Klopp laughs off criticism
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has hit back at the recent criticism of his defence after his side edged past Crystal Palace with a 1-0 victory on Saturday.
Sadio Mane scored the game's only goal as the Reds secured their first win and clean sheet of the Premier League season.
Following an opening-day draw to Watford, Liverpool's defence came under heavy criticism and Klopp was quick to defend his players after the victory on Saturday.
Klopp said: "Yes, we were not 100 per cent happy, but it's not a general problem. We have to work on it. If you want to start like this, then we defended outstandingly good today.
"I think last week against Huddersfield, Crystal Palace started really football-playing and then Huddersfield were 2-0 up. Then they became a little more direct and using Christian Benteke. I think we really defended this outstandingly good.
"[Ragnar] Klavan and [Joel] Matip did really well in the protection. Joe [Gomez] and Robbo [Andrew Robertson] were really good. You cannot defend it differently, to be honest.
"One problem we had at Watford was we were too early too deep. If you know the other team plays long balls, you have to stay as high as possible as long as possible to create the space for your goalkeeper and use offside."
Summer signing Andrew Robertson made his debut for the club after his £10m move from Hull, replacing Alberto Moreno in the starting line-up, and Klopp was pleased with the Scotland international's overall performance.
"Everybody can now see how good Robbo -- with a few more sessions -- can be, especially in offensive situations. His crosses are a real threat," Klopp said.
"When we think a little bit about how we would feel playing our first game at Anfield, you cannot be full of joy because there's a lot of pressure on yourself. He did really well."