UEFA Champions League: Liverpool defender Milos Kerkez has stressed that winning games remains the club’s priority after the team suffered a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League, with an opportunity to bounce back awaiting them in the UEFA Champions League.
Liverpool suffered their first defeat under manager Andoni Iraola on Sunday as City scored three times in the second half at Anfield. The Reds will now turn their attention to Wednesday’s away fixture against Austrian side LASK, looking to put the disappointing result behind them.
“The result is the most important [thing] in football. It’s definitely the result. We need to win games; this club needs to win games, so we need to do that,” Kerkez told Stadium Astro on Tuesday.
The contest remained goalless for more than an hour, with both sides struggling to create clear-cut opportunities. Liverpool showed encouraging signs after the break, but their challenge became significantly tougher when midfielder Ryan Gravenberch was sent off after receiving a second yellow card in the 62nd minute.
Kerkez admitted that Liverpool were frustrated with the outcome, insisting that his side had competed well before the dismissal changed the course of the match.
“We are frustrated, definitely. I think we did well in the first half. We pushed a lot, and also when we had situations to defend, I think we defended really well,” he said.
The defender added that Liverpool had continued to apply pressure in the opening stages of the second half and were still in contention before being reduced to 10 players.
“The game was on; it was 0-0, and we pushed them. They had moments, and we defended well. We pushed them again. The game was on, definitely. It was just moments. ‘Who’s going to score first?’” Kerkez said.
Reflecting on the impact of the red card, Kerkez acknowledged the difficulty of facing a team capable of retaining possession and exploiting spaces.
“But at the end of the day, it’s football. We got the red, and after that they kept the ball a lot, and they’re really good on the ball, so it was tough,” he said.
Reflecting on the impact of the red card, Kerkez acknowledged the difficulty of facing a team capable of retaining possession and exploiting spaces.
Article Source: IANS
