Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool need to find consistency to avoid missing out on a top-four finish in the Premier League after struggling at Anfield against Leeds in a damaging defeat.
Crescencio Summerville scored a dramatic late winner as Leeds won to move out of the relegation zone.
The defeat left Liverpool eight points behind fourth-placed Newcastle, albeit with a game in hand.
The Reds beat Premier League leaders Manchester City on 16 October but have since lost to bottom-of-the-table Nottingham Forest and now Leeds.
“If you play as inconsistently as we do at the moment, you cannot qualify for the Champions League,” Klopp said.
“We have to fix it.”
Liverpool were hoping for a dominant 3-0 win over Ajax in the Champions League in midweek but made the worst possible start against a Leeds side who started the day in the bottom three when Joe Gomez’s poor backpass Pounced. From Rodrigo, who poked into an empty net.
Liverpool responded well and leveled soon after when Mohamed Salah volleyed home Andy Robertson’s cross.
But Leeds, belying their low position in the table, responded with great hunger to equalize and hit the woodwork through Brendan Aaronson.
Alan Meslier made a great save to stop Darwin Nunez one-on-one in the second half, before the Leeds goalkeeper also kept out Roberto Firmino’s header.
And, in the final moments of normal time, Summerwell picked up the ball from Patrick Bamford before firing across for Alisson to send the support wild.
The defeat – Liverpool’s second in a row in the Premier League – means they are ninth while Leeds are 15th, four points behind the Reds.
