Dejan Lovren reveals Liverpool dressing room message after Manchester City defeat

City inflicted Liverpool’s first Premier League defeat of the campaign with a 2-1 victory on Thursday

Dejan Lovren has urged his Liverpool team-mates to stay calm despite seeing their unbeaten record end in a enthralling top-of-the-table showdown with Manchester City on Thursday night.

City inflicted Liverpool’s first Premier League defeat of the campaign with a 2-1 victory which closed the gap at the summit to four points and gave the reigning champions renewed hope of defending their crown.

Liverpool, meanwhile, remain in pole position to win their first top-flight league title in 29 years, though they will want to ensure that this first defeat does not suddenly derail their challenge.

Lovren, who recently claimed Liverpool were capable of going the whole season unbeaten, said that the message in the dressing room after the full-time whistle was to regain composure for the remaining 17 games.

“Now we need to accept that this is what it is,” the Croatian said. “Just like when we have been winning through this season, we keep calm now when we lose. We lose, we stick together and we will continue.

“Yes of course, the message [in the dressing room afterwards] was to stay calm. There are many games in front of us, and we knew it was a big season and we are still first. Like I said, nothing changed.

“We need to stay calm, keep our focus game by game and do not look back. When we win or we lose, we will not look back.”

Thursday’s defeat led some to conclude that the pressure of topping the title had proved too much for Jurgen Klopp’s side, but Lovren is confident that he and his team-mates are mentally strong enough to preserve their four-point lead.

“For one game I don't know, people already questioned us even before the season, even now they said the game is already the title. It doesn't work in football like that,” he insisted.

“It is game by game, let us see at the end of the season where we will finish. But I don't think it will change anything. No we are quite strong, strong in the mentality.

“This is Liverpool, we will always come back when it's tough. And you know it is tough after the last whistle, but it is over, finished, we can't change it, so we will accept that, congratulate Manchester City – but the season is quite long and I believe in this team.”

Goals from Sergio Aguero and Leroy Sané, either side of a Roberto Firmino equaliser, gave Pep Guardiola’s City three vital points though Liverpool came

Lovren’s defensive partner Virgil van Dijk pointed to the four-point lead as a reason for Liverpool to believe that they can stay the course at the summit and end their long wait for a league title.

“[The four-point lead] may be something people are forgetting,” Van Dijk said. “They won, but we are still on top and we are still confident.

“It is about winning the game, but there is no reason to panic, only to keep going. You can’t look at this situation in a negative way. We are still top of the league, with a four point lead. It is still looking fine for us.”