Klopp happy to win 'dirty' as Jota returns to haunt Wolves

Jurgen Klopp said he had no problem with winning 'three dirty points' as Diogo Jota returned to haunt Wolves with the only goal in a 1-0 win at Molineux on Monday.

A wretched run of six successive home league defeats has left Liverpool with an uphill task to qualify for the Champions League next season.

But Klopp’s men have now won six of their last seven games away from Anfield.

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Victory moved the English champions back up to sixth and within five points of fourth-placed Chelsea.

“It’s all about the result,” said Klopp. “It was a big fight. We won three dirty points, I am completely fine with that. We need that to get back on track.”

Klopp named the same side that bounced back to form with a 2-0 win over RB Leipzig last midweek to reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League.

However, the visitors should have been punished for a slow start as goalkeeper Alisson Becker somehow escaped without conceding a penalty when he crashed into Nelson Semedo after just two minutes.

Sadio Mane missed two big chances at the other end to open the scoring for the visitors, but the Senegalese did have a part to play in the only goal of the game in first-half stoppage time as he exchanged passes with Mohamed Salah before teeing up Jota for a low shot that should have been kept out by Patricio low to his right.

Liverpool’s lack of fluency compared to the side that romped to the title last season was even more clear after the break as they were happy to sit on their lead and would have been punished by a more clinical opponent.

Despite a nervy finale, Liverpool held out to take advantage of a weekend in which a host of the other contenders for the top four all faltered.