Klopp calls out Liverpool for double error ‘not allowed in any way’ with key man exposed in FA Cup exit to Brighton
Liverpool are out of the FA Cup after losing to Brighton in a game in which Jurgen Klopp was left ruing two mistakes and a lack of support for one vital player.
Brighton recently inflicted misery upon Liverpool in the Premier League when they beat them 3-0. A couple of weeks after that upset, Roberto De Zerbi’s side did further damage to the Reds. This time, they knocked the reigning holders out of the FA Cup in the fourth round.
Liverpool went in front when Harvey Elliott scored after half an hour. However, Brighton equalised via a Lewis Dunk deflection nine minutes later.
After having to go through a replay to beat Wolves in the last round, it looked like Liverpool would have to face off with Brighton again as the final whistle approached. But that will not be the case – and not for the reason they wanted.
The Seagulls scored the winner in stoppage time when Kaoru Mitoma cleverly juggled the ball in the box and fired past Alisson.
It represents the latest setback in Liverpool’s disappointing season, though this performance was better than their most recent effort against Brighton, which Klopp had described as the worst game he had seen during his time in charge of the Reds.
On this occasion, he had to bemoan the type of goal they conceded, while also pointing out that there was a lack of balance in terms of defensive support for full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson.
Klopp told Radio 5 Live: “We came here after a game a few weeks ago when we weren’t even close to ourselves.
“Today we played a better game but we concede two goals from set-pieces and that is not allowed in any way.
“On the left side Robbo was ok because we helped him but on the other side Trent didn’t get the support.
“Mitoma is really good so, of course, it was tough.
“We could have defended both goals better.
“The first is deflected but we can probably block the shot.
“It doesn’t feel great. In time we might see the positives but we wanted to get the next round. Congratulations to Brighton.”
Robertson reacts to FA Cup exit
Meanwhile, Robertson described the cup exit as “bitterly disappointing” as he struggled to make sense of why their domestic form has been so poor by their standards this season.
The Scotland international told ITV: “Bitterly disappointing. I thought it was a good cup tie, end to end and both had chances.
“We were more competitive than two weeks ago but that didn’t take much. We created chances and were more compact but at the end of the day we are out of the cup.
“At a club like Liverpool, fans expect a lot and to lose with the last kick of the ball it’s disappointing. We need to start winning games. It’s easy to say but harder to fix.
“This season has been nowhere near good enough. At the start of the year, we wanted a fresh start but that hasn’t happened. We’ve been worse. In the league, we haven’t been good enough and now we’re out of both cups now.
“You can’t put your finger on one thing, it’s more than that. You can tell we’re not as confident in front of goal and in defence we are a wee bit open. We had two clean sheets coming into today but then go and concede two goals.
“We need to get the confidence back. It’s easier said than done, and that’s how we will get results.
“We need to do it quick and we’re not. That it doesn’t help the fans, I’m sorry for them and the way we are putting on a show. We let them down again.”
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