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Jurgen Klopp defended Daniel Sturridge after the England striker headed straight down the tunnel following Liverpool's 3-1 Premier League defeat at Swansea. Sturridge failed to acknowledge the Liverpool fans at the final whistle of the result which ended a five-game unbeaten run in the top flight. The 26-year-old has not been an automatic starter in recent months and has hinted that he could leave Liverpool if he does not get first-team football under Klopp. Sturridge was left out of the Liverpool side which lost their Europa League semifinal first leg at Villarreal 1-0 on Thursday, and he must wait to see if he will start this week's return game. After the Swansea defeat, Sturridge vented his frustration at the result on his official Twitter account. Sturridge played the full 90 minutes at the Liberty Stadium and appeared dejected at the end as he trudged off the pitch alone. "If somebody forgot to say something to the fans then it's my fault," Klopp said when asked about Sturridge's exit. "It is nobody else's fault. If you think we ignore the fans it's not what we wanted. I went too immediately. Hopefully our fans know how close we are to them. "After a game like this if you want to leave, if you want to go... you [might] want to rest and recover and do a lot of things." Sturridge drew a blank against Swansea after scoring in his previous four Premier League appearances, and his fitness does not appear to be an issue before the Villarreal return. "If he feels something I said he should give me a sign," Klopp said. "He said he wanted to play the 90 minutes and it's no problem. "He did not play on Thursday and it's four or five days until Thursday again. He's good."
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