Jurgen Klopp has pleaded with supporters to put an end to pitch invasions after witnessing a recent surge in individuals gaining unauthorised access to the field of play.
There have already been a number of incidents of this kind so far this season, the majority of which have occurred at Anfield.
One fan ran onto the pitch at the home of the Reds over an hour before kick-off against Brighton in October, with similar scenes being repeated in November.
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Mohamed Salah was approached by one fan during Liverpool's 4-0 win over Southampton, followed up by one young supporter storming the pitch versus Porto and stealing the match ball before diving back into the crowd.
By no means a new trend, Klopp's concerns regarding pitch invasions is very much connected to coronavirus.
Speaking in the match programme ahead of Liverpool's 1-0 win over Aston Villa on Saturday, the German said: "Anyone who reads these programme notes regularly will know that I don't need a second invitation to praise our wonderful fans.
"The support they give is second-to-none and I will always be grateful for this.
"But if a good relationship is built on honesty, there is a concern that I have to raise about a problem that has crept in recently. In quite a few games we have had supporters run on the pitch and this is something that needs to stop.
"As a club, we have worked incredibly hard to build a special bond between players and supporters and in the right circumstances I want the interaction between both to be at the highest level.
"The more we can be together, the better - but the pitch itself is an exception to this. We are still in the midst of a pandemic and this means the players spend their times in red zones, doing everything they can to limit contact so that games can be played.
"This precaution is absolutely necessary but it means that the players have to make sacrifices in their own lives to reduce the risk of infection. The pitch is a red zone and needs to be treated that way."
Particularly unhappy about a steward who 'fell awkwardly' at Goodison Park during the Merseyside Derby, Klopp has lost patience with players and club staff needlessly being put at risk.
Adrian was injured by one supporter as Liverpool celebrated winning the 2019 UEFA Super Cup against Chelsea, something the Reds' boss believes should serve as a reminder of why pitch invasions don't 'make sense'.
"At Everton last week, a steward fell awkwardly when he tried to stop someone from running on the pitch. Shortly after, Alisson had to take evasive action to avoid another supporter who almost knocked him over," said Klopp.
"It was not so long ago that Adrian was injured by a pitch invader who caught him by accident as we celebrated winning the Super Cup in Istanbul. None of these outcomes or risks are worthwhile.
"Whenever we win games, I want to celebrate with our supporters but our ability to do so is undermined if we have security issues. This was the case at Goodison where I would have loved to have spent longer enjoying the moment with our fans but it was just not possible because the stewards had to clear the pitch.
"This isn't the way we want it to be. We want to share special times with you, but the best way of doing this is by all of us being in the place that we're supposed to be. Anything else doesn't make sense."
