EPL: It was a battle of will, says Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp lauded his sides desire to cede no ground in the title race by beating relegation threatened Cardiff 20 on Sunday to return to the top of the Premier LeagueGeorginio Wijnaldums opener just before the hour and James Milners penalty secured a ninth consecutive win in all competitions for Klopps men and moved them two points ahead of Manchester City who have a game in hand at the top of the table Its really massive We spoke a lot about this game how special it is how special the situation is for the opponent said Klopp who bemoaned the dry state of Cardiffs pitch under baking temperatures It was not a game for playing around It was a battle of will who wants it moreCity travel to Manchester United on Wednesday in what appears the toughest hurdle left for the English champions to clear and deny Liverpool a first Premier League title in 29 yearsThe Reds remain poised to pounce if Pep Guardiolas side fail to pick up maximum points in their remaining four games However unlike when Liverpool visited Old Trafford in a 00 draw early in Ole Gunnar Solskjaers caretaker reign in charge City look to be catching United at the right time as the Red Devils were thrashed 40 by Everton on Sunday Man Utd was in a much better moment when we played them added Klopp But even if United gets a point or something we still have to play games after that We just have to stay focused on our thingsWhile Liverpool were cruising into a second successive Champions League semifinal in midweek Cardiff gave their chances of survival a huge boost with a 20 win at Brighton to close within three points of safety If Neil Warnocks men are to defy the odds to stay up it is upcoming games against already relegated Fulham and Crystal Palace they will need to win but they did not make life easy for Liverpool There is not a weakness in them said WarnockLiverpool boss Jurgen KloppThey are miles ahead of anybody these two teams Liverpool and City Im just glad we dont have to play either of them again The visitors should have taken the lead midway through the firsthalf when their front three clicked together for the first time as Mohamed Salah fed Sadio Mane and the Senegaleses pass put Roberto Firmino clean through on goal However the Brazilian blazed over with just Neil Etheridge to beat Salah has found his form in front of goal at the right time for Liverpools bid for a Premier League and Champions League double However after scoring in three of his past four games Salah could not keep that streak going as he fired too close to Etheridge when played in by Jordan Henderson There was little reason for Liverpool to panic at halftime as their previous four Premier League games had also been won with secondhalf goals and so it proved once moreTrent AlexanderArnold bagged his 10th assist of the season as the England internationals corner was pulled back for Wijnaldum to lash into the net first time in a routine Klopp revealed was crafted by the players at halftime A corner at the other end should have brought Cardiff level when Sean Morrison seemed to have the simple task of nodding into an empty net as Alisson got caught underneath a corner but he mistimed his header and the ball instead bounced to safety off his back And Morrison was the Cardiff villain once when he was adjudged to have brought down Salah inside the area even if the Egyptians fall to the floor was theatrical The last bit was a great 99 dive wasnt it argued Warnock Milner did not care as he confidently dispatched the spotkick to keep the pressure up on CityCardiff boss Warnock slams Salah for divingMohamed Salah could not have got much higher off the diving board according to Cardiff manager Neil Warnock after the Egyptian won a penalty in Liverpools 20 win in the Welsh capital on Sunday Salah was grappled inside the area by Cardiff captain Sean Morrison but the theatric nature of his fall saw Warnock compare last seasons Premier League player of the year to British Olympic bronze medallist diver Tom DaleyWe gave him an opportunity didnt we Hes got his arms around him said Warnock I think the end of it was a 99 Tom Daley job I dont think he could have got much higher off the diving board at the end of it James Milner converted the spotkick nine minutes from time to seal Liverpools victory that took them back top of the Premier League Salah has also been criticised for going to ground easily in attempts to win penalties against Newcastle and Chelsea earlier this season However Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp defended his player I think there is no doubt about it If the defender uses the hand four or five times it is a penaltyCatch up on all the latest sports news and updates here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates