Jurgen Klopp bemoaned Liverpool's inability to defend set-pieces as their defence of the FA Cup came to an end at Brighton on Sunday afternoon.
Klopp's team were beaten 2-1 at the Amex Stadium in the fourth-round tie as the Reds suffered their ninth defeat in all competitions this term.
The Reds took the lead through Harvey Elliott's first-half goal but were pegged back when Tariq Lamptey's shot from a half-cleared corner hit Lewis Dunk to wrong-foot Alisson Becker.
A replay appeared to be on the cards before the impressive Japan winger Kaoru Mitoma won it in stoppage time after Liverpool had failed to clear their lines from a Brighton free-kick that had been clipped into the penalty box.
Klopp said it was a step up in performance from the 3-0 defeat at the Amex Stadium two weeks ago but was left to rue defensive frailties against a team who have now scored eight times against them in three meetings this term.
"We obviously came here to go through to the next round with the game in mind a couple of weeks ago that was pretty much rock bottom of the performances we had in my time," Klopp said. "So that was better today, much better today.
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"But in the end, we still conceded two goals from set pieces. We closed the gaps they passed through last time but around set-pieces, that doesn't help, so we have to do different stuff. So that is why we were not close to avoiding the goals. That's how it is.
"It doesn't feel great and it's not cool but we have to take it. As I said, the set-up in the first half was really good. Cody helped us massively with and without the ball in the centre and Harvey on the left, defensively we can really use him.
"But when we change them that is how it sometimes happens. Obviously with Darwin (Nunez) it is a bit more tricky to do all these kinds of [defensive] things, he is not used to it. And we have to work with him a lot to involve him in these moments and against a well-drilled team like Brighton, if not all positions are not working together they can play through that one gap.
"They play for that one gap. Whether it is Welbeck, Mac Allister, Gross or Ferguson and then they go. So we closed these gaps most of the time but then we stopped doing that well anymore.
"It was not that we were under that much pressure in the game, we had our moments in the final third of the game, that is how it is, everything opens up. The goal happened after a set-piece and it should not have happened because we could have won that ball with a heading situation already.
"Ibou (Ibrahima Konate) has played a lot now and I felt he could have won this challenge in the first place but Mac Allister gets it down without a foul and then some things happen. So yes, we still have space to improve. We have improved but we have to make more steps, that is what we'll do."
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