Manager Jurgen Klopp said Liverpool’s defeat by Burnley was a “massive punch in the face” but took full responsibility for Thursday’s 1-0 loss at Anfield.
The champions romped to their first top-flight title in 30 years last term but have fallen off significantly this season, lying six points behind leaders Manchester United and without a win in five games.
The Reds seemed to be hitting their stride on 19 December when they took Crystal Palace apart 7-0, but have not won since then. “It’s a tough one, not easy to explain,” Klopp told BBC Sport. “These boys are not the kind of person after a 7-0 to think ‘we’ll go like this’, they worked hard tonight and it didn’t happen.
“If something doesn’t work, you have to try harder, more often, longer. It was not easy to lose that game and we did it. “If I sit now here, losing against Burnley and didn’t score for the last four games and talk about the title race, how silly that would be?”
