Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp fires back at claims his side suffered a 'setback' by failing to beat beleaguered Man Utd

The Reds boss refused to believe that failing to beat an out-of-form Manchester United at Anfield was a 'setback' for his side despite agreeing that the team's finishing could have been better in the goalless draw against their arch-rivals.

In the club's match day programme ahead of their Carabao Cup clash against West Ham on Wednesday, the manager wrote, "The world that we live in is one in which clubs like ourselves have to win every game – this is not a complaint, it is just a reality – so even when we do not beat a team like Manchester United the reaction outside is that it is a setback. Although I know this world and I respect it, as a manager, it is not one that I can be part of. This is why I have spoken about the positives when others wanted to find the negatives. I also do the reverse when we are being praised for a result. This is the truth of football. There has to be a balance between what you see and how you view it. If everything you think is defined only by the outcome, it would not make too much sense.

"So I was definitely able to see the good parts of our performance against United. It was not perfect, of course. Our finishing was not what we would like and there were also times when our decision-making could and should have been better. But so many other of indicators that I looked for from my team were positive. The counter-pressing was as good as it has been this season. The intensity levels were so high. Against an opponent that many underestimated but we did not, we created a lot of shooting opportunities and on another day I would hope and expect that we would make more of them."

Klopp's head into Sunday's fixture as the league leaders while Erik ten Hag's side were on the back of back-to-back defeats against Bournemouth and Bayern Munich at Old Trafford. The stage was for the Reds to pick up a comfortable win against a beleaguered United side and extend their lead at the top but instead, they were held to a draw and in the process lost their place at the summit to Arsenal.

Club legend Jamie Carragher had claimed that Liverpool's chances of winning the Premier League title looked bleak after Sunday's stalemate.

The Merseyside club will aim to get back to winning ways and progress to the last-four stage of the Carabao Cup. After the midweek clash, they are set to host Arsenal on Saturday.