Stevie's call to senior players
Steven Gerrard has called on the senior players in the Liverpool squad to lead by example and ensure that there is no panic after Saturday's defeat to West Brom.
The skipper admitted he was shocked with how events unfolded at the Hawthorns on the opening day of the new Barclays Premier League campaign as Daniel Agger was red carded and the Reds conceded two penalties before losing 3-0 to Steve Clarke's side.
However, the 32-year-old insists the squad must look to put the disappointment of the weekend firmly behind them and focus on an important week which will see them travel to Hearts and then face league champions Manchester City at Anfield.
"The feeling after Saturday was one of total shock. It was never a 3-0 game," Gerrard told the Liverpool Echo. "I fancied us to go there, dominate and win but things didn't work out that way.
"In football you can be left feeling hard done by. After a 3-0 defeat everyone is going to be concerned. It's important that the likes of myself and the other experienced players take responsibility for a poor defeat.
"It took us five minutes to settle down but after that we controlled the game until they scored against the run of play just before half-time. In the second half quite a few things didn't go our way at big times.
"It's not the start we wanted but it's no time for panic. It's only the first game and it was one bad day at the office. We've got to look at the bigger picture. There's been so much hope around the place and rightly so.
"We have to put it behind us. We've got to dust ourselves down and bounce back against Hearts on Thursday night. We have to react in the right manner and look to put things right in the coming games."
Gerrard was keen to criticise his own performance at the weekend, insisting: "I made a mistake which led to (Agger's) sending off. I gave the ball away in the first place and that led to Daniel being put in trouble. I take full responsibility for that.
"We were already 1-0 down and losing him made getting back into the game very difficult. Being down to 10 men was the reason why they went on to get a couple more goals."
"We were unlucky with the second penalty as well. It was hard for the team to take. It was one of those days for us - a day to forget. But if there is any finger pointing to be done then I want to make sure that some fingers come my way."