Harvey Elliott acknowledged a sub-standard Liverpool performance was deservedly punished after the Reds lost 1-0 at Plymouth Argyle in round four of the Emirates FA Cup.
A second-half penalty from Ryan Hardie – awarded after Elliott was adjudged to have handled the ball in the area – decided Sunday’s tie at Home Park.
A much-changed Liverpool team – only Caoimhin Kelleher retained his place in the starting XI from Thursday’s Carabao Cup semi-final victory – applied late pressure but could not force an equaliser.
Speaking after the shock defeat Elliott told Liverpoolfc.com:”Disappointing. It wasn’t our best game at all, we all knew that on the pitch. But I think one thing about the team today, we fought to the end, we kept trying, we kept pushing.
“But sometimes this is what happens in football – today we weren’t good enough. I’d say it was harsh to lose the way we did but games like this, where we don’t play as well as we should do, can go either way and today it didn’t go our way.
“But it’s a learning curve again, there were a few learning curves from today – youngsters making their debuts and the younger lads playing, so it’s always nice to see that. But we just have to rest up and go again on Wednesday now.
Reacting to the penalty he conceded:”I mean, the arguments could go on forever, to be honest. I was so close to him and I said to the referee, ‘Do you expect me to jump with my arms by my side? That’s just not a natural way of jumping.’
“I was trying my hardest to block the ball and my arm was up there but it was about a metre away from the player shooting. But it’s football, it’s a kick in the teeth really. It’s not nice to lose this way and it’s not nice for it to be on you, as I gave away the penalty. So, unfortunately it’s just one of those things. I need to keep my head up and keep pushing on.”
