'I wanted Tiger Woods to win' - Robertson admits Liverpool watched golf over Man City

Andy Robertson revealed he had not watched the conclusion of Manchester City’s game at Crystal Palace, which finished shortly before Liverpool took to the field against Chelsea, because he was watching Tiger Woods at the Masters instead.

Man City temporarily nosed in front in the Premier League title race thanks to a 3-1 victory courtesy of a Raheem Sterling brace and Gabriel Jesus insurance tally late on after Palace had cut the goal deficit to one.

Following the match, Pep Guardiola admitted he might not watch Liverpool's match against Chelsea because of his own interest in seeing the battle between Tiger Woods and Francesco Molinari at the Masters.

Woods' victory, his 15th at a major tournament and fifth at the Masters, captivated many in the footballing world and Robertson admits he and team-mate James Milner were among them, watching the action prior to their own match instead of seeing how City were faring. 

“I didn't even know they [Man City] had scored a third," Robertson said. "I was watching the golf to be honest!

“I wanted Tiger [Woods] to win it, so we had the golf on. I was watching it with James Milner in the treatment room.

“I'm sure some of the lads were aware of the City score but it wasn't something we spoke about. We didn't know the City result beforehand but because we hadn't heard anything we just guessed they had won.”

The Reds would go on to a 2-0 victory themselves behind goals from Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, with the latter being a stunning effort which Robertson believed sent a message to those who had targeted the Egyptian over his Islamic faith. 

The win over Chelsea means that with just four games to play, Liverpool remain in top spot. City, of course, still boast a game in hand, but Robertson says the idea that Liverpool will feel the pressure of the title race can be dismissed.

“I think we're all enjoying it,” he said. “You saw that with our performance against Chelsea. The fans enjoyed it, we enjoyed it. It's easier when you are in front in a game.

“This is the first time a lot of us have found ourselves in a position like this and you have to enjoy experiences like this. Hopefully we'll be celebrating come the end. But we know there's a lot of hard work still to be done.

“It's a massive three points for us but we've still got four games to go. We need to put this one behind us now and push on. Every game is so big at this stage of the season. Every team is fighting for something and there's a lot more pressure on you.

“It was big against Chelsea because they have so much quality but Cardiff will be equally as difficult next weekend. It will be a different type of game but the three points are just as vital.”

Liverpool travel to Portugal on Tuesday afternoon ahead of their Champions League quarter-final second leg with FC Porto. The Reds will train at Melwood on Tuesday morning, with Jordan Henderson expected to be fit despite suffering an ankle knock against Chelsea.

Robertson, too, will return to the squad after missing the first leg due to suspension. Liverpool will take a 2-0 advantage to Estadio do Dragao.