," Benzema added.
"Mbappe needs to get it into his head that today he's a number nine, and forget about the left flank for a while."
Mbappe will be back in action for Madrid on Tuesday when they face Milan in the Champions League.
Luis Enrique in awe of Simeone energy ahead of reunion
Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique was full of praise for his former rival Diego Simeone as he prepares to go head-to-head with the Atletico Madrid boss in the Champions League.
PSG and Atletico, who reached the semi-finals and the quarter-finals respectively last season, will face off on Wednesday having both won just one of their three league-phase games.
A home victory would boost PSG, currently 19th with four points, while Atletico, languishing in 27th on three, are aiming to recover from back-to-back losses.
PSG have never faced Atletico in the Champions League before but Luis Enrique's Barcelona defeated Simeone's Atletico side nine times in their 14 meetings between 2014 and 2017, drawing twice and losing three times.
Luis Enrique led Barca to a Champions League and LaLiga double in 2014-15 followed by another league title the following year.
"We've played against each other as players and then as managers. I admire Simeone, when a coach can stay for so many years at a top club it means he is great because that is such a difficult thing to do," Luis Enrique told reporters on Tuesday.
Simeone has managed Atletico for 13 years, guiding them to two LaLiga titles and two Europa League crowns, though the Madrid side had considered hiring Luis Enrique prior to Simeone's arrival.
"I had given my word to another club. If I had gone to Atleti, I would not have stayed half as long as Simeone because I don't have the energy as him," added Luis Enrique.
"They are lucky to have found Simeone as a coach. You need a lot of energy, to be able to convince all your players over the long-term."
PSG, having lost Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid in the close season, have just two goals in their three Champions League games, beating Girona 1-0 but drawing 1-1 with PSV and losing 2-0 at Arsenal.
"I have no doubt we can improve in defence and attack, whether it is with the defender duos of Marquinhos and Willian Pacho, or Milan Skriniar and Lucas Beraldo, or in the midfield," Luis Enrique said.
"I understand you want to discuss individual players, but we analyse things from a broader perspective.
"What interests me is to always generate goalscoring opportunities and to arrive in the penalty area because you have managed to be stronger than your opponent.
"That is my objective as a coach: to always generate opportunities."
Close-season signing Matvey Safonov, who kept a clean sheet in their opening win against Girona, might replace number one goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, whose mistakes proved costly at Arsenal and against PSV.
"You will find out tomorrow. After a good cup of cappuccino, I will decide who the goalkeeper is," Luis Enrique said.
Salah's contract 'up to him and the club', says Slot
Arne Slot has asserted Mohamed Salah’s future is “up to him and the club”.
The Liverpool star has yet to make a decision on whether to renew his contract, and as it stands, will be leaving Anfield at the end of the season.
Salah remains a key player for the Reds, and leads the club for Premier League goals (seven) and assists (five) this term.
He scored the winner in the 72nd minute to complete Liverpool’s comeback against Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday, as they moved to the top of the table.
And despite the question marks over Salah's future, Slot is not concerned.
"[His future] is not what I think about. The only thing I think about is he is so important for us. Scores important goals, works hard for the team," the Liverpool boss told TNT Sports.
"I’m hoping he can enjoy that feeling many, many, many more times. Especially if I’m here but also if I’m not here. I’m hoping he can do this many more times.
"He’s been incredible for Liverpool over the past eight years. He’s been incredible for us this season and I hope he can continue doing this for the rest of the season and maybe longer to come, but that’s up to him and the club to find the idea about the future."
Salah could be in for a historic night on Tuesday when Liverpool face Bayer Leverkusen, having scored in each of his last five Champions League appearances at Anfield.
The last player to score in six consecutive home games in the competition for an English club was Ruud van Nistelrooy for Manchester United in April 2003.
Salah sparked renewed talk over his future after posting on Instagram on Sunday, saying that the feeling of scoring at Anfield would remain unforgettable “no matter what happens.”
But Slot was keen to quash any deeper meaning in the post.
"I haven’t spoken to him about that. You interpreted it in a way that maybe other people don’t," he told the press.
"I don’t look at Instagram posts of my players, I only talk to them which you can’t, which is the advantage I have.
"Mo is in a very good place at the moment. As long as he has been at Liverpool, he has been in a very good place, but this season again as well. I am hoping he will make a post after tomorrow and on Saturday again. What he said with that, that is not important.
"For me what is important is how he plays and what he tells me when we have conversations. That is what matters and not how you guys interpret one of his posts."
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