The Merseysiders gave another underwhelming performance (Pictures: Getty)
Jurgen Klopp has criticised Liverpool’s defending for Leeds United’s late winner in Saturday evening’s 2-1 defeat but feels his side are still being hampered by injuries and has backed them to recover.
A calamitous back pass from Joe Gomez left Alisson stranded and gifted Rodrigo a tap-in into an unguarded net after just four minutes at Anfield, though Mohamed Salah quickly levelled the scores.
Liverpool improved in the second half and Illan Meslier produced a string of fine saves in a Man-of-the-Match display before youngster Crysencio Summerville snatched all three points for the visitors in the 89th minute.
The result ends Liverpool’s long unbeaten run at Anfield – which went back five years if games behind closed doors are discounted – and marks the first time in over a decade that they have lost back-to-back matches against teams in the relegation zone, having also lost to Nottingham Forest last week.
With his side now closer to the relegation zone than the top four, Klopp says Liverpool are still searching to re-find their usual confidence and control in matches but insists he will keep fighting to change their fortunes.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, the German coach said: ‘A setback, absolutely. I thought we had a really good start then conceded a freakish goal.
‘We scored the equaliser but for some reason it didn’t give us the security back for whatever reason. We struggled to control the game – which is difficult against a side with their pace up front – and gave too many balls away.
This is Liverpool’s worst start to a season under Klopp (Picture: Getty)
‘The boys tried, we had good possession and had big chances but, in the end, if it is 1-1 and you defend the situation around the second goal like this, then you leave everything open.
‘In the end, it was two versus one in the box and they can finish off the situation. The problem is we cannot control this kind of game at the moment and that is obviously a problem.’
He continued: ‘A team performance is always made up of individual performances. One leads to the other.
‘You can watch this game completely, you cannot defend like we did for the second goal but we did, that’s why we lost. Otherwise, it would have been a point and we go from there. Now we have nothing and it feels completely different.
‘We have to bring our quality on to the pitch and we fight against it. We had problems from the first day, injury wise. Players have had to play from the first day. It’s our situation and it means we have to help ourselves, and that is what we will do.’
Bringing up the vast number of injuries Liverpool have had to contend with, Klopp added: ‘Maybe some players are overplayed, Harvey [Elliott] has been exceptional for us this season. He had a good start but couldn’t keep it going.
‘Thiago has been ill, up front the same [players] play all the time – they are the three strikers we have left. We have to fight and that is what we must do.’
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‘You cannot defend like we did for the second goal but we did, that’s why we lost.’