Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp denied his players had suffered a mental collapse after squandering a 3-1 lead to lose 4-3 to Bournemouth on Sunday.

Nathan Ake's injury-time winner after a handling error from goalkeeper Loris Karius gave Bournemouth the three points and Liverpool are now four points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea in third, while their 15-game unbeaten run has come to an end.

"We have no attitude or character problem," Klopp told reporters. "No one is born a winner. Not in the first two or three months. You have to learn it. Last year there was a lot of criticism and we managed to change, and tried to be much better. It's always clear something like this can happen."

Klopp also refused to level criticism at Karius for his error.

"The last goal was not easy for a goalkeeper," he said. "It says nothing about him as a goalkeeper. It happens. We go on. We missed chances today. Do we have good strikers? Yes, we do."

Liverpool had been 2-0 up at half-time after goals from Sadio Mane and Divock Origi.

"What can I say?" Klopp added. "In all our good moments, it was pretty clear who the better side was today. It was obvious. At 2-0, but then, already, we didn't play too well. I didn't like it too much. I told the boys. The game isn't done at 2-0."

After Callum Wilson's penalty was converted in the 56th minute following a foul by James Milner on substitute Ryan Fraser, a Bournemouth revival looked to have been averted by Emre Can's 64th-minute strike. Then, Fraser scored himself in the 76th minute and set up Steve Cook for the equaliser two minutes later.

Klopp said: "I'm not angry. I was angry during the game a few times, but I saw that my boys didn't want to do the wrong thing, but they did and lost the momentum in the game, and it's not simple to come back. That's why you have to keep momentum all the time you can. I cannot change it. So why should I be angry? The guys just weren't clear enough in the game."

Klopp added to Sky Sports: "In the decisive moment we gave the game away to Bournemouth. We opened the door and they ran through, so that's absolutely deserved because they stayed in the game and scored some wonderful goals, which they forced.

"It's not after 2-0 that I think the game is decided or at 3-1, the way we played in these moments was good enough but afterwards we gave it away. We gave Bournemouth the ball without reason. We played the wrong passes in the wrong moment.

"Things like this happen -- it's not the biggest or most serious thing in life. In football it can lead to results and today it is a 4-3 result to Bournemouth.We have a big impact on this game and on the result, but Bournemouth even bigger and that's for them."

Klopp insists his team can bounce back from the defeat when they face West Ham next weekend.

"We have to learn from it -- that's how it is," Klopp added. "It doesn't feel too good, it's an experience no one wants but sometimes you need it. Possibly we needed it. Now we have got it, now we can use it.

"No way is without rocks or stones. All the times you have to jump over hurdles and things like this. I actually didn't need this today but now we have and now we have to use it, and we will strike back."

Source:
courtesy of ESPNFC

by John Brewin

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