Jurgen Klopp Praises Roberto Firmino, Daniel Sturridge Impact in PSG Win

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was full of praise for his team after the 3-2 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, singling out Daniel Sturridge and Roberto Firmino as the key performers. 

Both scored in the close win, but Klopp thought their impact was far more profound, per the club's official website:

"Great performance. Great performance of Daniel. The three in midfield did an outstanding job, but they only can do it when the two wingers in how we play and the No.9 are helping in all these situations to keep the formation compact. It was fantastic. I said to Daniel before the game he is [in] the best shape since I've known him, physically, and now he had to use it—and that's what he did. A super game, a super goal.

"And we then had the opportunity to bring on Bobby Firmino. There was no chance yesterday, absolutely no chance today before [training] and then this morning he came in said, 'I am fine, I can open the eye again' so it's good, it helps! It was good."

Sturridge got his first start of the season on Tuesday, as Firmino moved to the bench due to the eye injury he suffered against Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend.

The former Chelsea man opened the scoring and James Milner converted a penalty to double the lead, but the Ligue 1 champions hit back through Thomas Meunier and Kylian Mbappe. Firmino had replaced Sturridge by that point, and the Brazilian decided the match and gave the Reds the win in the final minutes.

Many praised Sturridge for his tremendous start to the match, as the 29-year-old showed no signs of rust. Sportswriter Karl Matchett thought Klopp was spot-on with how he used the duo:

The Liverpool boss also praised the fans for the atmosphere they created and explained how difficult it is to get a result against an elite side like PSG, per Goal's Neil Jones:

Les Parisiens were unable to dictate the pace of play like they often do throughout the night, and star forward Neymar in particular was kept quiet. ESPN FC's Mark Ogden thought the fact PSG play in the relatively easy Ligue 1 showed:

Klopp discussed the approach of the visitors and said he wasn't surprised by their tactics:

"No, I expected the biggest problems you can have to be honest! When I saw the lineup, it was clear they wanted to try and bring all the big ones—the front four was impressive and then a little system change with Neymar on the left wing. I'm not sure, but maybe for the first time this season, plus Di Maria in the half-space—it makes life quite uncomfortable, to be honest. It was a good idea, but we dealt with it pretty well. No, I was not surprised."

Red Star Belgrade held Napoli to a scoreless draw in the other match in Group C, handing the Reds the lead in the group in the process. Red Star are not expected to compete for a ticket to the next round but have a fearsome home reputation and could play a key role by stealing points.

Liverpool will face the Partenopei in Naples next, while PSG play host to Red Star.