Alonso started the game with four midfielders, including Eduardo Camavinga, Jude Bellingham, Arda Guler and Aurelien Tchouameni, while Federico Valverde filled in at full-back. Alonso opted to tweak his tactics further during the game, with winger Rodrygo taking Camavinga's place.
Asked what his aim was by fielding the Frenchman, he said: "A fourth midfielder. We thought Arda could cut inside from the wing, stretching Fede [Valverde]. Then we changed it because Arda had a good touch inside. These are decisions you make during the match.
"We haven't been able to break through their last defensive line to create clear chances in the box. Fede was carrying a knock, so we substituted him. With Trent [Alexander-Arnold] and Rodrygo, we wanted to create threats. We looked for other combinations. Today we lacked a little something overall, and some details went their way."
He also admitted that his team committed a lot of unnecessary fouls too close to the Liverpool box, which led the hosts to seize the moment and eventually find the winner through Mac Allister. "And in the second half, everything was very tight, a matter of small details. Those somewhat unnecessary fouls made us lose the initiative." he said.