JURGEN KLOPP SLAMMED Liverpool’s defending after two avoidable second-half goals saw the 2016 finalists dumped out of the EFL Cup by Leicester City last night.
Liverpool – who fielded a side showing eight changes from the 1-1 draw with Burnley – conceded twice in the second half at the King Power Stadium to go out of the competition in the third round.
Klopp’s men initially cleared a corner but then failed to deal with a return ball into the box, allowing Shinji Okazaki to seize on the scraps and angle a low shot beyond goalkeeper Danny Ward.
Leicester put the tie beyond their opponents with 12 minutes remaining, working the ball in field from a throw in before Islam Slimani unleashed a left-footed effort into the top corner.
“We played really good football in the first half, we should have decided the game early. We had big chances,” an irate Klopp told Sky Sports. “But that’s football – it’s a 90-minute game.
“It was a second ball after a corner I think, then a throw in. I’m sick of goals like this, to be honest. It’s unbelievable.
“You need to stay concentrated to the end, they scored too easy. The first goal, we don’t push up together, I can’t say it one time or a thousand times, or whatever, it’s not nice to concede these goals and today it’s again because of this.”
He went on to say that he still believes Liverpool are a ‘good football team’ despite the continuation of their winless run.
“It doesn’t feel too cool but it’s the truth that we are still a good football team,” Klopp told a news conference.
“I see it but unfortunately it doesn’t feel it at the moment because it’s a cup competition.
“We want to go to the next round. Nobody was interested in who plays the better first half. Everybody was interested in who would go through and we are not the team who’s in the next round – and for some good reasons.”
The German will hope for better fortunes when he takes his side back to the same venue in Premier League action on Saturday.
Subscribe to The42 podcasts here:
