Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has called on his players to stick together and work through the difficulties of the season.

The Reds suffered their first Premier League defeat in front of their home crowd and with Virgil van Dijk on the field in almost five years, beating Leeds United 2-1 on Saturday.

The defeat leaves Liverpool ninth in the table and closer to the relegation zone after 12 games than they are in the top four, and Klopp conceded his side are far from their best at the moment.

"It was a setback, for sure," he told Sky Sports. "I thought we had a really good start and then conceded a curious goal.

We scored the equaliser, but for some reason it didn't give us confidence. We struggled to control the game and gave away too many balls.

The lads tried, we had a lot of possession and great chances, but when it's 1-1 and you defend the situation around the second goal like that, you leave everything open in the end."

Asked how he could fix his side's current woes, Klopp drew attention to his side's injury woes, stressing that many of his top players simply haven't had the time to get back to their best form due to the busy schedule and thin squad.

"Maybe some players are overplayed, Harvey [Elliott] has been exceptional for us this season," Klopp began. "He had a good start but couldn't continue. Thiago was ill, the same players always play up front - these are the three strikers we have left. We have to keep fighting."

In a few days the Reds will continue in the Champions League against SSC Napoli. The Serie A table leader is hardly suitable as a build-up opponent, but in the premier class you no longer have to worry about progress and can therefore approach the duel with a little more calm.

This article was originally published on 90min.com as Jurgen Klopp urges Liverpool to hold on after setback against Leeds.