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Describe that performance, you defended well?

I thought the players did a good job defensively. Especially giving a debut to a young right back as well. Look, we were playing against a really good team, we made opportunities, more in the second half and gave us some chances.

Overall pleased with the performance up against a tough team, we are a bit limited to what we can do as well so we made the most of what we could.

The second goal must be particularly disappointing having come from your corner?

Of course we have talked about the speed of the counter-attack. More importantly we talked about not putting the ball near Van Dijk’s head because he heads the corners out.

That was probably the biggest thing, we really didn't want to get the ball near Van Dijk and he was the one who headed it away and they break from it.

Everyone knows about Salah and they speed they have got. So that was disappointing.

To lose the goal to the penalty in the first half was bad enough and then the counter attack too at a time when we were growing into the game a little bit as well.

Has this game lost more confidence or maybe gained a bit in your team?

I think the players will feel that in lots of things tonight it was positive. Tactically organised, disciplined when they had to be and some of the defenders stood up to good challenges tonight. Organisational wise I thought they dealt well with things that Liverpool caused them.

The effort of the midfield boys was excellent and it was never going to be easy for us to create loads and loads of opportunities. We probably had three or four good chances. Declan's header, I'd turned away to think it had gone in but it was a great save.

How would you rate this Liverpool team?

They are as good as there has been around at this moment. It’s difficult when you have been manager of Everton and United to say that. But I have to say they are excellent, they have so many strings to their bow.

Whatever you try to do to stop them, they find ways around you. Trying to find ways of competing with them is not an easy situation.

Whoever is the best team, everyone out there is trying to find ways to beat them, all the best coaches want to find a way to beat them.

The best team we've ever seen in the Premier League?

It would be wrong to say, you think of some of the great Manchester United teams, Arsenal teams of the past, we are in a different era, different types of players. Faster pitches, things have changed so it is difficult to judge them.

Two years ago I don’t think anyone can see anyone beating man city ever but what happens is other teams say they need to get to that level, all the top teams, whether it be in Europe or England, are trying to beat them.

Any new faces ahead of Saturday?

Well, we have signed one. He has had a winter break so hopefully he is fresh and ready to go, why not?

I've only just met him tonight really, he's had his medical and stuff done but I hope he can be somebody who can help us. I don’t want to put pressure on him. It is not the easiest league in the world to come in and make an immediate impact.

I have got a lot of confidence that he will do well for us in the future and this season as well.

(Image: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

How do you think Jeremy Ngakia did on his debut and how did you tell him he was making his debut?

I didn't actually tell him until today. I'd had in my mind I would do, I wanted to give Zabaleta a breather, he's played a lot of games and we need to look after him with the games coming up as well.

I thought he done great. After the opening 10 minutes I think you get shocked a wee bit by the strength and the speed. After that he grew into it and did a lot of good things.

Lanzini coming off was cheered, what did you make of that?

(Image: Stephanie Meek - CameraSport via Getty Images)

My thought is he is arguably one of our best players, if not our best player. When I was here before I needed him as much as I needed Marko Arnautovic.

He was such a good player for us and I am desperate to get him back to the levels he was at. I trust him, I believe he can get back to those levels. He has had a bad injury and what I need the supporters to be right behind him because we need him.

At the moment he is our flair, he is our person that might makes the difference. What he needs is support but I also need him to make sure he does the right things as well.

There is nobody more behind him than me.

How big is Saturday's game against Brighton?

I thought you were going to say how big is the break?

It’s a really big game for us, we know it is and I am sure they are saying the same as well.

We have to prepare to get turned around quickly. It is a difficult knowing that we have got Liverpool twice this month. It has meant we wont have as much recovery time as Brighton have had this week, so we need to get ready as quickly as we can for a very important game.

Concerned about Sebastien Haller's form?

I have been more annoyed we have had chances in games, not loads, but chances and we have not taken them.

What I see from his finishing it looks very good, technically he is a good finisher. We will have to get him more service, more balls in the box, more opportunities.

So that's the way we will go about it. I don't have loads of options to do anything else at the moment. We have tried to support him, tonight we didn't really do that but we needed it for the team performance.

We have tried to get people to help him but we need some magic from him, like the goal he scored against Bournemouth for me. I could do with a couple of them.

Any chance of a new striker?

Like everybody else we are looking very hard, we are in for a lot but there is not that many out there.