Leicester, Feb 3 (IANS): Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp has admitted that he nearly clapped for rival striker Jamie Vardy who scored a brace against the visitors here to snatch a vital three points for Leicester City.

City beat Liverpool 2-0 courtesy of a double from Vardy on Tuesday night to remain on top of the English Premier League points table.

"Things like this happen when you are in such a good moment like Jamie Vardy and Leicester are. Obviously you need a little bit of luck but it was really good. First of all you need to be brave enough to do it," Klopp was quoted as saying by Skysports on Wednesday.

"It's the perfect season for Leicester and the perfect season for Jamie Vardy. They deserve every point they get and Jamie has deserved every goal he's scored until now. I was close to clapping my hands to be honest but I just felt too bad at that moment."

The 29-year-old first scored a stunner at around the hour mark and then followed it up with another crisp goal 11 minutes later to put the game beyond Liverpool.

"At the end, the game is decided by a world class goal from Jamie Vardy," Klopp said.

"One second before we were in their box and we didn't shoot. That maybe shows you the difference.”

Klopp regretted the missed opportunities and added they were not up to the mark in the game.

"I think we had a good plan and a good style of play. The way we forced ourselves to play football was important. Even when they pressed in the first half we played and then they had to run," the German tactician regretted.

"We had a lot of opportunities to cross but our crosses were not exact. We then had some situations when we could have passed but we shot and others where we could have shot but we passed. It was not 10 clear-cut chances and so I don't feel too good at this moment."