Liverpool's quadruple hopes remain intact as they beat rivals Manchester City 3-2 to secure their spot in the FA Cup final.

The Reds and City are neck-and-neck in the Premier League and could yet contest the Champions League final, but Saturday's win at Wembley made it advantage Liverpool in their 2021-22 trophies duel.

While City were without Kyle Walker and only had Kevin De Bruyne on the bench due to injury, Liverpool restored several key players to their line-up after a midweek rest and it was evident throughout a first half that the Reds dominated.

Liverpool were 3-0 up by half-time thanks to Ibrahima Konate's early header and a Sadio Mane double, with City goalkeeper Zack Steffen at fault for the Senegal forward's first goal.

Jack Grealish pulled one back early in the second period and Bernardo Silva's late tap-in forced a tense finish, but Liverpool held on.

Jurgen Klopp's men were ahead inside nine minutes, Konate towering above everyone to head home Andrew Robertson's corner.

It was 2-0 soon after. Where Ederson escaped a goal-line blunder in their Premier League showdown last weekend, Steffen was punished by Mane as the attacker's tackle saw the ball ricochet into the net.

City seemingly found themselves all but beaten on the stroke of half-time, Mane lashing home on the volley after a sublime Thiago Alcantara pass.

Grealish picked out the top-left corner with a lovely finish of his own just after the restart, and Silva nudged in from close range in second-half stoppage time to set Liverpool nerves jangling.

But it was too little, too late for City as two fantastic defensive blocks helped Liverpool hold firm to reach a first FA Cup final in 10 years.

Jurgen Klopp conceded his Liverpool side were not at their best against Manchester City on Sunday and would like to see them produce a better performance in Saturday's FA Cup semi-final against Pep Guardiola's side.

The two Premier League title rivals played out a 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium, leaving City a point clear at the top of the table.

Speaking at a news conference ahead of his first FA Cup semi-final since arriving on Merseyside in 2015, Klopp said while City were "really strong", he feels his players could have found other levels.

Having also drawn 2-2 at Anfield earlier in the season, Klopp was asked whether the two teams could still surprise each other. 

"Not just surprise, I think we all think a lot about these games, we have to," he said.

"I think City were really strong last week and we were not at our best. So, I would like to see a game where we are at our best as well. That would be interesting, so let's give it a try.

"The boys did a lot of good stuff in the game, but I really think in a couple of positions we are able to perform on a completely different level, so I think we should give that a try."

City and Liverpool have met twice before at Wembley Stadium, with both games ending in a 1-1 draw before going to penalties. The Citizens eventually emerged victorious on both occasions in 2016 (EFL Cup final) and 2019 (Community Shield).

Klopp was also asked about his decision to start Mohamed Salah on the bench in Wednesday's 3-3 draw with Benfica in their Champions League quarter-final second leg, with Liverpool winning 6-4 on aggregate. 

The Egyptian was brought on before the hour mark, but Klopp explained it was a decision made to try and give Salah some rest.

"The reason for Mo not starting is easy," he said. "Yes, he played against City, but we have after that hopefully 12 games. That's why when we have the opportunity to change, that's all. Even if Mo would have scored four goals last game, he wouldn't have started yesterday, so that's how it is."

The Reds boss also gave an update on Diogo Jota, who picked up a knock against Benfica, but the Portugal international is expected to be fit for the weekend.

"I said last night that Diogo got a knock – that swelled up slightly directly after the game, obviously while I was in the press conference," Klopp said.

"Good chance he will be alright, but we need to have a closer look tomorrow. That’s it."

Liverpool have progressed from eight of their last 10 FA Cup semi-final ties, only failing to do so in 1989-90 (v Crystal Palace) and in their most recent appearance at this stage in 2014-15 (v Aston Villa).

Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola will go down as two of the very best managers, with their rivalry hailed as "incredible" by Albert Riera.

Guardiola's Manchester City lead the way by a point in the Premier League after their draw with Klopp's Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

It was a repeat of the scoreline from the reverse fixture earlier this season, and is the first time since 2012-13 that they have shared two draws in one league campaign.

