Jurgen Klopp bemoans defensive mistakes

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has conceded that his team must improve defensively if they are to put together a consistent run of form this season.

Back-to-back Premier League wins over Leicester City and Sunderland would have raised Liverpool's spirits ahead of their trip to West Ham United on Saturday, but the Reds were beaten 2-0 in London.

Both of West Ham's goals came from crosses, and Klopp has admitted that his team are not 'dirty enough' at the back.

"All of the TV stations have told me the situation with Alberto [Moreno] was a foul and it could have changed the situation around the first goal a little bit. But we didn't react right to it because there was no whistle. We had to avoid the cross. There are crosses in the game, that's normal. It's football, defending is a part of football," Klopp told reporters.

"I was a defender, I enjoyed it. It's a nice part of the game, you get dirty after, it's not a problem, you don't have to wash your clothes yourself. It's our responsibility [to defend]. At 0-0, you play football and then you will have your chances. We didn't and that's our fault. I know how football works, we have to avoid the cross.

"We came back a little bit in the game in the first half and everybody saw when we start playing with a clear direction then we had our moments and made chances, but we didn't score."

The defeat to West Ham left Liverpool in eighth position in the table, five points off the top four.