Despite controlling the match for large swathes, a sucker punch from Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney saw Liverpool’s bitterest rival add quite a bit more distance between the two sides in the race for Champions League football — something that Reds defender Kolo Toure isn’t at all happy about.
“We feel really down, to be honest, because it was a game that we dominated, we played very, very well, we were strong at the back,” he told the club’s official website following the final whistle. “But at the end the set-piece changed everything. We were the better team and the better team lost,” continued the Ivorian, before further venting his frustration. “We were the better team, we played well, created some chances, but at the end we lost. This is really hard to take.”
After scoring three against Arsenal midweek, the Anfield outfit failed to find the net throughout the 90-minutes against the Red Devils despite creating a plethora of chances. By the time the visitors registered their first and only shot on net just shy of the 80th minute, United should have been well behind, but a familiar culprit in their fragility from set-pieces came back to haunt them once again.
“We need to organise better,” conceded the veteran defender, echoing sentiments shared on more than one occasion by Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp. “Rooney was at the back on his own to score his goal and it’s very frustrating. I feel down, like all the team, but that’s football,” mused Toure, speaking for the whole squad. “Sometimes you play well and lose, sometimes you play not so good and you win. We need to carry on playing and focusing to avoid that kind of situation.”
