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Jurgen Klopp insisted he “couldn’t be more proud” of his Liverpool squad after they secured a perfect Champions League group-stage record with victory at Milan.
Despite their progression to the knockout stages as group winners already secured, the Reds put in a dominant performance to claim a 2-1 success in San Siro.
And the manner of the performance from a team showing eight changes left Klopp delighted at full-time.
He told BT Sport: “[It’s] really difficult in the hectic schedule. We have to be always on fire for the next game and, what the boys did tonight, I couldn’t be more proud.
“It was an incredible game, I’m so happy about so many things I saw tonight and, of course, in the end that we won the game is great as well.
“But the performance was absolutely outstanding; playing this game tonight, having 21 shots, not 21 on target but 21 times we finished a situation off.
“[There were] so many situations where we played outstandingly well and defended with passion and good organisation. So many good things I saw tonight, really happy.”
Klopp went on to pay tribute to the three players who retained their starting places from the weekend win over Wolves: Alisson, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
The German was most pleased with the desire that trio showed while being involved in a game that, in truth, had little riding on it for the visitors.
He added: “I have to say, we changed it eight times but Ali is a goalie and that he could play and wanted to play so desperately speaks for him.
“The same for Sadio and Mo, the game they played tonight was absolutely outstanding.
“The quality they have and the physicality they bring in a game like this, how much they help defensively, is absolutely outstanding.
“Mo obviously scores the first, Sadio sets up the second, that speaks really for the boys.
“So, because it’s a mix of fresh legs and quality as well, it was a really good mix tonight.”
The Liverpool boss also hailed teenage midfielder Tyler Morton, who put in another impressive performance on just his second Champions League start.
Klopp continued: “I don’t want to make his night more complicated than it is already with playing at such a young age for a club like Liverpool, playing a game like this with a performance like this.
“I think we should all calm down, but it was really good tonight!
“It was a big pleasure to watch the boy playing and the football knowledge, football brain he showed tonight was absolutely exceptional.
“If you are technically on that level – and he is, obviously – and you have then such good orientation, sometimes you have enough time to do good stuff and that is what he did tonight.
“On top of that, he defended incredibly well together with the other boys.”
