Jurgen Klopp praises injury-ravaged Liverpool's fighting spirit

Advertisement Jurgen Klopp was pleased with Liverpool's spirit but not always their defending as the Reds struck late to draw 3-3 with Arsenal on Wednesday.

Substitute Joe Allen's 90th-minute equaliser earned Klopp's men a point against the Premier League leaders, who had come back to lead 3-2 after Roberto Firmino had twice given Liverpool the lead in the early stages.

But the goals conceded -- the first from Aaron Ramsey then an Olivier Giroud double -- troubled their manager. The first two Arsenal goals came from set pieces, a familiar Liverpool weakness, with Giroud's first going almost straight in from a corner, touched by the French forward. His second came via a classy finish yet Liverpool's carelessness played a part.


"I think 60, 70 percent of the game we played really, really well," Klopp told BT Sport. "The players did well and we had more opportunities, we [caused] big problems for Arsenal, made the goals, but we [conceded] easy goals, to be honest.

"The first one, again, a set play. Second one, I think Giroud is on the ground and we are more influenced by this situation than Arsenal, and that's of course not too clever and it's an easy goal for them again.

I think it's not offside, but when it's not offside in the six-yard box something is wrong in the defending.

"Third goal again we lose the ball too easily then it's well done by Giroud."

Klopp felt an explosive start and finish by his side came either side of some worrying spells, but after fearing that they had run out of energy and ideas he was relieved to salvage the point thanks to two of his substitutes, Allen and Christian Benteke.

"In the end a really good game but a big portion of luck to get a draw," he said. "We did it and I think it's deserved in a spectacular game. So we can be satisfied -- against Arsenal a point is OK.

"In a few situations in the game I thought, 'We have to win.' But then I thought we could lose, so a point is OK.

"It's like a battery: at the beginning it's full and you play well, and you know it goes lower and lower. It was difficult for both teams with rain, snow and everything, and it's clear you cannot play your best passes in the last few minutes.

"You need what we did -- good ball to Christian, good header and then Joe, he really deserved the goal. So in this moment it's an explosion of goals. But you cannot ignore that a few things were not too good, so we'll have to speak about this and we will."

Liverpool introduced Steven Caulker -- the centre-back signed on loan from Queens Park Rangers on Tuesday -- for his debut late in the game but Klopp said that with the club still missing a string of players his options had been limited.

Rather than risk the young, untried members of his squad who faced Exeter in last Friday's FA Cup tie -- of whom Joao Teixeira was an unused substitute on Wednesday -- he was asking more established figures to play through pain and fatigue.

Jordan Henderson was back in the side but still carrying a heel injury, while fellow midfielder James Milner, too, returned after four weeks out with a calf strain. That made two-goal Firmino's contribution even more pleasing, he added.

"We have a few really talented young lads on the bench but it's not too easy then to change in a game," Klopp said. "Hendo cannot train regularly because of his heel. Millie had his injury but had to play nearly all the way through. Adam [Lallana] nearly always has to play -- that's the situation.

"Roberto, we have to speak about him because both goals were brilliant, especially the second one, and he played for the whole time really good and wasn't so easy to defend.

"So we did a lot of things well but you have to do this to get a point against Arsenal. We got it, so that's OK." Advertisement