Ironically at relegation candidate Watford, Liverpool conceded the first defeat of the Premier League season. And it deserves it. The Reds miss two records. Jürgen Klopp doesn't care.
Watford (dpa) - Jürgen Klopp looked almost relieved after the end of the gigantic series of 44 Premier League games without defeat.
Liverpool's unexpected 0-3 (0-0) at Watford also seemed to be taking a burden. "From now on we can play football again free," said the England leader, while Watford fans still vocalized their team's triumph, "we no longer have to try to defend or break a record."
His Reds had previously won 18 games in a row - a record they shared with Manchester City. No one team has won 19 consecutive wins in the Premier League. According to Klopp, such statistics are of little concern. "Because I don't think you can break records because you want to break records," he said. "You break records because you're 100 percent focused on every step you have to take."
This was not the case against the bottom of the table so far. Liverpool looked unusually vulnerable. Ismaila Sarr (54th / 60th minute) and Troy Deeney (72nd) met at Vicarage Road for a sensational and, according to Klopp, "totally deserved" win for Watford. The blatant outsider could have won even higher. He was not surprised, emphasized Klopp, because: "We didn't play the way we should have, and Watford played the way they wanted."
Liverpool had already struggled 1-0 against the bottom of the table, Norwich City, the Reds won 3-2 at relegation-prone West Ham United. Has the defeat hinted at? "No," Klopp clarified, "just because the last game was not the most convincing of our career together does not mean that the next game has to be the same. (...) If you win a game 5-0, that means not that you win the next 5: 0 again. "
The Klopp-Elf had won 26 of 27 games this season. Before Watford, only Manchester United scored a point against the Reds in October's draw at Old Trafford. "It's not that we don't care now because we've won so many games," said Klopp, "but it isn't the biggest catastrophe in the football world for us either."
The fact that the English football champions will be called Liverpool at the end of this season should not change anything anyway. In the table, the leader continues to have a huge 22 point lead over the second Manchester City. Man City's Premier League game against Arsenal has been postponed due to City's participation in the League Cup final on Sunday.
Speaking of arsenal: the crisis-ridden Londoners reacted with relief to Liverpool's first loss. "Phew ...", in German about "Puh ...", Arsenal tweeted after the final whistle in Watford. Because only two clubs in English football history have ever survived a season without defeat. In the season 1888/89 the Preston North End succeeded. Arsenal's "Invincibles" were the only team in the Premier League to do so in the 2003/04 season.
The sole Premier League record remains in London for the time being. TV host and jester Gary Lineker also noticed this. His amusing Twitter conclusion about Liverpool's 0-3 defeat: "Definitely Arsenal's best result this season."
Match report
Klopp statements