Liverpool's Jürgen Klopp defends Karius after late collapse against Bournemouth

• Liverpool manager backs goalkeeper despite errors in 4-3 defeat
• ‘We gave the game away and the boys know that’

Jürgen Klopp admitted Liverpool “gave it away” as Bournemouth’s late comeback condemned his side to a first defeat since August but the manager insisted he had no concerns over his goalkeeper, Loris Karius, despite the errors that played a part in the hosts’ dramatic win.

Karius, who looked nervous throughout, spilled Steve Cook’s shot for Nathan Aké to convert from close range to complete a remarkable turnaround as Bournemouth, inspired by their substitute Ryan Fraser, secured their first victory against Liverpool. They had trailed 3-1 after 76 minutes with the visitors apparently in complete control, only for their defensive frailties to be exposed to leave the Merseyside club in third place, four points off the leaders, Chelsea, from whom Ake is on loan.

Related: Bournemouth battle from behind to stun Liverpool with Nathan Aké winner

“We gave the game away, and the boys know that,” said Klopp, whose frustration had been clear on the sidelines but who was philosophical in the aftermath. “Only because of us Bournemouth came back. It was our mistake to let them back in the game but, even when we were 2-0 up at half-time, I wasn’t happy because we weren’t playing too well.

“We were too static in our play and I didn’t like what I was seeing too much, so I told the boys that the game wasn’t over. We kept the ball too long at the wrong moments, passing it late, and, eventually, everything changed.”

Karius, who has displaced the error-prone Simon Mignolet as first-choice this term, did produce one fine save from Benik Afobe but, with the visitors increasingly pushed back, drew criticism from the former Liverpool player Jamie Carragher. The former centre-back, in his capacity as a pundit, bemoaned the German’s slow reaction for Fraser’s goal, which pulled the game back to 3-2 before the calamitous late mistake.

“In eight starts for Liverpool he has not shown me one thing to suggest he’s good enough at this level,” Carragher said. “He’s yet to convince me in any game. It is still early days but he would need a massive improvement. When your defence is under pressure, sometimes you need your goalkeeper to save it and he’s miles away [from Fraser’s second goal].

“Too often in last two or three years, Liverpool fall apart when put under pressure. The back four and the goalkeeper can’t deal with [pressure].”

Klopp said: “Look, I’m sure people criticised Jamie Carragher in his career. I have no concerns [with Karius]. If you make mistakes, you get criticised. That’s what happens in life, so I have no problem with that. So if people want to say we’re blind, silly, not good enough, then do it. We missed chances today but do we have good strikers? Yes we do. And the last goal was not easy for a goalkeeper. It says nothing about him as a goalkeeper. It happens.

“I knew there would be moments like this. There is no attitude or character problem here. We have been 100% before now, and we were 99% today, but it’s quite simple to go back up to 100%. No one is born a winner. Not in the first two or three months [of a project]. You have to learn and we must learn from this. Things like this can happen – you don’t like it and it still feels bad but why should I be angry? We are not ice skating, it’s not about how it looks. I know we can play football but we gave the game away at a decisive point. We opened the door and they ran through and scored some wonderful goals.”

Related: Ryan Fraser inspires Bournemouth’s madcap turnaround against Liverpool | Barney Ronay

Bournemouth’s comeback, in Eddie Howe’s 301st game in charge, hoisted the hosts into the top half of the table and served notice of this team’s own spirit and attacking prowess. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget this one,” Howe said. “It was a real contrast of emotions. At half-time we were in real trouble because Liverpool had been excellent and we’d not been very good. So that makes the comeback all the more impressive.”

The late recovery owed much to the impact of Fraser from the substitutes’ bench, with the Scottish forward scoring one, earning a penalty and assisting another as the home side rallied. “He was magnificent,” Howe said. “The wee man’s been patient and waited for his chance. He’s a very young player and had to make a decision in his career to come to England from Aberdeen, signing for us when we were a League One club, and that was a huge leap of faith. But hopefully it’s paid dividends. He’s got a great future.”