Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain bemoans the Reds' 3-1 Premier League defeat to Brentford.
Midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain said Liverpool were not good enough when they travelled to the Gtech Community Stadium on Monday night as they saw their four-game Premier League winning run come to an end.
An own-goal from Ibrahima Konate and Yoane Wissa's header inside the box handed the Frank Thomas' Bees a comfortable 2-0 lead in the first half.
Oxlade-Chamberlain’s header five minutes into the second period gave the Merseyside club hope for a comeback but late on in the game, Bryan Mbeumo powered Konate off the ball, and restored Brentford's two-goal advantage late on, meaning Liverpool are now seven points behind fourth-placed Manchester United, who ran out 3-0 winners against Bournemouth.
"[It was] tough," Chamberlain, who made his 100th Premier League appearance for Liverpool, told Liverpoolfc.com. "We just weren’t good enough. We knew it was going to be a difficult game, we knew their threat around the set-pieces and we didn’t do well enough.
"We got away with a couple of [goals] with VAR ruling them out, but they were the warning signs and in the end we conceded a sloppy second goal after the restart after we sort of got away with that. Then at 2-0 it’s difficult. I think at times we did well and we created some good moments but we didn’t carry on doing the same things that got us that success.
"We came looking for the ball to feet a little bit too much I think and stopped offering in behind and causing them problems.
"And then at 2-0 - at half-time - we wanted to come out and really go for the game and believe. The early goal helped see that but unfortunately we couldn’t get the second one in quick succession. If we had it might have been a different ending. Brentford play their game and they play it really well and we kind of fell into the trap a little bit tonight. Overall, it wasn’t good enough from us."
Liverpool 'no top four without new midfielder'
Following the match, Liverpool legend told Sky Sports his former club must recruit a few players to bulk up their midfield in the January transfer window if they are to have any chance of securing a Champions League place this season.
"That has been a theme of Liverpool all season," Carragher explained. "As soon as the intensity of a game rises they cannot cope. They need to play a slower type of game because as soon as it goes fast they are not at the races, they cannot keep up with it.
"Liverpool have had a problem all season against teams that are physical. This is a team, let us not forget, that prides itself on saying that intensity is our identity. They cannot cope with it anymore at this time. It looks like an ageing team coming to the end."
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