A topsy turvy match saw Diogo Jota hit back for Liverpool after Kevin De Bruyne opened the scoring, with Sadio Mane cancelling out Gabriel Jesus' strike.

The teams will meet again in the FA Cup semi-finals and Riera, who played for both clubs, is fascinated by the rivalry and the skills of both managers.

"If I ask you what you consider playing well, one coach will answer one way and another in another way," Riera told Stats Perform. 

"One may say that if he wins, he plays well. Another will tell you to start from behind and reach the striker without the opponent touching the ball, but if you lose, that is not valid either. 

"This is the beauty of football, if there was a system that guarantees us to win, we would all play the same. 

"They are obviously two of the best and [two of] those who motivate you. I like to see how they work."

He added: "For the spectators and those of us who watch it from the outside, it's incredible to be able to see a game like this.

"I think we all know the way City play, wanting to defend with possession of the ball and even against an aggressive team like Liverpool who want to get the ball back, but this time it cost them, because City want it at all costs. 

"On the other hand, Liverpool's transitions are spectacular. You can't see many teams where the two full-backs reach the attack, that's something very difficult to see."

Riera also believes that, with City and Liverpool acting as the driving forces in recent seasons, the Premier League is the most intense competition in world football.

"At the rhythm level, the Premier League is unmatched with other leagues," Riera continued. "In England, the 90 or 95 minutes that the game lasts is [played] at full speed.

"Obviously Liverpool and Manchester City are at an impressive level, and it is difficult to see that Brentford or Burnley can beat them. But I have the memory that anyone can beat anyone [in the Premier League] because they are not afraid, and they go out on the field to attack.

"This is the most beautiful [league]."

Liverpool are now winless in five league matches against City (three draws, two defeats), but are bidding to reach a first FA Cup final since 2012 when they go head-to-head again on Saturday.

Sadio Mane kept Liverpool in the Premier League title hunt with a priceless second-half equaliser in a gripping 2-2 draw with leaders Manchester City.

Jurgen Klopp's side sat 14 points behind City in January, but a 10-game winning run cut the gap to just one point to set up what many billed as a title decider at the Etihad Stadium.

Diogo Jota cancelled out Kevin De Bruyne's opener in an enthralling start, and Mane followed suit swiftly after the interval following Gabriel Jesus' 36th-minute strike.

Neither side could find a winner, with Raheem Sterling seeing a goal disallowed, as Pep Guardiola's side kept their slender lead intact with seven games left to play.

Sterling squandered a glorious chance after five minutes as he was denied by the onrushing Alisson following a square Jesus pass, but City were ahead just seconds later.

De Bruyne profited from a quick Bernardo Silva free-kick before arrowing a left-footed effort home, the ball going in off the right post following a fortuitous deflection off Joel Matip.

Liverpool responded within eight minutes, with Andy Robertson finding Trent Alexander-Arnold, who played the ball back from the far post for Jota to squeeze a low strike under Ederson.

De Bruyne whipped narrowly wide in search of his second before Jesus latched onto a Joao Cancelo cross and coolly finished via the underside of the crossbar.

Mane levelled up within a minute of the second half getting under way, racing onto Mohamed Salah's throughball to slot powerfully past Ederson, who thwarted Jota's prodded effort shortly after.

Sterling thought he had nudged the hosts ahead again, but a VAR check showed the forward was offside when De Bruyne passed the ball, while Salah curled just off target at the other end.

Substitute Riyad Mahrez provided a late scare for the visitors as he clipped the post with a free-kick, and then chipped over after a sublime De Bruyne pass, but there would be no decisive goal.

Pep Guardiola says he will cherish the memories of Manchester City's rivalry with Liverpool when the Spaniard eventually calls time on his stay at the Etihad Stadium.

The two sides meet in a blockbuster Premier League clash in the battle for the title on Sunday, with the champions leading the in-form Reds by just a point.

It will be the first of two encounters between Guardiola and long-time managerial rival Jurgen Klopp this month, with the pair then set to square off in the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

They could also lock horns in the Champions League, as both clubs lead their quarter-final ties after the first leg.

Guardiola continues to relish pitting his wits against Liverpool boss Klopp.

