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Jurgen Klopp said Liverpool’s poor decision making was to blame for their 1-0 defeat at home to Burnley on Thursday, a result which saw the Reds lose ground in the Premier League title race.

Having dominated the majority of the game against Sean Dyche’s men, Liverpool were unable to break the deadlock, with a combination of Divock Origi’s poor finishing and Nike Pope’s superb reactions keeping the score at 0-0.

The Reds received a sucker-punch late on as Alisson brought down Ashley Barnes in the area, with the striker stepping up to slot home the resulting penalty and end Liverpool’s incredible home league record.

Klopp was quick to stress in his post-match interview that he believes his side’s poor decision making is the reason they’ve struggled to break teams down of late, and that it’s an area of their game he’s keen to work on.

“It’s not that we don’t create chances because the players don’t have the ability, it’s because of our decision making,” he told Sky Sports. “The difference between a good footballer and a very good footballer is decision making. It’s not rocket science.

“In the second half we had a lot of good moments with Trent [Alexander-Arnold] especially, he tried to pass the ball inside and then we are not in the right moment. They are waiting for the cross and then realising when the ball is on its way ‘oh it’s for me’ and then they move.

“It’s not about how high your skill set is, it’s about making decisions in that moment. If something doesn’t work we have to try harder, longer and make better decisions.”

Since the Reds’ emphatic 7-0 win over Crystal Palace in December, they’ve mustered just a single goal from 90 shots in the Premier League, a barren spell which has seen them drop six points behind leaders Manchester United.

Despite Liverpool’s inability to find the back of the net in recent weeks, Klopp took full blame for his side’s recent poor performances, though he conceded he wasn’t sure how they managed to come away from the clash with Burnley empty-handed.

“We lost the game which is actually impossible to lose, but we did it,” he added. “That’s my fault, my job is to make sure the boys feel the right amount of confidence, make the right decisions but obviously it didn’t work out tonight [Thursday].

“We had the ball a lot, we created some situations, that’s all ok, but in the final moment our decision making is not right at the moment.”

Manchester United’s title challenge gathered momentum as they ran out 2-1 winners over Fulham on Wednesday evening.

The result ensured the Red Devils returned to the Premier League summit, two points clear of rivals Manchester City in second (who have a game in hand) and Leicester in third and six points clear of Liverpool (who also have a game in hand).

It’s a position that seemed unthinkable when they were being hit for six by Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham in October or when Demba Ba was making a mockery of them for Istanbul Basaksehir in November – and a large debt of thanks to the position they currently find themselves in is owed to Bruno Fernandes.

The midfielder has been the catalyst for change at Old Trafford since his arrival from Sporting CP last January, and he has dragged United up the table this term with 11 goals and seven assists in the Premier League.

Fernandes was typically good again against Fulham on Wednesday evening, playing a pivotal part in United’s equaliser as his teasing delivery was palmed into the path of Edinson Cavani by Alphonse Areola and popping up with his signature flicks and deft touches.

But it was Cavani and Paul Pogba who shone brightest for United, demonstrating that the Red Devils do have another dimension to them.

Fulham had taken the lead inside six minutes through Ademola Lookman. Fulham, the side who tend to win when they go ahead under Scott Parker versus Manchester United, the side who have made a habit of sparking a comeback and winning from losing positions. Something had to give. Fulham gave.

Cavani equalised with an instinctive, smart poacher’s finish and really looked the part up top for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, his goal capping off a thoroughly impressive all round performance from the Uruguayan. His work rate was exceptional; he chased back, he harried, he flew into tackles and he didn’t give the Fulham backline a moment’s respite.

Going forward, Cavani’s movement was smart and unpredictable. He almost gave United the lead in the second half with a darting near post run and header, only a strong Areola save keeping him out.

Areola could do nothing to keep out Pogba’s scorching strike minutes later. It was a thing of pure beauty from the United midfielder, cutting inside on the edge of the box and then sending an ridiculously audacious strike into the Fulham net.

It was a moment of world class, match winning quality from Pogba where – just like against West Ham in December – he demonstrated his ability to change a game with a single flash of brilliance.

Fernandes is world class, but against Fulham the Red Devils demonstrated that they have more strings to their bow.