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Brendan Rodgers has questioned the effect of Liverpool’s injury crisis after admitting that his Leicester City side were deservedly beaten at Anfield.
The Reds rose to the top of the Premier League with an impressive 3-0 expulsion from the Foxes on Sunday night.
An own goal by Jonny Evans, Diogo Jota’s eighth goal of the season and a late header by Roberto Firmino secured a club record for 64 consecutive league games at home without losing.
Liverpool kept just a second clean sheet in the top flight of the campaign despite lacking first-choice defenders Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
But former Reds boss Rodgers believes his counterpart Jurgen Klopp could still draw on a quality bottom line.
“Everybody was talking about Liverpool’s injuries,” he said. “I don’t follow that narrative.
“I don’t see it as an exhausted bottom line. I know they miss Virgil van Dijk, but (Joel) Matip is a great player.
“Fabinho has played there against Chelsea and against the best players. Andy Robertson has always played, Alisson is the number one goalkeeper and James Milner where he plays does an incredible job.
“Their undefeated home run is an incredible record and it shows you the power and strength in depth that they have. They are an outstanding template.
“They are still very strong, they have top-level players, look at the midfield that had players who always play.
“They are an outstanding team, super organized, they play with heart, quality and they were the best team.”
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Leicester was also missing three of their usual four defenses, with Rodgers adding: “We haven’t been without five starting players, with others coming and going.
“There are many players missing and when you face teams like Liverpool with the squads they have, you need that strength.”
Rodgers lamented a passive performance by his players in the first half as the key to his defeat, as Leicester already won at Manchester City and Arsenal this season.
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“We were defeated by the better side,” he said. “It is an easy game to analyze.
“The first half without the ball we were not aggressive enough, in the games against the bigger opponents we can be tactically compact and break on the counter or have periods with the ball, but we did not.
“The second half was a bit better, we changed the form of the team and got in touch with the people. So it was the next goal, but we conceded from a set piece and ended the game. The best team won ”.
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