"In my period here, what I will remember is the rivalry with Liverpool," he told Sky Sports. "That's for sure. We raised the standards.

"We got 100 points, before that the example was around 80 to 91. After we got 100 it was 98, Liverpool with 97 and then 99.

"So now teams know you have to go 90-100 points to have the chance to be champion. We write that level, and we pushed each other.

"Sir Alex [Ferguson, with Manchester United] and [Arsene] Wenger [with Arsenal] were there so many years together - 26 and 22 - we are here with less time doing this."

Liverpool have already won the EFL Cup this term and are eyeing an unprecedented quadruple.

The Merseyside club have won 10 consecutive Premier League games and Guardiola knows City will have their work cut out trying to keep their potent forwards quiet.

"The threats that they have in front - they had an incredible three players [in Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino]," he added.

"Now [they have] an incredible five with Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota, plus Divock Origi who always scores when they need to make decisive goals.

"We don't have a proper striker, but it is what it is. We still score a lot of goals in our way, we still concede few, so we're going to continue to do it."

Tuesday's Champions League fixtures feature two of the tournament favourites, but there are no easy games when the competition reaches the quarter-finals.

Manchester City are the bookmakers' favourites to lift the trophy but will need to safely navigate their way past 2020-21 LaLiga champions Atletico Madrid, starting with Tuesday's first leg at the Etihad Stadium.

Liverpool are right behind City in the odds, but the Reds face a tough trip to Portugal where they will play Benfica after the home side triumphed over a strong Ajax team in the previous round.

While the English teams are well fancied, the Opta facts show Atleti coach Diego Simeone should not be daunted by City boss Pep Guardiola, and Benfica's Estadio da Luz has been anything but a happy hunting ground for Liverpool.

Manchester City v Atletico Madrid

This will be the first ever meeting between City and Atleti in European competition, but the fourth between the respective bosses of the two clubs. None of the previous three games ended in a draw, as Guardiola won two and Simeone triumphed in the other.

While Simeone is down on the head-to-head record, his Atleti side eliminated Guardiola’s Bayern Munich in the semi-finals of the 2015-16 Champions League (2-2 on aggregate), progressing on away goals. 

Showing his side can win ugly, across the two legs, Atletico averaged just 27 per cent possession and scored their two goals from 18 shots, while Bayern netted the same number of goals from 53 attempts.

City should have some reliable avenues to goal, as only Vinicius Junior (44) has been directly involved in more shots than Riyad Mahrez (42 – 29 shots, 13 chances created) in the Champions League this season. 

One of Mahrez's chief suppliers is likely to be Kevin De Bruyne, who will make his 50th Champions League appearance for City if he plays in the first leg.

Since his first season at the club in 2015-16, he has more assists than any other player for an English club (17) in the competition. 

However, Atleti may be uniquely positioned to repel some of City's attacking firepower, as no goalkeeper has kept more Champions League clean sheets since 2014-15 than Jan Oblak, with 30 clean sheets in 67 appearances.

Meanwhile, City have only failed to score in one of their 28 home games under Guardiola.

Atleti are also the first side to face both Manchester United and Manchester City in the knockout stages of a European competition in a season since Juventus in the 1976-77 UEFA Cup – the Italian side would go on to progress from both of those ties before winning the whole thing.

Liverpool v Benfica 

Liverpool are aiming to win a fifth consecutive away game in Europe's premier competition for only the second time in their history, having last done so between 1983 and 1984 under Joe Fagan.

While Liverpool are a very different beast in recent years under Jurgen Klopp, they have lost on each of their last three away trips to face Benfica in European competition, with the most recent of those coming in the Europa League in 2009-10 under Rafa Benítez.

On the other hand, Benfica are winless in their past four homes matches against English sides in the Champions League since beating Liverpool in 2006, with one draw and three losses.

The home side will need a big performance from Darwin Nunez, who is Benfica’s top scorer in the Champions League this season, having netted four times so far. He is just one goal shy of equalling Nuno Gomes as the player with the most goals for Benfica in a single Champions League campaign (five goals in 1998-99).

