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Liverpool defender Kostas Tsimikas said last season’s heartbreak was the reason for the Reds’ excellent start to this season after Wednesday’s 1-0 Champions League win at RB Leipzig.

Last year, Liverpool won the League Cup and were top of the Premier League table in Jurgen Klopp’s swansong and on course for four trophies when a run of poor form saw them exit the competition.

This year, Liverpool have won 11 of 12 competitions under new coach Arne Slot – the best start ever for a Reds manager.

Tsimikas, who was named man of the match in Wednesday’s win, admitted last season’s weaknesses are driving the team forward this time.

“Of course (it drives us). I think last season we destroyed everything in the end,” he said.

“After a bad result, I think, against Man Utd, I think in the next few games the team wasn’t the team we were before.”

Liverpool sit at the top of the Premier League table and are one of only two teams, alongside Aston Villa, to have won three out of three in the Champions League this season.

They travel to title rivals Arsenal on Sunday and could go seven points clear of the Gunners with a win.

Tsimikas said it was “too early” to talk about trophies, but added: “We set our goals at the start of the season and we want to achieve everything.”

“I think we will go to Arsenal to play our football, win the game, that is our goal. We just look at every game, game after game we have to win, get the three points and play good football.”

Darwin Nunez scored the only goal of the game, his first in the competition since February, and manager Arne Slot said he had “asked for goals – maybe more than one – but he gave us one today”.

“It was a team goal. It’s pleasing to see that Darwin did a very good job today.”

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