Klopp understands Guardiola joke: Liverpool haven't won title already

Jurgen Klopp dismissed Pep Guardiola's suggestion that Liverpool have already wrapped up the Premier League title.

Klopp's Liverpool have won their opening five matches to be two points clear of reigning champions Manchester City atop the table heading into Sunday's trip to Chelsea.

City manager Guardiola declared, "Congratulations Liverpool, you are the champions" following last week's shock 3-2 defeat at Norwich City, which allowed the Reds to move five points clear prior to the titleholders' 8-0 humiliation of Watford on Saturday.

Liverpool boss Klopp – whose side finished just one point adrift of City last season – responded to Guardiola's comment and said: "It hasn't been won already.

"This season won't be like last season. We have seen that already, with every team making big steps.

"There is not [a] team in the league who I think will go down with hardly any points. You've got Watford who were at the bottom with two points but, ­performance-wise, they could ­already have had five, six or seven points.

"Wolves are also struggling a bit – but will end up going back up – so we have ­already seen that the league is different this season.

"I think that's why Pep ­responded like he did with a joke because ­nothing has happened so far.

"We've had just five games and so many things can still happen. You simply cannot think that far ahead.

"We have enough to do just ­thinking about the next game, then the next game and the next game."

While Liverpool agonisingly missed out on the Premier League title last term, the Reds have continued to establish themselves as one of Europe's elite under Klopp.

Liverpool won the 2018-19 Champions League trophy after defeating Tottenham in June – a particularly satisfying achievement for former Borussia Dortmund boss Klopp, who had lost his previous six finals.

"It's nice for me to tick that box," Klopp told Sky Sports. "Some people said I was a nearly-man. I didn't feel like that - the finals I've reached shows something was okay - but it's nice. I don't have to worry about it anymore."