The reigning English champions opened their UEFA Champions League campaign with victory and they did it the hard way, without goalkeeper Alisson Becker and defenders Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk.
Klopp deployed Fabinho alongside Joe Gomez in the heart of defence against the Dutch champions and they kept a clean sheet, with Nicolas Tagliafico’s 35th minute own goal deciding the contest.
The midfielder-cum-defender also produced a heroic goalline clearance to deny Dusan Tadic before half-time.
“This combination with Joey and Fabinho, I don’t think they played together before if I’m 100 per cent right,” Liverpool boss Klopp said.
“Maybe once but I don’t really know. So they need to get used to each other, they need to get used to the verbal demands in that position, what you have to say there to help the midfielders and all these kind of things.
“It was a really good performance but there’s a lot to improve, how high or how low is the last line in which moment, in protection situations, in the pressing. ‘How do we react there?’ But it’s no problem. For tonight it was absolutely good and now we carry on.”
Elsewhere in the Champions League on Wednesday, Manchester City came from behind, with two second-half goals to win 3-1 over FC Porto.
Shakhtar Donetsk stunned Real Madrid in the Spanish capital, racing to a three-goal half-time lead, before winning 3-2 although the hosts were denied a late equaliser by the video assistant referee.
European champions Bayern Munich flexed their muscle by thrashing Atletico Madrid 4-0 while Romelu Lukaku scored a late equaliser to earn Inter Milan a 2-2 draw with Borussia Moenchengladbach.