Meanwhile, Liverpool boast one of the main hopes for the Ballon D'or in Mohamed Salah, who has scored eight goals in the Champions League this season and could become the first player to score 10+ goals in multiple seasons for the Reds in the competition. 

The only other player from an English club to reach double-figure goals in a European Cup/Champions League campaign on more than one occasion was Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2001-02 and 2002-03 for Manchester United.

Benfica will need to be efficient going forward, as their 40 per cent possession in the Champions League this season is the lowest of any remaining team, while only Real Madrid (23) have recorded more direct attacks than the Portuguese side.

Benfica may not be as big of a name as Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United but Anfield hero Patrik Berger warned Liverpool of the "tough" challenge they face in the Champions League quarter-final.

Liverpool edged past Inter 2-1 on aggregate in their last-16 clash, while Benfica knocked out Ajax to set up the last-eight meeting between the two sides, with the first leg set for Estadio Da Luz on Tuesday.

Despite the Reds appearing strong favourites, Benfica will be no pushovers given they have won their last three home meetings with Liverpool.

However, Jurgen Klopp has assembled a formidable winning machine as his team aim for victory in five consecutive away games in the European Cup and Champions League for just the second time, having last done so between 1983 and 1984 under Joe Fagan.

Liverpool also remain in the hunt for an unprecedented quadruple, the Reds in contention in Europe, the Premier League and FA Cup after lifting the EFL Cup earlier in the season, but Berger urged caution from his former club against Benfica.

"Benfica are a good side, in the last 16 of the Champions League all the teams are good," he told Stats Perform. "Maybe some of them don't have a name like Madrid, Barcelona or Manchester United, but they are good team and they have good players.

"It's a tough opponent, they are playing well and it seems easy but it won't be easy they are a good side."

Former Liverpool captain Sami Hyypia also echoed Berger's sentiments as he called on the Reds to take each game as it comes.

"You can't underestimate any opposition," he told Stats Perform. "You have to go to every game with 100 per cent, and I think Klopp knows that as well so he will motivate the team to go 100 per cent in the next game."

Liverpool will look to continue their eight-game unbeaten run in the Champions League against Portuguese opposition, winning each of the last four, before hosting Benfica at Anfield in the return leg on April 13.

Fabio Capello believes Italy's failure to qualify for back-to-back World Cups is due to a national obsession with following Pep Guardiola's Barcelona blueprint.

Former Milan, Real Madrid, Juventus and Roma boss Capello claims Italian football should have been following the German 'heavy metal' model rather than copying the more intricate noodling of the Spanish style of play.

Capello, who also coached Russia and England, cannot see why Italy would go against their great strengths by trying to match the high technical levels of Spain.

He told Sky Sport Italia: "The explanation is very simple. I have been saying for a long time that we are copying Guardiola's football of 15 years ago."

The 75-year-old Capello said this meant "all sideways passing, no verticality, little physical strength".

Guardiola built a Barcelona team on a possession-based game that was full of nuance, with players drilled to understand and adhere to its intricacies, and they became arguably the greatest club side of all time.

Capello does not see Italian players having the skill set to follow such a formula for success.

"Instead we should follow Klopp's model, a German-style football," Capello said.

Italy won the delayed Euro 2020 tournament last year, beating England on penalties in the Wembley final, but a 1-0 play-off semi-final defeat to North Macedonia on Thursday knocked them out of contention to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar.

Roberto Mancini's team had 564 passes to 309 by North Macedonia, owning 65.4 per cent of possession, and led the shot count 32-4, only to be stunned by a stoppage-time goal from the visitors in Palermo.

The Azzurri will be spectators from a distance for the tournament in November and December, having also missed out on the Russia 2018 finals.

"Macedonia on a physical level were superior to us in terms of dynamism, strength and determination," Capello said. "It is all clear: until we understand that the model to be copied is the German one, we will not move forward, because if we want to do it like the Spaniards, who have a superior technique, we will never be able to do it, we always do it at 50 per cent."

Capello said the Italian team to take heed of the German example were Atalanta, whose results showed it had benefits. They sit fifth in Serie A, having finished third last season, and are through to the Europa League quarter-finals.

