Frustrated Klopp sees Liverpool flop at Swansea

Liverpool's poor first-half display against Premier League bottom side Swansea City left manager Juergen Klopp angry and frustrated as they lost 1-0 at the Liberty Stadium on Monday.

Most PL wins v Liverpool since Jurgen Klopp’s appointment in Oct 2015
3 Swansea
2 Crystal Palace, Leicester pic.twitter.com/JCVO7RwxTE

— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) January 22, 2018

Klopp criticised his players for not sticking to their positions in the first half, allowing Swansea to score through defender Alfie Mawson five minutes before the break after a poor clearance by the club's record signing Virgil van Dijk. "We lost the game in the first half, not only because we conceded the goal ... but we didn't keep the positions we wanted to be in. We wanted to do it differently, but it didn't work out," the German told Sky Sports. "We're frustrated, of course, and I am frustrated and angry. That's because it's not necessary, what we did today," he added after his fourth-placed side failed to widen the two-point gap over Tottenham Hotspur in the race for Champions League spots.

Since the start of 2014-15, Swansea's win over Liverpool is only the third time the team starting the day bottom of the #PL has beaten a team in the top four (W3 D4 L20)#SWALIV pic.twitter.com/cIO2yYJyzx

— Premier League (@premierleague) January 23, 2018

Liverpool, unbeaten in 18 games in all competitions, started a four-game winning streak in the league by hammering the Swans 5-0 on Dec. 26 but that ended after a defensive performance by the home side that required hard work and a little luck. "We cannot get the points back. The boys did really well in the last few weeks, but that doesn't help us tonight. It still should feel really bad, and it feels bad," the German added.

Jurgen Klopp has apologised for having a row with a fan after Liverpool's defeat at Swansea.

Full story: https://t.co/UyydxAf1mw pic.twitter.com/wVxvGRA46e

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) January 22, 2018

Klopp's side dominated possession but with Swansea defending in numbers, the visitors had trouble finding a way through. Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino almost equalised just before the final whistle but his header came back off the post, and Adam Lallana's shot on the rebound was deflected wide. "The clearest chance we had was in the last second more or less - I don't know how that happened, how the ball is not in. A point would have been for sure OK, but not what we wanted before the game," Klopp said.

FULL TIME: Swansea 1-0 Liverpool.

Just eight days after beating Premier League leaders Manchester City, Liverpool lose to bottom of the table Swansea. pic.twitter.com/ac8eQ9ajaH

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) January 22, 2018