SPO_190314-Jurgen-Klopp-(Read-Only)
Liverpool’s coach Jurgen Klopp celebrates with goalkeeper Alisson after the final whistle. Image Credit: AFP

Munich: An elated Jurgen Klopp claimed that Liverpool had put themselves back on the map of world football with their hugely convincing victory against Bayern Munich in Germany.

Liverpool confirmed there will be four English clubs in the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time since 2009 with a comfortable and clinical defeat of the German champions and Bundesliga leaders. Sadio Mane scored twice in a superb individual display while the equally impressive Virgil van Dijk also scored in Liverpool’s first European away win of the season, and arguably their finest under Klopp. The manager said victory at one of European football’s powerhouses, following on from last season’s appearance in the Champions League final, confirmed Liverpool’s place among the elite in the game.

“Scoring three goals here is massive and a big step for us, a big, big step,” the former Borussia Dortmund manager said. “We will see what we can do with it but it is a fantastic sign. We set a mark for LFC tonight that we are back on the international landscape as a football club. I am really happy about the result and the fact that we are through. I knew we had a chance but I didn’t expect it would happen, but the boys made it happen and it was really brilliant.

“This is important for where we want to get to. There are some places in world football that whatever team comes here — Manchester City, Real Madrid, Barcelona — they wouldn’t expect to win it. They know it’s a tough place to come. This club always has outstandingly strong football teams but we kept them away from our goal as well as possible. There were not too many difficult situations in and around our box and that is massive sign.

“It is not about playing free-flowing football because that is not possible against a side of this quality, you have to find different ways and we found them. That makes me really proud and happy because I think this club deserves recognition and awareness again. We are back — that’s good, we have a lot to learn but we are back. We are back. There is no doubt we are back again.”