Jurgen Klopp’s reign as Liverpool manager began with a hard-earned draw against Tottenham at White Hart Lane.
The German was overseeing his first game since replacing the sacked Brendan Rodgers – and he will have seen plenty to please him as Liverpool battled fiercely to secure a point.
Liverpool showed plenty of the pressing intensity Klopp demands but it was goalkeeper Simon Mignolet who did most to ensure the near-hysteria engendered by the new manager’s arrival was not punctured by defeat.
Mignolet saved superbly from Spurs substitute Clinton Njie and from Harry Kane in each half and was busier than opposite number Hugo Lloris.
Liverpool also had chances to win as Belgium striker Divock Origi, in for Daniel Sturridge who is injured again, struck the bar with an early header but neither side could break the deadlock.
And the manner in which Klopp went around embracing his new charges at the final whistle suggested he was well satisfied with his opening 90 minutes in charge.
Liverpool’s players will be hearing a lot from Klopp – and not just on the training ground at their Melwood headquarters.
The 48-year-old German prowled his technical area within inches of the pitch offering encouragement, especially when they came within earshot. They can expect no respite from his demands.
Klopp is well-known for his heart-on-the-sleeve style and it seems clear already that fellow countryman Emre Can is someone he believes can produce big things after a mixed Liverpool career so far.
The 21-year-old Germany international has figured at right-back and central defence more than in the midfield role he was accustomed to when he arrived from Bayer Leverkusen in a £10m deal in 2014.
So it was of significance that Can, who Klopp will have studied in the Bundesliga, was immediately played in midfield and responded with an energy and commitment that brought regular gestures of approval from his new manager.
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