Juergen Klopp hails marvellous Simon Mignolet as Liverpool close on Champions League

Juergen Klopp singled out much-derided Simon Mignolet for special praise after the goalkeeper stood firm in the face of a West Bromwich Albion barrage to help grind out a priceless 1-0 away win.

Klopp was relieved to see his Liverpool side hold on despite their failure to add a second goal to Roberto Firmino’s first-half header at The Hawthorns on Sunday.

Victory took the Reds back into third place in the Premier League, two points clear of fourth-placed Manchester City, as the scramble for places in next season’s Champions League hots up.

They were grateful for a smart save by the Belgian Mignolet from Matt Phillips late on, as well as some poor West Brom finishing, and Liverpool boss Klopp challenged his players to maintain their steely focus.

“It is one of the most difficult places to go because you can’t feel comfortable in one moment of the game,” said Klopp.

“Somebody asked which scoreline would have kept me a little calmer in the last few minutes, and I said: ‘Only 4-0 after 86 minutes’.