Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was left fuming after his side’s lackluster performance in their 4-1 defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. The German manager, known for his passionate approach, described his team’s display as “unacceptable”, and admitted he was relieved that the scoreline wasn’t even more embarrassing.
Liverpool had taken the lead in the first half through a well-taken goal from Mohamed Salah, but their advantage was short-lived, as City responded quickly through Julian Alvarez just 10 minutes later. The second half saw the hosts take control of the game, with goals from Kevin de Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and Jack Grealish securing a comprehensive victory.
Despite the defeat, Liverpool remains on 42 points, and will be hoping that Brighton and Brentford, who play later in the day, don’t overtake them in the Premier League table.
Klopp was particularly angry with the way his side conceded the two goals early in the second half, which he felt broke down their momentum and ultimately cost them the game.
Speaking to Match of the Day after the match, Klopp said: “The first half was one we’ve seen a few times when we’ve played here. City always have more possession, but we had spells. We played calm, composed and caused them problems.”
“Scored a wonderful goal, had another big moment but concede. It was unlucky how the ball went through Robertson’s legs and they finish it off but coming out after half time and conceding two quick goals broke everything down.”
“The goals, how we conceded is difficult to accept – we didn’t put in a challenge for either. That’s absolutely not acceptable to be honest.”
Klopp’s frustration was palpable, and he made it clear that he would be holding his players accountable for their poor performance. While he didn’t name names, it was clear that he felt many of his players had let the team down, and would need to step up if Liverpool was to turn their season around.
