Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said it is too soon to write off his side as they prepare to face Napoli in the Champions League on Tuesday.
The Anfield outfit have lost four games in the Premier League already this season and sit ninth in the table.
But they have already secured their spot in the Champions League last 16, although they trail Napoli by three points in Group A.
Klopp's side would have to win by four goals at Anfield to overtake the Italians as Luciano Spalletti's side have a far superior goal difference.
In the build-up to the game, Klopp defended his team's poor start to the season. Liverpool have won just four of their first 12 Premier League games and are 15 points behind leaders Arsenal – and eight shy of a top-four place.
“I think the judgment for this should come later on in the season, or maybe at the end,” said Klopp.
“If you say ‘That’s it’ for this group of players or for this manager I don’t think that’s 100 per cent fair in this moment, to judge the team or the squad, because we never had them available.”
While injuries have played a part in their poor start to the season, key players are also underperforming.
Liverpool are currently without forwards Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota, while Andy Robertson, Ibrahima Konate, Joel Matip, Thiago Alcantara and Darwin Nunez have all been unavailable at times during the first few months of the campaign.
“We miss players, especially now up front, we miss top quality, which is not helpful,” said Klopp.
“Even if it’s unfair, it’s fine. It’s normal, it’s our life and it’s absolutely fair to ask these questions. But we have to answer that later on.”
Liverpool 1 Leeds 2 - player ratings
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LIVERPOOL PLAYER RATINGS: Alisson Becker - 6. The Brazilian took responsibility for the opening goal but Gomez’s blind pass was the bigger issue. Liverpool defenders sometimes have too much confidence in their goalkeeper. AFP -
Trent Alexander-Arnold - 5. The 24-year-old showed flashes of his attacking ability but was not his usual, dangerous self. His defending was adequate and he made way for Milner with 11 minutes to go. AFP -
Joe Gomez - 4. The 25-year-old started badly by gifting Leeds a goal and seemed not to regain confidence. No defender should pass backwards without checking the opposition. EPA -
Virgil van Dijk - 4. The Dutchman was lackadaisical. The margin between imperious and indolent is sometimes thin. He was on the wrong side of the line. AFP -
Andrew Robertson - 7. The Scot was the only Liverpool player who was anywhere near his best. He got up and down the line and provided the cross for Salah’s goal. Getty -
Fabinho - 3. You had better be producing a performance of heroic proportions if you are going to chide the crowd. The Brazilian tried to gee up the Kop despite being awful. He was replaced by Henderson in the 61st minute and no one was surprised. Getty -
Harvey Elliott - 4. The 19-year-old looked out of his depth. Youngsters have nights like this and need to be bailed out by more experienced teammates. He was left hanging and substituted for Jones in the 60th minute. EPA -
Roberto Firmino - 5. The Brazilian was in and out of the game. He linked play nicely and was foiled twice by Meslier in the closing stages. Getty -
Thiago Alcantara - 4. The 31-year-old's passing was off beam. His mobility was questionable, too, and he was easily bypassed by Leeds breaks. AFP -
Mohamed Salah - 6. The Egyptian scored the equaliser and showed signs of an understanding with Nunez. His teammates need to find a way of getting him the ball more often. AP -
Darwin Nunez - 5. The Uruguayan needs to lose his unfortunate knack of hitting the goalkeeper. He also needs to develop better decision-making. AFP -
SUBS: Curtis Jones (Elliot 60') - 5. The 21-year-old promised an immediate impact with his direct running but found too many blind allies. Getty -
Jordan Henderson (Fabinho 61') - 5. The 32-year-old found it hard to impose himself on the game. Getty -
James Milner (Alexander-Arnold 79') - N/A. The 36-year-old will be disappointed the winning goal came down his flank. AFP -
LEEDS PLAYER RATINGS: Illan Meslier - 8. The Frenchman made a succession of saves that kept his team in the game. Most of them were routine but the goalkeeper made things look easy. AFP -
Rasmus Kristensen - 7. The Dane provided an outlet going forward and Aaronson hit the bar from his dangerous cross. He had some nervous moments defensively but made up for it with a series of tackles and blocks. Reuters -
Robin Koch - 6. The German had his hands full with Nunez and sometimes looked less than secure. He rarely panicked, though, and stuck to his task. Reuters -
Liam Cooper - 5. The 31-year-old rode his luck. He got caught out of passion on occasion and could have been punished by more clinical finishing. Getty -
Pascal Struijk - 7. The 23-year-old had a daunting challenge against Salah but did his best to keep the Egyptian relatively quiet. This meant he did not get forward as much as Kristensen. EPA -
Tyler Adams - 7. The American worked relentlessly to ensure Liverpool could not dominate the midfield. His distribution was effective when his team were in possession. AFP -
Marc Roca - 6. The Spaniard found it hard to get a grip on the game in the first half. He improved after the break but his passing was far from perfect. Getty -
Jack Harrison - 5. The 25-year-old forced a first-half save from Alisson but too often failed to live up to his promise. He was replaced by Gnonto in the 72nd minute. PA -
Brenden Aaronson - 8. The American hit the woodwork and was at the centre of most of his side’s best work. He aimed to cause danger every time he picked up the ball. AP -
Crysencio Summerville - 7. The Dutchman spent much of the game looking out of his depth. He changed perceptions with his winning goal before being replaced by Ayling in stoppage time. AFP -
Rodrigo - 6. The Brazilian was the grateful recipient of Gomez’s error and opened the scoring. After that he could not carve out many chances and he made way for Bamford in the 52nd minute. Reuters -
SUBS: Patrick Bamford (Rodrigo 52') - 5. The 29-year-old's touch let him down when a big opportunity arose. AP -
Wilfried Gnonto (Harrison 72') - 6. The 18-year-old injected a burst of energy into the team. AFP -
Luke Ayling (Summerville 90+1') - N/A. The 31-year-old provided extra security in the closing moments of the game. EPA
Back-to-back defeats against the Premier League’s bottom two clubs Nottingham Forest and Leeds mean questions are being asked about Klopp's ageing squad.
Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Thiago Alcantara are all over 30 and Liverpool's squad has one of the highest average ages in the Premier League.
“It's not a quick fix but we will not stop fighting,' said Klopp. “People look at me and they say 'he looks tired' or whatever but I'm not.
“I cannot give that excuse. My job is not only to be here when the sun is shining and somebody gives us a trophy.
“My job is to be there when we go through a really rough period and I will do that with all I have.”
On the encounter with Napoli, Klopp said: “In the Champions League the most important thing is to get through and qualify for the knockout stage. That's what we did.
“It's a football game broadcast all over the world. We will have a full Anfield and that means we have to put a proper shift in and that is what we will do.”
You can see images of Liverpool players training ahead of the Napoli game in the gallery above. To move on to the next photo, click on the arrows or if using a mobile device, simply swipe.
