Jurgen Klopp admitted Liverpool’s drab opening cost them in their 1-1 draw at Fulham.
The Reds were second-best for much of Sunday’s first half at Craven Cottage, which saw them fall behind courtesy of a Bobby Decordova-Reid goal.
Mohamed Salah’s late penalty salvaged a point from a below-par performance by the Premier League champions, who missed a chance to reclaim top spot.
And with 2,000 jubilant Fulham fans back in the stadium for the first time since February, Klopp felt his own side’s poor showing only helped their hosts.
He said: “It took us half an hour to get going. That makes the game more difficult.
“We helped Fulham a lot to create that atmosphere. They played different to how they usually play.
“With the ball, I didn’t like our game. In the first half an hour we could have lost the game; in the next 60 we could’ve won it.”
Joel Matip’s half-time withdrawal added to Liverpool’s already considerable centre-back crisis and saw Jordan Henderson partnering Fabinho in defence.
But the German confirmed initial reports on Matip’s injury are positive and he could still feature in Wednesday’s top-of-the-table clash against Tottenham.
He added: “Joel Matip has a spasm in his back. At the moment, nothing else. We will see if he has a chance for Wednesday.
“We are not struggling with numbers at centre-back, they’re just getting younger and younger. I hope that Joel will be fine but I don’t know.
“We have to find solutions. That’s how the football season is.”