Rafael Benítez is facing renewed speculation over his future at Liverpool after his nine-man side collapsed to a humiliating sixth defeat in seven games. The 3-1 loss at Fulham, during which defenders Philipp Degen and Jamie Carragher were both sent off, was their fifth league defeat of the season. However Benítez last night dismissed suggestions that his job is in doubt and pledged to appeal against both red card decisions.
Liverpool had dominated a first half in which Bobby Zamora had put Fulham ahead and Fernando Torres equalised, but when Erik Nevland put Fulham in front for the second time and Torres was taken off, the London club eased to victory – Clint Dempsey scoring a late third for the home side.
Benítez said: "It's hard to take the defeat. The first half was one-sided: we just made one mistake and conceded a goal. The second half they were more offensive and we made a massive mistake when we conceded the second goal. We worked hard with nine players, but it was very difficult. The red cards were two incidents in a few minutes when we were losing and they were difficult to take. The first one was a yellow card. The second one you can clearly see Carragher was kicking the ball."
Benítez dismissed questions over his future at Anfield, saying people needed to be "realistic" about the run of results, and shrugging off boos from Liverpool fans after he substituted Yossi Benayoun. "We still have confidence: we just need to take our chances and not make mistakes like we did today," he said. "You have to stay calm and keep working hard and find solutions. We also have to be realistic, and focus on three points from the next game against Birmingham."
Liverpool now face going into the crucial Champions League match against Lyon on Wednesday without Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard. Benítez said he would "have to see how Gerrard progresses" with his troublesome groin injury, while Torres is still not fully fit and was taken off after 60 minutes at Craven Cottage.
Benítez said: "We decided to play Torres against Manchester United last Sunday and it was a difficult decision because he was not 100% fit. He needed four days to be ready and is still not 100% fit. We decided to put him on the pitch today, but we had to protect him and that's why we took him out. I don't want to lose an important player for one month."
Carragher insisted the referee, Lee Mason, was wrong to send him off. "I felt it was harsh," the defender said. "I got a toe on the ball and I don't know if the referee was in the best position to see that. And when Bobby Zamora said I got the ball that says it all really." Asked if Liverpool's crisis was hurting, he replied: "Yeah, it's hurting a lot."
Liverpool had dominated a first half in which Bobby Zamora had put Fulham ahead and Fernando Torres equalised, but when Erik Nevland put Fulham in front for the second time and Torres was taken off, the London club eased to victory – Clint Dempsey scoring a late third for the home side.
Benítez said: "It's hard to take the defeat. The first half was one-sided: we just made one mistake and conceded a goal. The second half they were more offensive and we made a massive mistake when we conceded the second goal. We worked hard with nine players, but it was very difficult. The red cards were two incidents in a few minutes when we were losing and they were difficult to take. The first one was a yellow card. The second one you can clearly see Carragher was kicking the ball."
Benítez dismissed questions over his future at Anfield, saying people needed to be "realistic" about the run of results, and shrugging off boos from Liverpool fans after he substituted Yossi Benayoun. "We still have confidence: we just need to take our chances and not make mistakes like we did today," he said. "You have to stay calm and keep working hard and find solutions. We also have to be realistic, and focus on three points from the next game against Birmingham."
Liverpool now face going into the crucial Champions League match against Lyon on Wednesday without Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard. Benítez said he would "have to see how Gerrard progresses" with his troublesome groin injury, while Torres is still not fully fit and was taken off after 60 minutes at Craven Cottage.
Benítez said: "We decided to play Torres against Manchester United last Sunday and it was a difficult decision because he was not 100% fit. He needed four days to be ready and is still not 100% fit. We decided to put him on the pitch today, but we had to protect him and that's why we took him out. I don't want to lose an important player for one month."
Carragher insisted the referee, Lee Mason, was wrong to send him off. "I felt it was harsh," the defender said. "I got a toe on the ball and I don't know if the referee was in the best position to see that. And when Bobby Zamora said I got the ball that says it all really." Asked if Liverpool's crisis was hurting, he replied: "Yeah, it's hurting a lot."
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