LONDON • New Swansea manager Carlos Carvalhal likes to use seafood metaphors, but this time he chose a motor racing analogy to describe the Premier League's bottom club's shock win over Liverpool on Monday.

Alfie Mawson's first-half strike earned the hosts a 1-0 win at the Liberty Stadium, only their fifth in the league all season.

Carvalhal said: "I talked with my players and said this (Liverpool) is a really strong team.

"They are like a Formula One car. But at 4pm in London it will be difficult to speed, they would be a car like any other.

"We needed to make sure there was traffic, we could not let them have open roads to drive in."

Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino headed against the post in the final minute of stoppage time before substitute Adam Lallana had his effort blocked by Mawson.

Jurgen Klopp admitted that his team got what they deserved but insisted he did not suspect any complacency following their 4-3 win over leaders Manchester City .

"The performance in the first half was not even close to what we wanted to do," the Liverpool manager said after Swansea ended the Reds' 18-match unbeaten streak in all competitions one year and one day since the Swans brought the Anfield club's 17-match unbeaten home run to an end.

"We had the situations but didn't use them. I am frustrated, I am angry. But I am more frustrated about the performance than the result.

"We didn't stretch their formation, we didn't keep the right positions to cause them problems.

"Swansea knew to win this game that they needed our help and we gave them that."

The only goal came against the run of play in the 41st minute when Mawson swept the ball in after Virgil van Dijk had misplaced a header as he tried to clear a corner kick. It summed up van Dijk's awkward league debut - Liverpool's £75 million (S$138 million) centre back cost £4 million more than Swansea's entire starting XI.

Carvalhal's tactics worked a treat, using a five-man defence to deny Liverpool space and then hit them on the break.

Since the former Sheffield Wednesday manager succeeded Paul Clement last month, Swansea have lost just once in six matches.

They remain bottom but are three points off safety, while Liverpool remained fourth on 47 points.

"We are breathing in this moment, we are not in emergency in hospital, we are still in hospital but we can accept visits now," Carvalhal said.

THE TIMES, LONDON THE GUARDIAN, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE