We are not good enough at defending set pieces – Klopp

Liverpool: Joe Allen’s last-gasp equaliser earned Liverpool F.C. a thrilling 3-3 draw with Arsenal F.C.as the Premier League leaders wasted a chance to consolidate pole position at Anfield on Wednesday.

Klopp likened his first meeting with Manchester United as Liverpool manager as being “a bit like Dortmund v Schalke” but he is well aware the stakes are far higher.

We weren’t that confident going into the game as a result of the number of players either out injured or not match-fit.

“The frustration comes from the fact that at 3-2 we had three situations where we should have made it 4-2 and made bad decisions”. The goal of Arsenal wasn’t too big a shock for us, and we made a ideal second goal and were really in the game.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger gave in-form playmaker Mesut Ozil a spot in the starting lineup but despite his side scoring three times he got neither an assist nor a goal. “If he does that with Ozil in the form that he is in, Sanchez to come back, then of course because he scores goals”.

Having been appointed manager in October, Klopp missed the last clash between these two sides, which ended in a 3-1 victory for United in September. I’m not sure whether it was the madness of the Christmas calendar that warranted that but we need to realise that all teams were victims of the Christmas madness so it can’t be an excuse. You need to play football that people want to talk about.

However, Olivier Giroud made it 2-2 by poking a corner past Reds goalkeeper Simon Mignolet at the near post and the Frenchman swivelled before firing in a brilliant second early in the second half.

Elsewhere, James McClean scored an 86th-minute victor as West Bromwich Albion drew 2-2 at improving champions Chelsea.

“Maybe Sir Alex Ferguson is the greatest ever”, Klopp told reporters on Friday.

“In the second half we were again in the game; it was a little bit more open than the beginning of the first half but we came back into the game”.

“It’s an explosion of goals but at the final whistle you can not ignore there were problems”, Klopp told the BBC.

“Set-plays we have to defend better”.

Liverpool dropped down to ninth place in the table ahead of Sunday’s visit of bitter rivals United.