Skrtel: We are not happy with Hull draw
Martin Skrtel admitted he was unhappy that Liverpool had to settle for a point from a goalless draw with Hull City yesterday, but took a small crumb of comfort in recording a first clean sheet since August.
The Reds were in control throughout the vast majority of the encounter at Anfield and would have taken maximum points for the third Barclays Premier League match running had they taken one of numerous chances.
Instead, the diligent work of the visitors plus notable saves from their last line of defence, goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic, frustrated Brendan Rodgers' side and limited the hosts to a stalemate.
Skrtel had anticipated a testing meeting with the Tigers before kick-off, yet was still left disappointed with collecting just one point, especially as the target was an immediate victory following the Champions League reversal in midweek.
"After the Real Madrid game, we wanted to win and get the three points," the centre-back told Liverpoolfc.com. "But, unfortunately, we couldn't score a goal and it was just a draw. It's not enough and we're not happy with that.
"We knew it was going to be a tough game because Hull City play well; they got a point at Arsenal so we knew they were going to defend well. They showed that again. We tried to play our game, move the ball and create chances - but we couldn't take them."
On the satisfaction of at least securing a shut-out, he added: "It's nice because there has been a lot of criticism about our defending, so I'm glad we got a clean sheet. The clean sheet is a small plus for us."
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The relentless rigours of three games per week continues unabated on Tuesday, when Swansea City are the opponents at Anfield for a fourth round fixture in the Capital One Cup.
Skrtel considers the tournament an inviting opportunity for the Reds to claim silverware in 2014-15 and therefore pledged that the players will summon their strongest form to tackle the Welsh outfit.
"It's quite a difficult schedule for us," said the No.37, a League Cup winner with the club in February 2012. "We played on Wednesday and now we play again on Tuesday.
"We'll try to play the best we can. We've got a Capital One Cup tie and it's a competition we want to win. This is a chance so we have to be ready for that game."