Klopp on Bournemouth shock: 'We gave the game away'
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp learned a vital lesson Sunday at Dean Court: No lead is safe in the Premier League.
From 3-1 up with 14 minutes to play to down 4-3 as match official Robert Madley blew his whistle for the final time, Klopp and Co. saw a near-certain victory unravel courtesy of a stunning Bournemouth comeback.
Related: Bournemouth stuns Liverpool with manic 3-goal comeback in second half
A characteristically stoic Klopp spoke with reporters after the match, and the German gaffer was philosophical in addressing his side's meltdown.
"We gave the game away, but Bournemouth was ready to take it," Klopp said, courtesy of BBC Sport. "They came back, they were not down at 3-1. They knew there was a moment. After 3-3, Eddie Howe was on fire and they wanted to win the game and we gave them a little bit. It was a nice story, but unfortunately we were on the wrong side."
Gracious in defeat, Klopp acknowledged the perils of trusting a 2-0 advantage, even if the numbers support the value of a two-goal lead.
22 - There have been 1061 previous occasions of a team being 2-0 ahead at HT in the PL; only 22 have lost from that position (2.1%). Answer. https://t.co/CKwrMyWOuZ
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 4, 2016
"We are not ice skating, it's not about how it looks. I know we can play football. Nothing is decided at 2-0. The boys know now we gave it away - only because of us Bournemouth came back," Klopp added.
Even so, for all of the Cherries' efforts, Bournemouth was only as good as Liverpool allowed. Klopp is more than aware of that fact.
"It was our mistake to let them back in the game. I knew there would be moments like this."
For a side with realistic title ambitions, much can be learned from a result like the one Sunday on the south coast, and again, Klopp is cognizant of this.
"In football it can lead to a result like this. We have to learn from it," the former Borussia Dortmund boss conceded. "It doesn't feel too good right now but sometimes we need it. Of course this can help us. No road is without rocks and stones.
"It's three points no more, these things happen. You cannot be champions in December, relegated, promoted, or whatever. The base is pretty good but we need to use our quality more."
Unwilling to verge on the calamitous, Klopp and Co. head north to the Merseyside focused on next Sunday's visit from a reeling West Ham.
"Nothing happened today apart from losing three points. Everything else is OK."