Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said his team was mentally unprepared during their 1-0 home defeat at Brighton on Wednesday, as hopes of preserving the Premier League title were dealt a heavy blow.
Liverpool seemed to regain their offensive touch after two successive wins away from Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United, but they did not give much to Brighton.
And the defending champion failed to score for the third time in a row at home in the league, hit one ball on goal and was seven points behind Manchester City, who have a game in hand.
"We played against a good team, it is clear," Klopp said. "It looked like we were not ready mentally. (Brighton) deserved to win.
"We wanted to play better. We lost many balls in good positions. I know that my players can pass the ball from one place to another, but today we couldn't get it to the other place."
"We went through a difficult week. We were not ready tonight, and for that to happen, we must find a way," he added.
Liverpool hadn't had a problem finding this way in the last two seasons but suddenly, at least at Anfield, the team lacked creativity.
Mohamed Salah, the league's top scorer, did not have a chance and when he got there, he knocked the ball over the bar.
Sadio Mane's absence from injury added to Liverpool's troubles, as the team struggled in defense to lose at home to Brighton for the first time in the league since 1982.
Thank you for posting in Sportstalk community. Keep using the https://www.sportstalksocial.com/ UI to earn more supports. Post trail-curated with over 25 accounts.