Jurgen Klopp not happy with ‘sloppy’ Liverpool defence in win vs Crystal Palace

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Jurgen Klopp wasn’t thrilled with a ‘sloppy’ Liverpool defence vs Crystal Palace. The Reds did hang on for a 3-1 win, however.

Liverpool put in a fantastic first 35 minutes at Selhurst Park on Sunday afternoon. They controlled the pitch, pressed perfectly, moved the ball extremely well and didn’t give Crystal Palace an inch. 11 shots to zero – what more can you want?

Things slipped out of their grasp after that spell, however. Liverpool started suffering under Palace’s own press, leading to misplaced passes and pressure that was non-existent in the opening exchanges.

That pressure led to a goal after half-time as Palace sliced open Liverpool’s backline, creating a 2-on-1 that they easily converted. It could have been more, too, if not for a very impressive performance by Alisson Becker in goal.

Fortunately, Liverpool pushed on for a 3-1 win – although, their third from the penalty spot was certainly controversial. It meant that Jurgen Klopp was able to smile as he held his post-match interview but he wasn’t completely happy with what he saw.

Jurgen Klopp on Liverpool vs Crystal Palace

“We became sloppy in the last line,” he said, per Liverpoolfc.com. “The chances we gave them in the first half were pretty much produced by us, the wrong pass, bah, bah, bah.

“Then, second half, we were not compact, the first line pressed too high. The distance was not right, so they just played the long balls in behind; I don’t know why there were never offside, our fault of course.

“So, all of a sudden the game opened up and then you have to fight back, that’s what the boys did.”

If Liverpool had let this one slip, we imagine Klopp would have been pretty furious in that interview. As it turned out, he was able to criticise his side with a smile.

But that definitely wasn’t a solid display at the back. Yes, Liverpool’s press faltered but the ease in which Palace could get in behind was a worry – the defensive line just wasn’t strong enough. On top of that, there were defensive errors.

Joel Matip put Palace through on goal at one point in the first half, misplacing a pass to Virgil van Dijk that created trouble. ‘Sloppy’ is the word.

Liverpool did get away with it, though, and that’s all that matters right now. If they want to keep the pressure on Manchester City, however, they can’t afford to ride their luck like this.