Defeat leaves Benitez at a loss

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez was at a loss to explain his side's dismal performance in the 1-0 defeat to Wigan at the DW Stadium.

Hugo Rodallega's eighth Barclays Premier League goal of the season in the 35th minute - after Dirk Kuyt had given the ball away near his own penalty area - proved decisive, but Benitez's team were woeful in the first half when they could not string two passes together and looked well off the pace.

"We have to be really disappointed. After a defeat always you cannot be happy but after a defeat in this way...the first half we didn't do anything," he said. "We gave the ball away, we didn't win any first or second ball, and that is difficult to explain."

He added: "I think it was a question of attitude in the first half; sometimes we played too quickly, we were in too much of a hurry. It was a poor half.

"In the second half there was a much better attitude but it was not enough.

"We had some chances but we didn't play well. If you approach the game in this kind of way you cannot win this kind of game or maybe any game.

"Everyone is very low. There are too many things we cannot understand."

Benitez never criticises his players in public but this was as close as he has come in nearly six years in charge.

But having missed the chance to regain fourth place - his side still sit sixth having played more matches than all of their rivals - the Spaniard said he had not given up the battle for Champions League football.

"We have to keep going. We have an important game on Thursday (against Lille in the Europa League) and then we have to keep going and keep winning games if we can," he said. "We have to win games. We cannot approach an important game like this and then play in this way. You have some good games, bad games, but at this time in a crucial moment I think we could do better."