Jurgen Klopp believes Liverpool's failure to properly deal with last week's draw with Manchester United had a knock-on effect as they were beaten 1-0 by Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Eberechi Eze's first-half goal condemned the Reds to their third defeat of the Premier League campaign and their first at Anfield since October 2022 in the top flight.
The damaging setback leaves them behind both Arsenal and Manchester City in the race for the title and Klopp referenced last week's 2-2 draw with United, and the circumstances of the game itself, for why his team were unable to muster a response against a Palace side who hadn't won for 10 away games prior to Sunday.
"I am not 100% sure in general how we dealt with the United games particularly helped," Klopp said. "We lost the game in the FA Cup and it was like a catastrophe because we were so good and lost there anyway and then we draw there, were really good for a long spell and we just drew it.
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"That is not the reason for today but you asked [about a lack of conviction] for a few weeks, so the problems we had in the United game were different to the ones we had today. The goals we concede are too easy, that is probably a general thing, that is true.
"We all, players and me included. We expected a reaction and we saw a reaction that we lost in that game more than a game, so it didn’t help.
"And on top of that, the game before that, against United, we lost points. We were always too wide. The goal we concede, it ends up with Eze free in the box, that cannot happen. But we had other moments where it ended up in a goal, we were just not together.
"If you press 80%, you're better not [doing it at all]. Curtis Jones was really going for it following through but besides that first line too far away, no one pulls, Macca (Alexis Mac Allister) and Wataru Endo, maybe normal, a bit too deep, Crystal Palace had too much possession, we had to run in the wrong direction, 1-0 down and that doesn’t feel great, we couldn’t gain momentum in these moments."
Klopp added: "Second half was a really good home game. I am not sure they really had chances. We had chances where everyone thinks it could be a goal but other moments where it was nearly there. We had momentum, we were in the game and we put them under pressure. We showed the right direction in the game. We didn’t give in. Not at all. We really tried hard but it was not enough. We have to admit that as well.
"The conviction I talked about, our formation was never there for causing Palace problems. The diagonal balls they play you can only defend by putting the man on the ball on the pressure and we didn’t do that. That means we could play them and we had to constantly make runs. We ran to defend them but it wasn't to win the ball it was just to defend and that is a big difference."
