Jürgen Klopp bemoaned how Liverpool capitulated to a 3-1 defeat at Leicester after falling behind to a dreadfully soft goal as he admitted that his club’s title defence was over.
The manager was unhappy at Leicester’s equaliser, claiming there was an offside in the penalty area before James Maddison’s free-kick went all the way through and in, although VAR disagreed, yet he was more alarmed at how his team fell apart after Jamie Vardy had made it 2-1.
The goal came after a collision between the Liverpool goalkeeper, Alisson, and the debutant centre-half, Ozan Kabak. Harvey Barnes would make it 3-1 on 85 minutes, with Leicester’s goals coming inside a seven-minute burst, and it meant that Liverpool had lost three Premier League games in a row for the first time since November 2014.
Klopp said: “We dominated Leicester, we scored a great goal but then conceded a strange one, which I think is offside. The 2-1 is a mistake but it had too big an impact. There was still time to go. We have to show a different reaction. When we conceded the second, in that manner, it was a knock and I didn’t like the reaction after that.
“We all know Ozan is a really good player but he’s not used to all the things that we do and when you play with Alisson, you know he is offensive-minded and comes out of his goal. It was a misunderstanding. It can happen. The first goal gave Leicester a mood-lift. They get a present and then we make another present and then the third one, which we gave away too easily. That’s what I don’t like.”
Klopp was asked whether he had conceded the title. “Yes,” he replied. “I cannot believe, but yes. I don’t think we can close the gap.”
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