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Jurgen Klopp has explained his surprising decision to replace Liverpool’s front row during the Champions League victory at Ajax.
Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino were replaced in the 59th minute of the 1-0 win in the Netherlands on Wednesday.
With Liverpool ahead, Klopp made use of the five substitutes rule in the competition by introducing Diogo Jota, Takumi Minamino and Xherdan Shaqiri during the final half hour.
All three had opportunities to extend the lead, and the win put the Reds second in the Group D opening table behind Italian Atalanta, who beat Midtjylland 4-0 in Denmark.
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And Klopp said: “You could see it was an intense game for the three forwards.
“It was difficult for the starting three forwards, and I was very happy that we could do that (replace them).
“I had no doubts about the quality of the guys (who entered). The game was pretty wild and we all defended together.
“We were defending 4-5-1 and both wingers had to be really involved in defense. The moment you win the ball, there are great spaces for counterattacks, and we thought it made sense to bring fresh legs.
“The three who entered are in very good shape, they all helped a lot.
“Shaq won deviations, which was very special! Taki in both directions was amazing between the lines and Diogo is a machine, he can punish opponents a lot in one-on-one situations.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t finish them off.”
Jordan Henderson had already replaced Curtis Jones at halftime, while Rhys Williams, like Jones, making his Champions League debut, entered in injury time for James Milner.
And Klopp added: “I was really happy that we could make five changes. Millie just got cramps but then you can bring Rhys and it was long passes (from Ajax) and Rhys is pretty strong in the air.
“There are some nice stories in the game. It won’t be on the cover of our history book, but it was a major win. “
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