Jurgen Klopp provides updates on Thiago & Joel Matip after Newcastle draw

Liverpool missed the chance to end 2020 five points clear at the top of the Premier League when they were held to a 0-0 draw by Newcastle United on Wednesday.

Jurgen Klopp's side produced a number of good chances but were unable to find a way past the inspirational Karl Darlow, who pulled off fantastic saves to deny the likes of Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah.

Here's what the boss had to say after the game.

On his reaction to the performance

"I’m not happy about the result but the game is already played," he said (via the club's official website). "I’m not overly frustrated or something like that – it’s football, if you don’t use your chances then it’s difficult to win a game.

"But you can have a draw with a bad performance or you can have a draw with a good performance, and tonight we had a draw with a good performance. We just didn’t use the chances and that’s why I’m OK with the game. That’s it."

On the contrast with the 7-0 win over Crystal Palace

"Look, not scoring is a concern if you don’t create. That’s how it is. If you create, it’s just momentum, it’s for now. But if you keep creating then you will score, that’s it. I know we will score again, that’s not our problem in the moment.

"We needed to show a reaction from the second half against West Brom because in that game we lost the plot a little bit in the second half, it looked for me like we were 1-0 down not 1-0 up. Tonight it was a very good reaction on that, without getting the result. But we all know: you win this game 1-0 and everybody is over the moon. And we should have won it at least 1-0, but we didn’t. That’s what we have to accept.

"But I can work with this performance, that’s important. I can work with the things I saw tonight. We can build on that, we don’t have to now change massively in the next three or four days and say, ‘OK everything is going wrong, we have to try to compete another way.’ That’s why I’m OK, that’s it."

On the return of Thiago Alcantara

"We signed Thiago actually because we thought he was a good player, so you can imagine we would like to have him in the team. That’s clear.

"What the other boys did in the time he was not available is absolutely incredible. James Milner, for example, tonight played a super game in midfield. Really. So, yes, it’s good [he is back], he is a super player. I think of the 20 minutes, 12 round about were brilliant and then he felt the intensity, but that’s normal. He trained exactly twice with the team. There is still some physical work to do, still some rhythm to get.

"Shaq [Xherdan Shaqiri] is back and that’s, by the way, the best news tonight – the boys are back and, as far as I know in the moment, nobody got injured tonight, which is a very important thing. That means we can probably go with the same squad to Southampton."

On Joel Matip's fitness

Centre-back Joel Matip picked up a groin injury during the recent 1-1 draw with West Brom and was rumoured to be facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines as a result.

"The normal stuff with these kind of injuries, [he will be out for] around about three weeks," Klopp added.

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