Jurgen Klopp has rained down upon his Liverpool team after squandering a two-goal lead to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.
Speaking to the media after the game, Jurgen Klopp reacted to Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday. The German tactician seemed disgruntled with his team’s performance, pointing out how they lost the grip on the proceedings while criticising their body language.
Coming on the back of an inspiring winning streak, Liverpool had started the game really well, netting the opener inside the fourth minute through Jordan Henderson. The Reds didn’t take long to double their advantage either, as Sadio Mane headed home from a fine Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain cross in the 24th minute.
Liverpool’s two-goal comfort led many to believe that it was going to be another rout for the free-scoring Merseysiders. But late in the first half, Enock Mwupu grabbed one back for the visitors, giving them the confidence to stage a potential comeback after the restart.
Reacting to the draw, Klopp said (h/t Sky Sports): “It looked like bit by bit by bit we lost another player, body-language wise. Then all of a sudden it wasn’t there any more. In the first half, we were playing incredible passes between the lines, which was exactly what we needed, but in the second half I can’t remember a lot.”
Liverpool were indeed toothless in the second half. Brighton were largely the better team as they pushed forward in search of the equaliser. Their pressure bore fruit when Leandro Trossard finished off a well-worked team move to level the scoreline in the 65th minute.
“We lost momentum, that was obvious, but if you only play wide you cannot make a real difference given how they defend. We had to attack through the centre, and we didn’t,” Klopp told Sky Sports after the game. They are definitely underestimated, not from us but in general. They have incredible technical players.
“When they play wide, the next pass maybe goes in the centre, and the first touch is incredible. You watch it like, ‘Wow!’. The second goal they scored was a well-played goal, but we could have defended it better. They deserved the point, and that’s it,” the German added.
Liverpool’s disappointing draw saw them lose some valuable ground to table-toppers Chelsea, who secured a comfortable 3-0 victory over Newcastle United on the same day. The Reds will now shift their attention back to the UEFA Champions League as they take on Atletico Madrid once again next week, this time at Anfield.
