Jurgen Klopp Brushes Off Manchester City Comparisons After Liverpool Win

Jurgen Klopp said his Liverpool side "play our own football" and cannot play like Premier League title rivals Manchester City after the Reds rallied late to beat Southampton 3-1 on Friday.

Liverpool went behind at St Mary's Stadium to Shane Long's ninth-minute opener before Naby Keita equalised before the break.

The Reds then left it late again to pick up all three points, with Mohamed Salah and Jordan Henderson scoring in the final 10 minutes:

The victory put Liverpool back on top of the table, having played a game more than City:

Pep Guardiola's Sky Blues have been looking much more comfortable of late, but Klopp rejected any need for Liverpool to compare themselves with their title rivals, per the Guardian's Dominic Fifield:

"It was brilliant. I told the boys we have a good mentality among us. We were well organised, we pressed high and were everywhere on the pitch. They deserved their early goal but we adjusted to the situation, stayed calm and waited for our moment. The performance was not at the top level but at this stage it is about fighting. People want us to play like Manchester City but we are unable to do that, so we play our own football.

"We have 82 points now, that is massive in this crazy league and everyone is waiting for us [to slip up]. It is a difficult year for everybody: you'll need to have 70 to 75 points to qualify for the Champions League and 90-something to win the title. But we are still in the race and that is nice."

City will not have the chance to go back to the top of the table until April 14, when they face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

On Saturday, the Manchester outfit are in London to take on Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley Stadium.

Liverpool are back in action on Tuesday, when they host Porto in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final.

Then Chelsea visit Anfield on Sunday for Liverpool's toughest remaining match of the Premier League season.

Klopp's side have played the Blues twice already this season, once in the Carabao Cup and once in the league, and they have lost and drawn, respectively.

Another failure to beat Chelsea could end Liverpool's title challenge this term because City are so remarkably consistent.