Jonathan David sends message to Liverpool after Lille defeat amid January transfer claims
The latest Liverpool transfer news as the Lille striker was on the scoresheet in the 2-1 Champions League win on Tuesday night.
Lille striker Jonathan David has reflected on the challenge that Liverpool presented to his team in Tuesday night’s Champions League clash. The Reds came out as 2-1 winners to book their place in the knockout stages of the competition with one game left to play.
Mohamed Salah opened the scoring in the 34th minute, and the task seemed like it would get easier for Arne Slot’s men when Aissa Mandi was shown a red card in the second half. However, just three minutes later David was on the scoresheet to draw the French side level.
It didn’t take Liverpool long to regain the lead with Harvey Elliott scoring what turned out to be the winning goal in the 67th minute. The result leaves Liverpool at the top of the league table, having won all seven of their games.
Speaking after the game, David outlined the difficulty of the task that Liverpool posed for Lille. “We were up against a very strong Liverpool,” he said, via le11.
“Given the context of the match, it was difficult. We defended a lot, suffered a lot.
Afterwards, we managed to equalise with ten against eleven, but there was still a lot of time and it's difficult against a team that had control of the ball.
“Have regrets? I don't know. We gave it our all, it was difficult. We wanted more, but it didn't happen today."
Salah’s opening goal came after David gave the ball away in the first half, it was a moment he also spoke about. “My loss of the ball on the opening goal? You never want that to happen,” he said.
“They pressed well, won the ball back and went forward quickly. That’s football. Afterwards, you have to bounce back and move on.”
Speaking in a second interview, the forward added on Liverpool: "Very good team. I think they might be the best team in the world at the moment.”
David’s appearance against Liverpool comes amid much speculation over his future. He is out of contract in the summer, meaning he is available on a free transfer.
Liverpool have previously been mentioned with an interest. But they are likely to face competition from the likes of Manchester United and Newcastle United who have both been credited with an interest.