Jurgen Klopp plays down Daniel Sturridge ankle injury

We have Liverpool stationed at number two, five points behind Chelsea.

Liverpool wasted the chance to close to within three points of leaders Chelsea on Monday afternoon after a late penalty from Jermain Defoe earned the Black Cats a share of the spoils.

Klopp did not like what he witnessed and did not hide his emotions.

Instead Klopp’s beef was with the decision to award Seb Larsson the free-kick which prefaced the second penalty, after Defoe had tumbled easily in the face of Lucas and Emre Can’s combined challenge.

This is a flawless game for Liverpool and I can’t see anything but an away win because Sunderland need to go for three points and that will play into Liverpool’s hands.

“After three or months out it was my first game back after injury and I found myself in a hard situation, I must admit”.

“We can play better football but I’m not sure if you can play better with that break”, Klopp pointedly told BBC Sport.

Klopp, on the other hand, is a loud and larger than life character who positively radiates energy and enthusiasm, and his teams consequently generally look to prevail by sweeping the opposition aside in a frenzy of controlled aggression. Sunderland will be desperate to climb out of the relegation zone, but, although they are at home, are unlikely to come away with any points in this one.

But an irate Klopp said: ‘It is tough for me to accept. It could be because of the fixtures, I’m not sure. “It is like it is and somebody decided like this, so there is nothing to say about this”.

Senegal’s final Group B fixture in the tournament is scheduled to take place on January 23, although Mane could be in action for his national team until February 5 if they make it to the final.

Klopp made just one change to his starting XI with Sturridge coming in for injured Jordan Henderson in a rejigged formation.

‘Usually I prefer when there are many games in a few days because we work a lot, very hard to face these periods, ‘ he said. This was the Liverpool forward’s last game before leaving for the African Cup of Nations, and a goal and penalty concession was certainly one way to bow out temporarily. The ball fell to him on the bounce after Dejan Lovren scuffed his shot off a corner and the Liverpool striker coolly headed over Vito Mannone. “If I’d been German, you might praise me for doing something different”. “I never thought we were out of it, the important thing was to not concede a third goal”.