Jurgen Klopp joked that Liverpool fans had already stopped listening to him after his side beat Norwich City 5-2 in the FA Cup.
It was an emotional afternoon at Anfield with fans serenading Klopp throughout – some 48 hours after his shock announcement that he would be leaving at the end of the season.
The German coach had previously urged fans to sing about the players and not about him during games.
“It’s not always easy, but it’s my job to pull myself together,” he said.
“I received all the messages people sent, I'm not made of wood.
“I said not long ago, don’t sing that song during the game. People have obviously stopped listening to me already! That's good!
“It’s the first game after (the announcement). I'm not here to tell people what to do.
“It's just that we play again on Wednesday. If we could ignore the fact that the manager is leaving at the end of the season for 95 minutes and do everything we can to make Chelsea as uncomfortable as possible, that would be great. I know people know that.”
Klopp was delighted with the performance of the young team, with young talents James McConnell and Conor Bradley in the leading roles.
“It was a wonderful afternoon in every way,” he added.
“Top performance from everyone involved. The children came and were involved in four of the five goals. Nothing to complain about.
“The academy is in a good moment in terms of production. It’s not about me giving them opportunities, it’s about them knocking on the door.”
There was the welcome sight of Andy Robertson, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dominik Szoboszlai all making their comebacks from injury.
Alexis Mac Allister has been rested with a minor muscle problem but Klopp expects he will be fit to face Chelsea in Wednesday's Premier League clash at Anfield.
“Trent and Dom weren’t out too long, but Robbo was out really long,” he said.
“Every minute they were able to get now is really important and that helped share the intensity again today.
“We play the next FA Cup game in four weeks, so until then we’re just playing Premier League games and a final. Let's do this and make sure we're ready.
“The boys are back and that’s great, but to be honest we played pretty well without them. We have to make sure we are the team that Chelsea don’t want to play against and that Arsenal don’t want to play against.”
(Playmaker/MB Media/Getty Images)