"In Europe we play at a different pace, and we are not used to it," Capello said. "At the base there is this wrong idea of ​​football. We are the country of passing back to the goalkeeper."

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp compared Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final win against Nottingham Forest to a Champions League atmosphere.

It was a hard-fought 1-0 victory for Klopp's men, the sides separated only by Diogo Jota's 78th-minute winner after getting on the end of Kostas Tsimikas' cross.

Nottingham Forest had a penalty shout turned down after a VAR review with five minutes remaining, while Ryan Yates had a great chance with a header as the 90 minutes expired, but it was straight at Alisson.

Klopp was full of praise for his Championship opponents, saying they contributed to the big-match feel.

"Proper cup match, have to say," he told ITV.

"You mentioned before, a European night in Nottingham, that’s what it was pretty much!

"I know they don’t get anything for it, but a massive compliment to Steve Cooper and his team, they played a really good game.

"Just that they fought, closed the gaps. We could have and should have played better, but they made it really difficult. 

"First half we should have scored the sitter, Bobby [Roberto Firmino], that’s really unlike him that he doesn’t square the ball, Diogo was in a good position.

"The game stayed open, the atmosphere was a massive boost for them. We came through, and I’m really happy with it.

"[The goal] was not a massive chance, a difficult one to get there and his leg in front of the defender.

"An outstanding goal and he is a striker – a proper striker – in those sorts of situations and a desire to put the body in, absolutely great."

Trent Alexander-Arnold will miss Liverpool's FA Cup tie against Nottingham Forest and is unavailable for England duty due to a hamstring injury, Jurgen Klopp has confirmed.

The full-back, who was named in Gareth Southgate's latest England squad on Thursday, will be forced to miss the Three Lions' March international friendlies against Switzerland the Ivory Coast.

The Reds travel to the City Ground on Sunday in pursuit of a semi-final place, a few weeks on from claiming the EFL Cup against Chelsea at Wembley.

Victory would take them one step closer to a potential quadruple, with Klopp's side still in contention for both the Premier League and Champions League too.

But they will have to do so this weekend without Alexander-Arnold, while Mohamed Salah could be a doubt for the visitors too.

"Trent is out with a hamstring, so will be out for England too," Klopp told his pre-match news conference. "[It's] not good news, [but] we will see how long it takes. Mo felt his foot a little bit after the game too."

Asked on how his side would cope without Alexander-Arnold, Klopp added: "We will see. To replace him is difficult but possible.

"We have [James] Milner, [Joe] Gomez, these kind of things. Trent is so influential but Milner has done incredibly well in the past. We'll see how [he] is for Sunday."

Liverpool are set to play their first FA Cup quarter-final under Klopp, with the trophy one of the few gaps on his resume since he arrived on Merseyside.

If he is able to guide them past Forest - themselves in the last eight for the first time since the 1995-96 campaign - then the Reds will move a step closer to further silverware this season.

Jurgen Klopp admitted to feeling mixed emotions after Liverpool secured passage to the Champions League quarter-finals despite defeat to Inter.

The Reds moved into the last eight with a 2-1 win on aggregate despite Lautaro Martinez's second-half strike deciding an engrossing second leg at Anfield.

And, though Klopp declared himself 'really happy' to progress further in Europe's elite competition, he also confessed to feeling disappointed by the end of a 15-game unbeaten streak.

He said: "[Assistant boss] Peter Krawietz always says the art of football is to lose the right games. I still hate it. 

"If there was any type of game we could have afforded to lose it was tonight because the main target of this competition is to get through. But it's not that I'm here over the moon. 

"I'm really happy that we went through because when we saw the draw it was like, 'Okay, that's a tough one'. So we went through and I think over the two legs we deserved it, so that's fine. 

"We had some problems in the game tonight for different reasons, one is the quality of the opponent, they are a really good football team. 

"They set up like Leeds under Bielsa, just with much more quality and that makes it really tricky to play against them. 

"It was a bit slapstick how we missed our chances in the end, we still could have won the game. 

"The only thing I am really interested in is that it's fair that we are through against a really strong opponent, now let's carry on."

Martinez's goal could have set up a thrilling final half an hour on Merseyside were it not for teammate Alexis Sanchez being shown a second yellow card almost immediately after.

