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Jurgen Klopp defends Mohamed Salah lack of form as the maintain their unbeaten run against Chelsea in Stamford Bridge.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has defended Mohamed Salah after substituting the Egyptian during another flat performance in the 1-1 draw at Chelsea.

Salah scored 32 Premier League goals last season but he is yet to replicate the same form that crowned him PFA Player of the Year.

The forward has just three goals in nine appearances so far this campaign, and he was out of sorts once more on his return to Stamford Bridge.

The 26-year-old often over-hit his passes in the final third and missed two good opportunities in the first-half before Klopp withdrew him in the 66th minute as Xherdan Shaqiri entered the fray.

Daniel Sturridge cancelled out Eden Hazard’s opener as Liverpool rescued a point, and Klopp said of Salah’s display afterwards: “It was tactical, he was not injured,” he said. “It was not Mo’s best game of his career, 100%.

“But coming in a game like this, constantly in situations like he comes in, that makes a world class player. You fail, you miss, whatever, that happens. No problem with that.

“But I want him so that he wants to be decisive, to score in these situations. You could see the first ball he missed a bit it was not in the right position, and the next ball he passed! Why? He could have shot.

“It’s like riding a bike. It’s not that you wake up in the morning and you can’t finish and you can’t ride a bike any more. That’s how it is.

“You need to work for these moments when it’s clicking. That’s the period he’s in, no problem with that.”

"We all have to go through moments like this, but constantly coming close is still world class.

"He's such a threat still and it's really good. It's really OK. We have to deal with the situation but it is not difficult."

Liverpool looked to be heading for their second defeat to Chelsea in a week when Sturridge replaced James Milner with four minutes remaining, and the forward made an immediate impact.

His brilliant strike means he has now scored three goals in his last three matches, and Klopp was delighted to see the player’s hard work paying off.

"Daniel has always been in my thoughts, but he was never able to prove it [before West Brom loan].

"We thought West Brom was a good idea for him to get minutes under his belt again, and when he came back, he was an option for us.

"It has paid off for him, it's nice and absolutely deserved."

“It’s so good and so deserved. I’m so happy for him – everybody, when he came in the dressing room, the whole dressing room was dancing.

“He had a difficult time, of course; now he has a wonderful time. Coming in and being fresh and making decisions is so important. He had a similar situation last game and you see what a footballer he is – fantastic goal.”

Jurgen Klopp also highlighted the importants of his team balance following the impact of his substitutes as the quest for late minute draw: “As long as the boys are fit, we have a good squad,” he said. “And we have good boys who are not even in the squad at the moment.

“That’s how I said, not too nice for the boys but good times for us! Hopefully it stays like this, because then we will be prepared for a hard fight. If not, then it’s a bit more difficult.

“I really liked the game today. Come on, that’s how football should be. Not 1-0 and one team controls the game and the other doesn’t want to attack.

“That was really a big race for both. I loved that. Let’s go home, recover and fly to Napoli.”