Jurgen Klopp Happy for Liverpool to Win Ugly in Premier League Title Race

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp praised the will of his players in Sunday's 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur, saying he is happy to win "slightly ugly" if it brings his side closer to a Premier League title. 

The Reds bagged all three points thanks to a late own goal from Toby Alderweireld, but Klopp didn't care about his side's mediocre performance, as he told Sky Sports (h/t ESPN FC):

"There are 500 ways to win a football game, today was slightly ugly. That's how it is, who cares at the end. That's the situation."

He also told reporters after the game:

"It feels like we always have to apologise a little bit that because of the football last season and stuff like that, because people always want the 100 per cent package.

"We had to find a way to win football games much more often than in the past. So until now it kind of worked. It's all good.

"The boys work hard and if we would be first in the table after the last matchday it would be a championship of will, that's how it is."

Rui Vieira/Associated Press

Goals from Roberto Firmino and Lucas Moura had the teams tied at 1-1 entering the final minutes, and a draw seemed inevitable until Trent Alexander-Arnold lofted what appeared a harmless cross into the box.

Hugo Lloris pushed Mohamed Salah's weak header right into the feet of Alderweireld, who had no time to react and watched as it crossed the line, per sportswriter Jacqui Oatley:

Journalist Duncan Castles thought it was the latest example of Liverpool getting lucky, but James Pearce believed it was no coincidence the Reds found a way to win late yet again:

The victory moved Liverpool back into the lead in the tight Premier League race, but second-placed Manchester City still have a match in hand:

The Citizens are on a lengthy win streak―they haven't lost in any competition since January―and appear to have the edge in momentum, but the Reds have still lost just a single Premier League contest all season and keep finding ways to get results.

The two teams will not meet again, so there won't be an opportunity to decide the title race in a head-to-head contest.

Instead, the race could come down to key factors like depth, and Klopp provided an update on star defender Virgil van Dijk after the win over Spurs.

The Dutchman picked up a knock, and it remains to be seen how serious the issue is: "We have to see. I asked him, and I think it was in the counter-attack situation when (Moussa) Sissoko hit him. ... I don't know if he twisted it or it is a knock. He was walking to the interviews with a big ice pack. I hope it's nothing serious, but I don't know yet."

Van Dijk is among the front-runners to win the Player of the Year award as the Premier League's most consistent defender, and with contests against Chelsea and FC Porto in the Champions League on the horizon, he will be sorely needed.