‘We had to put the game to bed’ – Jurgen Klopp bemoans Liverpool’s wastefulness after Nottingham Forest defeat

Klopp’s side had numerous opportunities to wipe out Taiwo Awoniyi’s opener, with Virgil van Dijk denied at the death after his header was superbly parried away by Dean Henderson in the Forest goal.

“The performance I can kind of explain, the result not to be honest,” Klopp told BT Sport.

“I never saw a game where one team has four or five no-brainers from a set piece where we have to finish it off. The way they defend we were perfectly prepared for that. We had to put the game to bed to be perfectly honest.

“The goal we conceded was a big mistake from us. We lose the ball and give them the free-kick and this can happen around set pieces. Apart from that, all the chances they had we gave them.

“We had to make really late changes and in general a lot of changes and it’s a game you have to win doing the right stuff again and again and again and we didn’t. That’s why we stand here and have lost the game.”

“We arrived with consistency but we had six games with a limited squad playing three high intense games. That’s how it is, we cannot change that and we have to fight through. Result-wise we should have showed consistency today. We could have had it by finishing situations off.

“Giving a team six clear chances after a set piece, I’m not sure where I should put the praise to be honest. They are a great team and Steve is a fantastic manager but for us today we have to win here and we didn’t, so credit to Nottingham.”

The games continue to come thick and fast for the Merseysiders, as attention now turns to a Champions League clash away at Ajax on Wednesday.

A draw in the Dutch capital would be enough to secure progress through to the last-16, and comes three days before welcoming Leeds United to Anfield next Saturday.

“We have Sunday, Monday and Tuesday to recover and prepare the team for Amsterdam,” he added.

“I hope one, two or three players will come back and we can make changes again, but that’s the situation.”