LIVERPOOL: Jurgen Klopp slammed the Premier League schedule again but refused to blame him following Liverpool’s 2-0 defeat at the hands of Atalanta earlier this morning.

The Reds missed the chance to reach the knockout round of the Champions League with two games remaining when goals from Josip Ilicic and Robin Gosens gave the Italian victory near Anfield.

It was Liverpool’s first home defeat in 90 minutes of play since September 2018, with the defending Premier League champions failing to create a precise attempt to score.

Klopp, who will bring his squad to Brighton for the clash at 12.30pm this Saturday, claimed that his squad was less prominent due to the tight schedule until Christmas.

He told BT Sport after the match with Atalanta: “I am afraid to say it, but I think it (fatigue factor) can happen not only to us but also to other teams.

“You (BT Sport) my special friend asked us to go to the match at 12.30 pm on Saturday which is honestly like a crime. It has nothing to do with tonight’s match but congratulations for that.

“What I want to do at this point is show a good signal, no one is injured, let’s recover immediately. We are ready to face it.

“The players are disappointed, very disappointed, but we don’t have time for that. We just want to recover immediately to get back into action, that’s all.”