Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has opened up about their Carabao Cup semi-final postponement against Arsenal.
The Reds were due to travel to north London on Thursday night to take on the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium but the game was eventually called off following a number of positive Covid-19 cases within the Reds camp.
Still, the first leg of the highly-anticipated fixture will take place this week at Anfield before the return leg is eventually played the week after.
Now, Klopp has spoke about the delay ahead of his side's FA Cup third-round match against League One side Shrewsbury Town.
Writing on Liverpool's club website, the German said: "Of course, the disruption around that match (against Chelsea) wasn’t the end of our problems and I do want to address the postponement of the first leg of the Carabao Cup tie against Arsenal.
"It is not something we sought lightly and anyone who thinks otherwise clearly ignores how we have conducted ourselves as a club during this period. We have always looked to play, if feasible to do so.
"For the game that would have been Thursday this week just gone, it was impossible. We asked for the game to be moved because we had no choice. It is the first time we have made such an appeal and we did so because we could not field a team.
"On Tuesday the situation escalated from difficult to untenable. Another large number of positive test results were recorded within the group, added to the ones we already had, plus injuries and illness. We had to cancel training and eventually even shut the training ground itself.
"We spoke to the local medical experts and this was their advice. Remember our group is fully vaccinated and still we had this.
"So moving the game was the right decision and means from this weekend onwards we should now be in a position to put enough names on a teamsheet to fulfil fixtures again, because we have players returning from their isolation, including Academy players who have been impacted."
