Jurgen Klopp Happy If Liverpool 'Play Ugly' After 2-0 Win over Crystal Palace

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has said he is happy for his side to "play ugly" in their bid to be Premier League title challengers this season after they dispatched Crystal Palace 2-0 at Selhurst Park on Monday.

Klopp does not want the team to get carried away but instead to focus on their own results each week.

Per MailOnline's Tom Farmery, he said:

"It's very early. I couldn't care less really. We are not in a race with other Premier League teams each weekend. I was not 100 per cent sure tonight in the first half that we would score. 

"You have to play it as it is and be a real challenger, play ugly, do all that type of stuff. Our target is to be a difficult opponent. 

"It is too strong to say anything after two match days. You can discuss whatever you want—just do it without us."

The Reds took the lead on the stroke of half-time through a James Milner penalty. Despite Aaron Wan-Bissaka earning his marching orders for bringing down Mohamed Salah as he was bearing down on goal in the 75th minute, Liverpool did not put the game to bed until Sadio Mane struck on the counter deep into injury time.

"In these moments the fuel is really low and maybe the players need a bit of help from an angry manager—'run or I will kill you'—and they did that with a fantastic counter-attack," Klopp added.

Football writer Joel Rabinowitz was also impressed with Liverpool's ability to break from a Palace corner:

The clash was a potential early banana skin for the Reds against Roy Hodgson's resilient Eagles, and while they may not have blown Palace away, it can be equally useful to be able to grind out results away from home.

BT Sport's Ian Darke felt as much:

After reaching the UEFA Champions League final last season and doing some excellent business in the summer, buzz around Liverpool's potential to win the title is only likely to increase with each victory they pick up.

Klopp's decision to play down such aspirations at this stage could be a shrewd move, though.

Not only is the campaign in its infancy, but playing up to an underdog status can be an effective tactic to take some of the pressure off—we saw how Claudio Ranieri achieved this when he guided Leicester City to the title in 2016.

Liverpool might struggle to hold onto an underdog tag later in the season if they find themselves at the top of the table, but for now Klopp is keeping their feet on the ground and that could yield positive results.