Jurgen Klopp has explained why Alexis MacAllister was replaced at halftime in Liverpool’s win over Wolves.
The Reds won 3-1 at Molineux to keep their unbeaten start to the 2023-24 Premier League season going. Despite this, they had to come back from a goal down after a lackluster first half performance.
Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez were dropped to the bench by Klopp following their international successes with Colombia and Uruguay, respectively. Despite playing twice for Argentina during the break, fellow South American Mac Allister preserved his starting spot.
The summer transfer from Brighton for £35 million was booked inside five minutes and threw the ball away multiple times in the first 45 minutes. As a result, at the intermission, he was replaced by Diaz. That shift helped Liverpool turn the course of the game, with Cody Gakpo, Andy Robertson, and a Hugo Bueno own goal guaranteeing a fourth victory in five games this season.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp explained why Mac Allister was sent off in his post-match news conference: “He was done – yellow card and he was exhausted in the first half already.” We all know how good Alexis is, especially in the first half. We saw him with the oxygen mask earlier in the week, I’m not sure where, but I thought a few of times that they should have put it there a little longer. It was simply difficult.
“Come on, that’s the end of the day and a yellow card.” In a game like this, it’s very likely that you’ll arrive at a challenge a little late and only get a second yellow. He had some bright moments and some bad moments in the first half. “I don’t think he was disappointed when we took him off; I think it was more of a relief.”