Jurgen Klopp: Mamadou Sakho loss not to blame for Liverpool draw

Jurgen Klopp said Mamadou Sakho's absence was not to blame for Liverpool giving up a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Newcastle on Saturday.

Sakho was not involved in the squad after the pre-match announcement that he is being investigated by UEFA for a potential anti-doping violation.

Instead it was Kolo Toure and Dejan Lovren who played at centre-half as Liverpool saw their winning streak come to an end after being 2-0 up at half-time.

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Asked by Sky Sports whether Sakho's absence played a part in the result, Liverpool boss Klopp said: "That's not a reason. We have changed a lot in the last few games.

"Playing like we did in the first half is not easy so we did really well, but at half-time they had nothing to lose and we conceded twice, but we could have scored again.

"It was an intense game and we did well against a team who are fighting for their lives in the Premier League."

Liverpool looked to be heading for a fifth straight victory after first-half goals from Daniel Sturridge and Adam Lallana.

But Newcastle battled back to grab a point and leave Klopp to acknowledge it was not his side's "best day".

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"From 2-0 up it doesn't feel like you have won a point it feels like you have lost two," he said. "I didn't feel we would concede a second so I was confident and thought we could score a third.

"At 2-2 you are not in your flow and it becomes harder work. But we have to take what we get and carry on."