Klopp shoulders blame for lax Liverpool defense
Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet sought to allay early concerns about a fragile Reds defense after conceding three goals in a thrilling 4-3 win at Arsenal on Sunday.
It was only Liverpool’s second win at Arsenal in 21 attempts and put an early dent in Arsene Wenger’s hopes of leading the Gunners to their first league title since 2004.
Liverpool surged to a 4-1 lead after 63 minutes in the season opener at Emirates before handing Arsenal a lifeline on strikes by substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and centerhalf Calum Chambers.
“When we lead 4-1, we have to make sure that we don’t concede and it happened with a deflection which was a bit of bad fortune,” said. Mignolet.
“But I don’t think we need to be worried because I don’t think it was mistakes that conceded the goals today.
“The first one we were under pressure. The third was a set piece where they stepped up and took the free kick very quickly and we weren’t organized.”
A penalty save by Mignolet shortly before the opening goal kept Liverpool level at halftime before three quick goals from Sadio Mane, Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana exposed the holes in a patchwork Arsenal defence.
“The first 20 minutes of the second half was how we should play,” Mignolet said.
“We have lots of options with players who can make a big difference up front, who are very quick.”
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said his team worked to be more compact on defense after the break
“We didn’t start well,” said Klopp.
“We had a high formation, but not a compact formation. It means it was much too easy to play between our rows, in the spaces we gave them.”
Klopp said he bore responsibility for his players switching off in the middle of the second half by encouraging a mass celebration in front of Arsenal fans after the fourth goal.
“I made the big mistake, because I was involved in celebrations ,” said the manager.
“That will happen hopefully one or two more times in my life, but not so early in the game, because it was the wrong sign for us.
“Like everybody at that moment, I thought ‘that’s it’. And then you have a look at the watch and you see there’s still half an hour or something to go.”
Cech crashes
Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech’s day went from bad to worse as he crashed his car into a pillar on the way home.
The former Czech Republic international, 34, was beaten for all four goals.
As he left the stadium after the match, Cech drove his car into a pillar in the Arsenal car park. Pictures circulating on social media showed a large dent on the front left side of Cech’s car, while he stood beside it. Reports said nobody was injured in the incident.