Liverpool closed the gap at the top of the Premier League table to nine points after a victory on Sunday.
Liverpool defeated Crystal Palace 3-1 in their Premier League game on Sunday. Virgil van Dijk opened the scoring for the Reds in the eighth minute, before Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain doubled their lead 25 minutes later.
The Eagles came back into the game when Odsonne Edouard scored their first goal five minutes before the hour-mark. However, Fabinho converted a controversial penalty in the 90th minute to secure the victory for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
The victory reduces the gap between Liverpool and league leaders Manchester City to nine points. The Citizens saw their 12-match winning streak end as they drew 1-1 against Southampton on Saturday.
However, Klopp says the win is not enough to bring his side back into the title race.
He told the BBC: “The distance is too far to talk about it but we don’t have to.
“We just need to win football matches. Each Premier League game is difficult like we saw today.
“We made it more exciting than necessary! We will see what happens in the final few months.”
Liverpool have three absentees due to the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations. Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, and Naby Keita have reached the tournament’s last-16 round with their respective national teams.
Asked about the impact of not having a full squad at his disposal, the German manager responded:
“Massive. It is obviously January which is a tricky period for us historically – well at least during my time,” Klopp said. “You play without three players in Africa and a few others, so we had a small group to get through this, but the boys did incredible.
“It showed how insanely good we can be and how bad as well! For 35 minutes we were outstanding.
“We looked really sharp and ready to play in small spaces, then two or three sloppy passes and the stadium is back, Palace is back, and we did not start well in the second half. We had our moments, but we did not control it anymore.”
After the international break, Liverpool will return to action with an FA Cup clash against Cardiff City on February 6.
Be sure not to miss out on the latest news about Premier League
Download our brand new App and follow your favorite players, clubs, and much more
