Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp broke down in tears as he dedicated his squad’s first Premier League title in decades to legendary Reds Kenny Dalglish and Steve Gerrard, after Chelsea defeated Manchester City on Thursday.
"It is unbelievable. It's much more than I ever thought would be possible", the German coach and manager told Sky Sports while on the brink of crying, after his team grabbed Manchester City's crown following Pep Guardiola's side's 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge.
"Knowing how much Kenny supported us, it is for you. He has waited 30 years and it's for Stevie [Gerrard]", he went on to praise the former players, stressing his team admires them and this landmark, "great" win is a perfect motivation for them.
He referred to the lion’s share of the game as being "tense" admitting though one couldn't help genuinely getting involved:
"It was really tense for 100 minutes of the City game, I didn't really want to be involved but you are when you watch it. It's an incredible achievement by my players and it's a huge joy for me to coach them".
Referring to his ongoing, almost 5-year stint as a Liverpool coach, he said:
"I haven't waited 30 years, I have been here for four and a half years, but it is quite an achievement, especially with the three-month break because nobody knew if we could go on".
Referring to the historic moment and celebrations, he stressed that "tonight is for the fans".
"I hope you stay at home, and it's a joy to do it for you. It [the pandemic] is not over yet and we watched the game together at the hotel so we will enjoy the moment", Klopp shared.
Reds legend Kenny Dalglish, the last man to lead Liverpool to title glory, also weighed in with his message to his former club in the wake of Chelsea’s win:
"I'm very pleased for everybody connected with the football club", he said addressing his former squad and heartily lauding Klopp’s effort:
"Jurgen [Klopp] has done a fantastic job. The highlight has been the camaraderie within the team and the way everyone has helped the team. Last night's game was a huge example of that".
Manchester boss, Spanish coach Pep Guardiola congratulated Liverpool on their title but admitted his side have lacked consistency over the course of the season.
"They have played an incredible season", he said. "We are not consistent like the previous seasons – I think we arrive after four trophies in one season thinking: ‘We have time, we have time', but Liverpool won the Champions League and it gave them an incredible confidence", he shared, going on to stress that the 30 years without winning the Premier League "gave them incredible focus and they played every game like it was the last game".
"In the beginning we didn’t play in that way and when they took that advantage of course the pressure on us was bigger", Guardiola recounted after the match.
