'We Were Competitive' - Rodgers' Liverpool Assessment
- Leicester City fell to a 2-0 defeat at Liverpool on Thursday
- Manager Brendan Rodgers isolated areas of the performance which offer encouragement
- Elements of City's defending, however, frustrated the Northern Irishman again
- He hopes the positive aspects can provide motivation ahead of Sunday's return to King Power Stadium
A brace from Diogo Jota settled the Premier League clash at Anfield, although the visiting Foxes did have spells within the game. It came after a hugely disappointing Emirates FA Cup defeat at Nottingham Forest. West Ham United at King Power Stadium are next up on Sunday (4:30pm GMT kick-off).
"It was much better," the City manager told LCFC TV on Merseyside. "I think the supporters will drive away with a lot more pride than they did at the weekend, that's for sure. We were very competitive in the game. I thought we started the game well. We got into some good areas.
"We failed with the final passes which can make the difference once we arrived. Their 'keeper made a really good save from Madders (James Maddison). We conceded from a set piece, which has been an ongoing issue for us no matter what structure we play.
"That's a key moment in the game, which is disappointing, but we just had to keep doing what we were doing. We had to come under a bit of pressure, which is what you'd expect, in the second half. Still, when we broke through their press, we arrived into some fantastic areas.
"We just didn't find that bit of quality that you need against a team like Liverpool. Then, of course, they get the late goal. We were very competitive right the way through and that was much better in terms of the performance."
That result at Forest was a prominent precursor to Thursday's visit to Liverpool with the Leicester squad determined to deliver a performance more in line with the supporter's expectations.
"You can't hide from it and sometimes you have to be harsh to be clear," he added. "The players got the message. They were open. It's my responsibility. I pick the team. I pick the tactics. However, it's also accountability for players. They took that on tonight, that responsibility, and it was a much better performance.
"We let them down at the weekend. We can't mask over it. There hasn't been too many games that we've done that in my time here but certainly that was the one that really sticks out. I've been involved in derby games while I've been manager at Liverpool and Celtic.
"I know what it means to supporters. Even now, it's still in the back of my mind, but we have to move on from it. Three points (against West Ham) will help at the weekend for sure."