Jürgen Klopp admitted that Liverpool ”expect” to play better after their lacklustre goalless draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Klopp’s side mustered just one shot on target against a United side who defended well despite losing three players to injuries before half time.
United could have won the game themselves had they converted their handful of opportunities, but it was largely an afternoon low on quality in attacking areas.
The result saw Liverpool return to the top of the Premier League table, moving one point clear of champions Manchester City having now played their game in hand.
Klopp nevertheless saw the result as both a point gained and two dropped, and claimed his side lost rhythm due to the stop-start nature of the first half.
“We started the game brilliant, exactly like we wanted to start,” he said. “All was really good and then the injury crisis starts.
“A lot of interruptions. It was obvious it cost us rhythm. I’m not saying it should happen but it happened. Then it was a strange game, playing without speed.”
Klopp added: “But of course we expect ourselves to play better football. If we had continued like we started, we could have won the match. But we didn’t.
“It’s a point. It’s one more than a lot of people probably expected. Now everything is equal again, game-wise. Let’s play the rest of the season.”
Mohamed Salah, so often Liverpool’s match-winner, particularly struggled. The winger has scored just once against the Premier League’s so-called ‘top six’ this season.
“Mo knows he can play better than he did today. We know he can,” Klopp said on Salah, but he denied being disappointed in the Egyptian.
“I’m not here to be disappointed. I’m here to help the players play their best football. I’m not sitting here saying when we win the games that I’m the best or when we lose or draw at Man United then all the boys are guilty.
“They want to perform, I know them pretty well, 100 per cent. Sometimes it doesn’t happen.
“Sometimes we get information and don’t use it in the right way. In the best case you learn from it and we will learn from it. These boys brought us in the situation.
“Today a lot of them were not really shining really bright but there is another chance on Wednesday.”
