Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has slammed his side for switching off in the second half as they conceded three goals to lose 3-2 to Udinese in the Europa League on Thursday.
The Reds had led 1-0 at half time thanks to Jonjo Shelvey’s strike before Antonio Di Natale levelled straight after the break.
Then in three minutes the Italians scored two goals, firstly a Sebastian Coates own goal and then a Giovanni Pasquale strike, with Luis Suarez responding with a 75th-minute free kick which proved mere consolation.
The result was the latest disappointment for the Reds, who have started the Premier League season slowly with just five points from their first six games.
The latest defeat was similar to Liverpool’s loss to Manchester United when they dominated the first half before seeing a man sent off and going down 2-1. Rodgers again bemoaned their inability to maintain concentration.
“We lost our concentration at the beginning of the second half and I thought we’d moved on from that to be honest,” he said. “I thought we were just lazy - that is the easiest way to describe it. Just lazy in our play and loose and sloppy. It is as simple as that.”
He added: “We are disappointed with the result because for large periods of the game we were the better side, but we have to defend better. It was very frustrating.”