Few things can temper the humour of Jurgen Klopp, but Liverpool’s failure to beat Sunderland was one of them.
The Black Cats twice came from behind to thwart the Reds, two Jermain Defoe penalties earning David Moyes’s side a vital point in their survival scrap.
Liverpool’s erratic form threatens to hamper their title push – less than 48 hours after beating Manchester City, the Sunderland game was one they vitally needed to win, especially with the Sky Blues beating Burnley at the same time.
However, Klopp is not allowing fatigue to be an excuse.
In fact, he told the BBC after the game – in a post-match interview almost awkward enough to rival Pep Guardiola’s – that he told the players they could opt out of the match.
“I told the players if nobody wanted to play I would never speak about it and not tell anyone, but nobody came. That was a good thing,” he said.
Since the start of December, the Reds have played seven games, but they’re not alone in that plight.
They will now lose Sadio Mane, scorer of one of the goals, to the African Cup of Nations, while Daniel Sturridge, who got the other, is injured once again.
Chelsea could now go eight points clear at the top if they beat Tottenham at White Hart Lane on Wednesday night.
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