Football news - Jurgen Klopp: Liverpool's defeat to Burnley 'a massive punch in the face'

ByAlexander Netherton

Updated 22/01/2021 at 07:39 GMT

After watching his side lose 1-0 to Burnley in the Premier League, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp described the result as "a massive punch in the face" and declared that his team were no longer in the title race. They are now in fourth and six points off current league leaders Manchester United.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp could not hide the disappointment after his side’s 1-0 defeat to Burnley at Anfield on Thursday night.

Burnley claimed a shock victory courtesy of an 83rd-minute penalty from Ashley Barnes, and the champions put on yet another lacklustre display.

Klopp’s frustration threatened to boil over as he squared up to Sean Dyche, but after the match he described the encounter as something that, “I didn’t start it but it’s not nothing.”

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However his focus was on three dropped points.

Speaking to Match of the Day, he said: "Everything, all the English words, massive, massive punch in the face or whatever, it's my responsibility, that's the easy explanation. We had the ball a lot, created some and didn't finish the situations off. That keeps the game open and then they get the penalty - Alisson told me he didn't touch him, but I didn't see it back.

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"It's wrong decisions at the moment, three crosses in the box, we tried to find a player, didn't, it's my job to make sure the boys are in the right position, that they feel right.

"It's a tough one, not easy to explain, These boys are not the kind of person after a 7-0 to think we'll go like this, they worked tonight hard and it didn't happen, if something doesn't work you have to try harder, more often, longer. It was not easy to lose that game and we did it.

"It's not about blaming, we have to sort it together and we will. In football you don't have a lot of time. We tried a lot, in some moments the right things and some not. That's the problem. You have to break the wall down by trying, in the right mood. We had chances.”

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The result leaves Liverpool in fourth, six points off Manchester United at the top of the Premier League, and the German admitted they were out of the chase for the title.

"We can't imagine the title race at the moment,” he said.

Unsurprisingly, Sean Dyche was elated in the aftermath of the win.

He told the BBC: "Performance, we had to work very hard, as you do in these places, be diligent and do your jobs - shape was good, energy was good.

"We had a golden chance, kept searching, but you have to deal with the basics and we did that very well.

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"We were close last year, you get a feel of a performance and I said 'you are used to playing against these players, working without the ball, there's always a chance and you have to take it'. Barnesy sticks it in there, gets a toe, it's a penalty and he sticks it away very well.

"The physicality of the game I am confused about, I don't know what's a foul anymore. One with James Tarkowski in the corner, it's impossible it's not a foul, yet they get a free-kick 30 seconds later to (potentially) score a goal.

"The game isn't about that - it is about my players getting a result at Anfield. It means nothing if you don't get the result at the end of the season - the players are enjoying the moment, as they should do!"

He played down his confrontation with Klopp, saying: "It was nothing out of the ordinary - just two managers fighting to win a game."

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