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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Paul Gorst

What Jurgen Klopp said last week is easy to hear after eight famous days for Liverpool

Whatever happens between now and the end of the season, Liverpool fans might just recall the eight days between April 16 and 24 as some of their best ever.

It all started, of course, at Wembley, in a showdown with their biggest on-field rivals of 2022 in Manchester City. Having just come off the most breathless and high-quality of 2-2 draws a week earlier at the Etihad, the pair renewed hostilities at the national stadium for a place in the FA Cup final.

A roaring first-half from Jurgen Klopp's side did the damage to a shell-shocked and exhausting-looking City as a 3-0 lead was established. That blistering opening was enough to see them through, despite goals at each end of the second half from Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva.

It sets up another domestic cup final meeting with Chelsea on May 14, but while that would represent the major event of most teams' seasons, for the Reds, it currently sits as something of an appealing subplot to the twin pursuits of both the Champions League and Premier League.

If Pep Guardiola's City represent the new-age enemy for Klopp's Liverpool, it was the return of the Premier League last week that resulted in a couple of memorable triumphs over historic ones at Anfield.

First, a performance that will live long in the memory against Manchester United. An inspired Thiago Alcantara shone in midfield as Sadio Mane, Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah ran riot against a club who are looking increasingly beleaguered by the day it seems right now.

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And finally, to top off a three-game run that they will surely talk about for years, particularly if silverware follows, Sunday's 240th Merseyside derby with Everton.

Perversely, this was surely the most hard-fought of all three victories across those eight days as Frank Lampard's men dug in, showed a character they have rarely been in possession of away from home this season and used every trick in the book to frustrate their vaunted neighbours. For an hour, it worked.

Eventually, though, the pressure told as a double sub from Klopp that involved the arrivals of Diaz and Divock Origi had the desired impact within two minutes.

It took the Reds back to within a point of leaders City in this battle of the monoliths at the top of the Premier League and keeps Klopp and co in the hunt of quadruple history.

"It's going to be very interesting," says Trent Alexander-Arnold. "We've still got a lot to play for and we've still got a hand in every trophy that is available, so it's about making sure that we keep pushing on all fronts.

"We've certainly got the squad to be able to do it. We just need to make sure we win as many games as we can and hopefully we'll get our hands on a few more pieces of silverware."

Speaking on Friday in his pre-match press conference ahead of the derby, Klopp was at pains to point out that these kinds of results and performances should be cherished and celebrated whenever they arrive, regardless of whether or not they eventually lead to tangible silverware for Liverpool.

"I enjoy the journey a lot and if you do that, you have more good days than bad days," said the Reds boss, adding: "There might be a day when we don't win, I don't know. But all the other days leading to that day were really good and if you don't appreciate them then you're making a mistake because your life will be less enjoyable."

It was a pointed message to everyone connected with the football club. Whatever is to happen in the pursuit of the Premier League, FA Cup or Champions League from here on in, if days and weeks like this - when Liverpool put all of their biggest rivals to the sword - cannot be treasured properly, then there can be little else worth following this sport for.

And for those looking for positive omens, the last time Liverpool beat Everton and Manchester United both home and away in a Premier League season was in the 2000/2001 campaign - when the Reds did a treble. Now they are aiming to go one better over 20 years later.

"I think we're a good enough side to be able to [win a couple more trophies]," Alexander-Arnold adds, in the club's match-day programme. "I think barring the Premier League, there's no reason why we can't go and win the other two.

"In terms of the Premier League, we just have to hope that a team will take some points off Manchester City while making sure we win all our games so we're in a position to take advantage if that happens. All we can do is win as many games as we can."

For now, that is all Liverpool can continue to do, as Alexander-Arnold says, and as the last eight days have shown, they are doing quite the job of that.

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