Jordan Henderson: Disappointed with our start but pleased with the reaction
Jordan Henderson acknowledged Liverpool's start in Sunday's 1-1 draw away at Fulham fell way below the standards expected of the team.
Mohamed Salah's 79th-minute penalty earned the Reds a point after Fulham's early pressure saw them go ahead in the first half through Bobby De Cordova-Reid.
The result sees Liverpool stay second in the Premier League and level on points with current leaders Tottenham Hotspur.
Reacting to the Fulham clash, Henderson told Sky Sports: "We didn't really get going until after the first 25, 30 minutes really, which in the Premier League you can't do otherwise you get punished – and we did. So that's disappointing.
"The good thing is we reacted well after that, finished the half strongly, came back out in the second half and dominated and maybe should've scored one or two more.
"So, disappointed with the start but pleased with the reaction for the majority of the game.
"It was a slow start, they started really well, to give credit to them. We'll have to look at it but [it's] not like us.
"So, we need to move on quickly, another big game coming, but we can't start like that going forward.
"We need to start the half like we finished the first half. There were plenty of us that weren't happy with the start – and rightly so. But like I say, it was only half-time, another 45 minutes to go and we gave everything in the second half.
"You've got to give credit to Fulham, they made it difficult as we knew they would, defended deep and made it very difficult to create chances.
"So when you can't win, don't lose. But at the same time, we're disappointed because I felt as though we're good enough to get the three points."
The Craven Cottage encounter was hot on the heels of Liverpool's Champions League trip to Denmark in midweek, where they drew with FC Midtjylland.
Henderson, though, didn't offer the workload as an excuse for the Fulham display and is now starting to look ahead to Wednesday's Anfield meeting with Spurs.
"I don't want to make excuses," the captain said. "I'll let you talk about that and the amount of games that players are playing and stuff like that, especially European teams.
"But I don't want to stand here and make excuses. We've just got to prepare and play whenever we're told. That's all we can do and that's what we have been doing.
"We flew back from Denmark, prepared well but for whatever reason we didn't start the game well. But the good thing is we reacted really well, like we normally do, and maybe could've won the game on another day. But yeah, we'll be disappointed going home.
"Every game is big but Spurs are doing really well. Great team, great manager, so it'll be another tough game. But we need to recover, get ready and give everything again."