Former Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana has defended his former club’s status after current employers Brighton defeated the Premier League champions on Wednesday evening.

Former Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana has defended his former club’s status after current employers Brighton defeated the Premier League champions on Wednesday evening.
The 32-year-old was part of the Reds squad that lifted the title last season. The playmaker left the club on good terms in the summer, exiting for the Seagulls.
His Anfield return was ultimately to be a happy one. Lallana came on as a second-half substitute to help his side inflict Liverpool’s fourth league defeat of the campaign.
As a result, many punters and pundits are questioning whether the Reds are in the title race anymore following the loss.
Jurgen Klopp himself even remarked after the game: “The gap to City I am manager of Liverpool and so you ask and I have to say we want to be champions but you need games for it and we need performances for it and we dont have that.
However, Lallana sent a classy message to his former boss, club and supporters the following day.
Posting on Instagram, he wrote: “To beat the Premier League champions you need a performance thats close to perfect the boys did that last night.
“It was a privilege to be back at a place that is so special to me and to see people who will always be family.
“As the saying goes, ‘form is temporary, class is permanent.’ This Liverpool side is a class act in every respect.”
Liverpool currently sit fourth, seven points off leaders Manchester City, who have a game in hand.
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Klopp reiterated that the performances his team have produced in recent weeks is below par.
He goes toe-to-toe with Pep Guardiola on Sunday where win for the visitors would see them open up a ten-point gap over Liverpool.
However, Klopp remained cool about the huge match at the weekend.
He said: “We fight for three points, it is not decided who will get the three points on Sunday. We have to play better and we will try.
“These gaps are not interesting at the moment. They are the result of the results we had already.
“What we can influence is the next game. Against Brighton it was not enough. We know that and we have to change that.”
Manchester City have not triumphed in the league at Anfield since May 2003.
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