Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard has called on his senior team-mates to carry the club through a difficult start to the season.
Gerrard, 30, was just an observer as Roy Hodgson's understrength side crashed to defeat to League Two Northampton Town in Wednesday night's League Cup tie. The result followed a poor start to their Premier League campaign which sees them in 16th place in the table.
Speaking to the club's official website, Gerrard issued a rallying cry to get the Anfield outfit back to success starting with the weekend fixture against Sunderland.
He said: "They will learn from this experience. Football isn't just about highs.
"Throughout my career I have experienced both highs and lows and probably learnt more from the lows because you look at yourself first, look at what went wrong and try to learn from your mistakes.
"The players are allowed to be down today but it's up to players like myself to pick them back up because playing for this club there are big games every two or three days and we need to get everyone's head focused on Sunderland now.
"I can understand everyone's frustration but I think the Carling Cup now, when you're part of a big club and a big squad, is all about giving young players the chance and the experience because if you put a strong side out then the kids will never get the chance to experience playing in front of big crowds and in big competitions. There are still some positives underneath the frustration.
"Although we've gone out and everyone is down and disappointed, the experience that would have given the lads in the dressing room might be vital for the future.
"The amount of ability and talent in that squad was good enough to roll Northampton over and I'm sure nine times out of ten it would have, but in cup football sometimes a shock happens and you slip on the banana. Those players are still good players, we're still a fantastic squad and there's still a lot of things to achieve this term and a lot of football to be played.
"The last thing we want now is for people to be sulking with their heads down because there's a massive game in three days.
"No-one is hurting more than the players who played. We've all been there and all experienced it.
"Everyone is disappointed and down but it's not the end of the world. It's gone now, it's important we move on and think about Sunderland and try to get the three points."
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