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Liverpool boss Klopp blames snow for failure to beat Leicester

LIVERPOOL, England - Jurgen Klopp said snow on the Anfield pitch was a factor in Liverpool missing the opportunity to open a seven-point gap over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.

Sadio Mane gave Liverpool a third-minute lead but they were unable to beat Leicester, eventually drawing 1-1, with their passing game affected by the conditions.

"You saw that the ball didn't roll really," Klopp said. "If you then have the ball pretty much for 70 to 80 percent of the time it makes life really uncomfortable.

"The only problem is if it stays on the pitch and that was actually the case."

Contrary to Klopp's comments, the Anfield groundstaff cleared only half the snow away from the pitch at the break -- at the end that Liverpool were attacking in the second period -- but the home side could not score.

Klopp also complained that Liverpool were denied a penalty in the second half after Naby Keita was fouled in the penalty area by Ricardo Pereira, only for referee Martin Atkinson to wave away the protests.

"I don't know what he [Atkinson] thought in that moment," Klopp said. "I think he had the best position.

"Usually I have to explain penalties which were penalties, and you ask me if it was a soft penalty. A penalty is a penalty.

"There was no blood involved again today, but it's a penalty because one of our players is in the box. It is like it is. It won't change. Nothing to worry about, keep on going."

Klopp also felt the goalscorer of Leicester's equaliser was very fortunate to only receive a yellow card for a cynical foul on Mane six minutes before he made it 1-1.

"Then we have the situation with Maguire," he continued. "The second time in a game where a striker of ours is brought down at the halfway line, and we treat it like it was I don't know where.

"[Mane] would not have been alone [on goal] because Mo Salah would have been around him, it was a two versus [Kasper] Schmeichel situation. If that is not a real goalscoring situation, I don't know what is."

Despite the draw, Liverpool still moved five points clear of Manchester City in the league standings after the reigning champions suffered a shock defeat at Newcastle United on Tuesday.

City host Arsenal on Sunday before Liverpool travel to West Ham United on Monday night.

"Am I disappointed after we don't win a game? Of course I am," Klopp said. "But I don't bring it together with the Man City game. I understand all these thoughts, but what shall we do now?

"It's easy to ask all these questions, but we have to make sure that we are not influenced too much by these things. The boys are normal human beings, I am a normal human being. We want to win a game and we don't, so we don't feel brilliant. But then we have to talk about what does it mean for the Man City thing? Not too much, to be honest.

"We have a point more than before. That's not exactly what we wanted to have, but still everything is fine in the moment."