Jurgen Klopp concedes Liverpool’s title defence

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp conceded the Premier League title following his side’s 3-1 defeat to Leicester on Saturday.

Klopp said: “I don’t think we can close the gap. We are not worrying about the title, we are not silly.”

Liverpool’s capitulation marks their fifth loss in seven games and sees them fall 13 points behind leaders Manchester City.

The Reds took the lead through Mo Salah after 67 minutes, only for a collection of errors to cost Liverpool the match.

James Maddison equalised for the hosts from a free-kick with 12 minutes remaining, capitalising on a clumsy challenge from Spanish midfielder Thiago.

The Foxes, resurgent after breaking their duck, took the lead three minutes later following a significant error from the Reds’ goalkeeper Alisson. The Brazilian shot-stopper failed to clear the ball after sweeping on the edge of the box, gifting Jamie Vardy an open-goal opportunity with nine minutes remaining.

Leicester completed their turnaround in the 85^th minute, with England hopeful Harvey Barnes making the most of acres of space on the left flank.

This is the first time his team has lost three fixtures in-a-row since November 2014

“We have to win football games and big parts of the football were really good,” said Klopp. This is the first time his team has lost three fixtures in-a-row since November 2014.

“We scored a great goal but conceded a strange one and I think it’s offside, and the [goal for] 2-1 is a misunderstanding. That had too big an impact on the game. We had to show a different reaction, and the third we gave away too easily.

“We have to avoid mistakes and misunderstandings. Today we didn’t do that. The rest of the game was really good. First we have to perform again – results are massively related to the performance.”

Liverpool return to action this evening (16 February) with the away leg of their Champions League tie against RB Leipzig. Due to coronavirus legislation in Germany, the match is instead being held in Budapest, Hungary.

Klopp’s side face Merseyside rivals, Everton, on Saturday 20 February and will be aiming to snap their three-match winless run in the top-flight.