Jurgen Klopp struggles to explain ‘horrible’ Liverpool performance in Wolves defeat

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp warned his squad they must change something immediately after they were thumped 3-0 by Wolves on Saturday.

Wolves had scored just 12 goals all season before kick-off but a Joel Matip own goal, followed by strikes from Craig Dawson and Ruben Neves, fired the hosts to a thoroughly deserved victory.

After the game, Klopp could hardly hide his frustrations.

“Obviously it was a horrible start,” he told PLP. “Two goals which cannot happen like that. But it happened and we were 2-0 down because of our own fault. We should have defended better. We were passive in that period. I cannot explain it. There is no excuse for it.

“You’re 2-0 down, the crowd is there but it opens up and we get some control. Then for about 45 minutes we play a good away game without scoring. That sums it up pretty much.

“Concentration for the first 15 minutes. Again, I cannot explain. But these 15 minutes cannot be allowed. It needs to change. That’s the thing. I stand here again and for the first 15 minutes I have no explanation, I’m sorry.

“In the end we lost 3-0 because the goal in the second half was perhaps the first time they crossed the halfway line. But it’s right because when you start like this you don’t deserve anything in a Premier League game.

“We have to change it immediately in the next game. Everton won today and they are in a good moment so we have to prove a point again. For the moment, I’m so disappointed and angry about the first 15 minutes, I can’t find the words for it. Then we have chances we should score. It could have been 2-1 and that would have changed everything I’m sure. Wolves deserve the three points.

“We cannot go through that season that nobody did before but how long do we want to suffer? It is one explanation in general yes, but not for the first 15 minutes here today. What we make of it in this moment is absolutely not OK.”

Next up for Liverpool is a Merseyside derby against an Everton side buoyed by a stunning 1-0 victory over Premier League leaders Arsenal earlier in the day.