Klopp had no doubt that the Chilean deserved to be cautioned and also suggested he could have been sent off for a foul on Thiago Alcantara in the first half.

He continued: "I don't understand why we have to discuss that because in football, if you can win the ball only by bringing yourself in a position that you endanger the opponent then you don't win the ball. 

"If Fab goes in with the same intention then both players get injured but he is there because he judged the ball not flying in. 

"Because Sanchez is flying in, he touched the ball but in the end he cannot stop and hit Fab in a really bad way, to be honest. 

"And I think he was really lucky that he didn't get a different colour card in the first half for the foul on Thiago, leg that high. 

"Passion is absolutely good but if it leads to these kinds of things, it just doesn't help."

In the build-up to Liverpool's clash with Inter at Anfield, Jurgen Klopp went to great lengths to spell out the fact that he and his team were taking nothing for granted.

Leading 2-0 from the first leg in Milan, the Reds were the clear favourites for progression in the Champions League last 16.

But, at his pre-match press conference, their manager warned: "The danger everybody knows about. It's 2-0, the lead I think which got turned over most often in the history of football."

And he struck a similar chord in his programme notes, telling supporters: "If anyone has even a tiny percentage of complacency or entitlement, please stay away."

Of course, Klopp would have loved nothing more than for Liverpool to have produced a vintage performance that made his cautious tone seem unnecessary.

Instead, he was proven completely right about the threat posed by Simone Inzaghi's side, who had in truth been rather unfortunate to suffer a two-goal defeat in the first leg.

It is not that Inter came out all guns blazing on Merseyside, of course; this is the Italian champions in European competition we are talking about.

But their ability to play through Liverpool lines was eye-catching from the off, with the impressive Hakan Calhanoglu key to that.

And the calm manner in which the visitors' back three dealt with the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane also bred confidence, with Milan Skriniar's game-high nine clearances marking him out.

As such, while Inter's best opportunity of an evenly matched first half saw Calhanoglu test Alisson from a free-kick, they had shown enough to suggest that something special could be in the offing in the second period.

You could clearly see those hopes growing close to the hour mark as Lautaro Martinez struck just wide after a beautiful back-to-front move had played him in on goal.

And so it was no surprise the Argentine made no mistake in firing home a beauty from the edge of the box moments later to bring the tie to life and put the fear into Liverpool.

It was at this point, however, that events brought to mind the popular expression which states it is better to be lucky than good when it comes to sport.

Yes, you could argue that Alexis Sanchez was fortunate to still be on the pitch having clearly caught Thiago Alcantara with a studs-up challenge in the opening 45 minutes.

But he probably did not deserve to see a second yellow for a light nick on Fabinho after winning the ball, under two minutes having passed since the Chile forward had set up Martinez's strike.

Coming so shortly after the opening goal, that blow sucked all momentum out of Inzaghi's men, effectively handing Liverpool passage into the quarter-finals on a platter, with Inter not registering another attempt on goal from that point on.

Still, even if the circumstances were somewhat fortuitous, it is hardly likely to have taken the shine off the result for Klopp, whose team have now reached the Champions League last eight in four of the last five seasons.

He would no doubt have preferred to have witnessed a more convincing performance that struck fear into Liverpool's rivals for European glory this season.

But perhaps what he got was in some ways better: another reminder that this team can see off even elite teams when not at their best. 

As this manager and players are all too aware, you need a combination of quality, mentality and luck to go all in the way in the Champions League, and Liverpool called on all three at various stages of what was a fascinating tie.

Former Liverpool winger Xherdan Shaqiri believes his old club can win the quadruple this season, as the EFL Cup winners prepare to host Inter in the Champions League.

The 30-year-old, who is now plying his trade in Major League Soccer after joining Chicago Fire in February, won the Champions League, Premier League, and FIFA Club World cup titles in a three-year spell at Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp's side defeated Chelsea to win the EFL Cup last month, and are preparing for a Champions League second-leg clash with the Italian champions, boasting a 2-0 lead from the first leg at San Siro.

