'Like a pub team' - Roy Keane slams Liverpool defence after Arsenal defeat

Roy Keane has slammed Liverpool's performance in defeat to Arsenal on Sunday, suggesting the Reds defended "like a pub team" at the Emirates Stadium.

Jurgen Klopp's side lost only their second Premier League game of the season at the weekend - both of which have come in north London - and were well beaten by Arsenal in a dent to their title aspirations.

Liverpool slumped to a 3-1 defeat after a catalogue of embarrassing defensive errors, while the forward line found it difficult to carve out too many clear-cut openings.

Virgil van Dijk had a notbaly poor game and was arguably responsible for all three goals the Reds conceded, while Alisson was also surprisingly poor and Ibrahima Konate was sent off late on.

It was an afternoon to forget for the Reds down south and former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane gave a scathing assessment of Liverpool's performance on Sunday.

Reviewing the first goal Liverpool conceded, Keane said: "Well he's [Van Dijk] obviously got that wrong, hasn't he?

"If you're going to go, you've got to make some sort of contact on the ball or make a tackle. But he ends up in no man's land. I think this is really poor defending. A really experienced player just selling himself like that."

Keane added: "In terms of the intensity from the first whistle to the last from Liverpool, in possession and without, I can't believe how bad they were.

"Again, credit to Arsenal, they turned up and they were at it. But Liverpool defensively, the goals they gave away...like a pub team defending."

It's hard to disagree with Keane's post-match comments as a leggy Liverpool saw their lead at the top of the table cut to two points. Had the Reds beaaten Arsenal, they would have moved eight points clear of the Gunners.

Manchester City also have two games in hand on Klopp's men and will go top of the table should they win both of them. The first comes against Brentford on Monday night and Liverpool could do with an unlikely favour from the Bees.

The relentlessness of the Reds' schedule seemingly caught up with players at the weekend and hopefully this is just a blip in what will be a successful final season for Klopp.