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regular-article-logo Sunday, 13 October 2024

Loss a ‘punch in the face’ for Reds

The Reds failed to score in the last four games and have fallen six points behind Manchester

Agencies Liverpool Published 23.01.21, 03:14 AM
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp

Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp The Telegraph file picture

Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said his team’s shock 0-1 defeat at home to Burnley on Thursday was a “massive punch in the face” and took responsibility for the champions’ dramatic slump in form.

The Reds have not won in five Premier League matches, have failed to score in the last four games and have fallen six points behind leaders Manchester United.

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“Everything, all the English words, massive, massive punch in the face or whatever… it’s my responsibility, that’s the easy explanation,” Klopp said after Ashley Barnes’ second-half penalty ended his team’s 68-match unbeaten league home record.

It was Liverpool’s first home Premier League defeat since April 23, 2017, when their former striker Christian Benteke got both goals in a 2-1 win for Crystal Palace. The two losses came 1369 days apart.

Liverpool’s run was the second-longest unbeaten run at home in English top-flight history. Only Chelsea’s run of 86 league games unbeaten at Stamford Bridge, which ran to October 2008, was longer.

Klopp refused to discuss the result’s impact on his fourth place team’s title chances.

“How silly would that be if I sit here now, losing against Burnley, didn’t score for the last three or four games — I don’t know exactly — and now I talk about the title race? How silly would that be?

“It’s just we have to win football games — it was always like this. For this we have to score goals, there is no doubt about it. That’s what we have to change and have to do better,” he said.

Barnes’ 100th

Striker Barnes said he had expected to net his 100th senior goal earlier in his career but the 31-year-old was delighted the special moment came on Thursday.

“It’s a special one. To get my 100th goal at a place like this is special,” Barnes said.

“It should have been here a long time ago. I’m disappointed not to have got it sooner but as a striker you’ve always got to be confident in front of goal.”

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