With the Reds sitting just six points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City and advancing to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, recent talk has surrounded the prospect of Klopp's men completing an unprecedented quadruple this term.

Shaqiri, who scored eight goals in 63 appearances for the club, has talked up their chances of doing so, as long as the Reds can keep their key players fit.

"They must do everything perfect, to win everything", Shaqiri told Sky Sports. 

"But if one team can do it, then for sure Liverpool is one of them.

"I think it's important to go from competition to competition, because there are so many with the Carabao [EFL Cup], FA Cup, and they are still in all of these competitions.

"Everyone needs to be fit and healthy, because injuries as you know are always difficult to deal with, but Liverpool have a great team and they dealt until now with everything.

"I'm really looking forward to the end of the season, [to see] how they're going to finish, but everything is possible." 

Liverpool's recent EFL Cup triumph represented the 10th major trophy of Klopp's coaching career, and the in-form Anfield side have not lost a game in any competition since a 1-0 reverse to Leicester City on December 28th. 

Jurgen Klopp hinted he could remain at Liverpool beyond 2024 if he has the energy required. 

Speaking ahead of Wednesday's FA Cup victory over Norwich City, Klopp said he was unsure whether he would extend his contract at Anfield. The German's deal is due to expire at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season. 

The 54-year-old has won five trophies – including Premier League and Champions League titles – during his six and a half years on Merseyside, and on Friday he said it was still his intention to see out his deal. 

However, he believes it is more important that the club is positioned to continue challenging for multiple honours even if he is no longer at the club. 

Asked what would convince him to continue at the helm, Klopp replied: "If I have the energy levels for it. That is important. I love what I do but I've said a couple of times there must be something else out there in the world, to be honest, apart from always thinking about properly skilled, good-looking, fantastically nice football players. 

"But I really don't think about it. At the moment I am full of energy but we have to – I have to – make sure that is the case because I don't want to sit around and be more tired than others and think: ‘Wow, why is everyone bothered about the things out there because I couldn't care less?' 

"My future will be OK. I don't have to plan. I could book last minute – let's put it like this. It is not a problem. No, the plan is the future of the club that we are constantly working on, that everything is in place and the things we do are not for me, not for us, not for this generation, they are for a long, long time. 

"So many things we've tried to improve over the years. It's about just doing the right things, employing the right people, putting them in the right positions. It doesn't mean you win the title, it just means you have the right people for the right job, so use them – and that's what we try. 

"These people – a lot of them are here at the moment – will be good and it will be fine whenever it will be after I leave. The plan at the moment is to do 2024, thank you very much." 

Liverpool will look to close the gap to reigning champions and Premier League leaders Manchester City to three points by defeating West Ham on Saturday. City are in action against local rivals Manchester United the following day.

Jurgen Klopp hailed Takumi Minamino's performance in Liverpool's 2-1 FA Cup win over Norwich City as the winger's "best game" for the club.

Minamino scored both of Liverpool's goals before half-time to help the Reds into the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time since Klopp took over as manager in 2015.

Japan international Minamino has scored three goals in this season's FA Cup, to add to his tally of four goals in five games from Liverpool's triumphant EFL Cup campaign.

Klopp acknowledged the 27-year-old's importance to his side, telling ITV Sport: "Taki is an incredible player - a big part of it tonight was for sure the best game he had for us.

"He played a super game and was a constant threat, kept all the balls. I'm really happy for him.

"Without him we wouldn't be in the quarter-final, and we wouldn't have been in the final of the EFL Cup."

Norwich pulled a goal back through Lukas Rupp in the second half at Anfield, but could not prevent Liverpool from progressing in one of three competitions they are hoping to win in addition to the EFL Cup this season.

Veteran Reds midfielder James Milner echoed Klopp's sentiments regarding Minamino, describing him as a hugely popular character in the dressing room.

"He's a great guy," said Milner. "He's been patient. There's competition all over the field but every time he comes in he's ready and he delivers.

"He's such a nice guy you're delighted for him every time he scores.

"Every single day he's at that level. He's brilliant in training, great temperament no matter what's happening, you can rely on him.

"He keeps bagging important goals and I'm absolutely delighted for him to get those two."