Roy Keane brands Liverpool as 'bad champions' after Man City drubbing

Former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane has described Liverpool as "bad champions" after the defending Premier League champions lost the third game in a row at the Anfield to skittle off in the title race. 

Manchester City, after missing a first-half penalty, netted four times in the second half to win the match by 4-1 to go 10 points clear of the Reds with a match in hand. 

Keane, who won the league seven times with Manchester United, slammed Jurgen Klopp's men as he said that the Reds are making a lot of excuses while branding them "bad champions". 

He said: "They are making a lot of excuses. To me they’ve been bad champions and I don’t just mean today.  

"You can lose a game of football but there is a way to get beaten. I don’t see that and I think maybe they have all believed the hype over the last year or two. 

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"We spoke about will there be some sort of drop-off, but they are playing for a big team in Liverpool. It’s as if they have won the league last year and they have all got a bit carried away and believed the hype, but in my mindset when you have won a league title, the next challenge was, 'Can we do it again?’," Keane told Sky Sports.

While Liverpool have been missing key players in Virgil Van Dijk and Joe Gomez, goalkeeper Allison Becker's two costly mistake didn't help the cause against ruthless Man City, who look on course to register yet another Premier League title triumph.  

Keane was particularly irked with Klopp saying that maybe Allison had a cold feet and hence, ended up making mistakes which resulted in two Man City goals. 

Keane continued: "You could say it is a one-off, a freak season, it is corona… Just get on with it and perform like champions – you are Liverpool Football Club. Keep performing like that and it will be another 30 years before you win the league title, trust me. 

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"If everyone had all their players it would be fantastic, but if you want to look at Man City for a moment and the run they have been on, you could say they are missing two of their best players (Sergio Aguero and Kevin de Bruyne). 

"But they have come to Liverpool and Liverpool had a strong team out. I know the two centre-halves are missing, but they still had their best attacking players on the pitch, their best goalkeeper available, they still have international players in midfield. 

"After the game Jurgen Klopp is talking about the goalkeeper’s feet being cold. I know it is tongue in cheek a little bit, but it is excuses after excuses." 

Manchester City have 50 points to their name after 22 points and are five points clear of second-placed Manchester United, who are with 45 points after 23 matches.