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Benitez backs players

26/10/2005

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has refused to criticise his side in the wake of an embarrassing Carling Cup exit at the hands of Crystal Palace.

The Reds found themselves behind in the first-half only for skipper and frequent saviour Steven Gerrard to haul them back into the game.

However, with the Eagles going ahead again in the second-half thanks to Marco Reich, Liverpool were unable to respond as their strikers continued to struggle to find the back of the net.

Benitez appeared incandescent at the final whistle but recovered his composure, insisting that the effort was there.

"You cannot attack the players if they work hard. We started the game well," he said.

"I know we lost the game, but the team worked hard and created opportunities.

"We made some mistakes in defence, and that is the reason we lost this match. And even though we made chances, we failed to take them."

The European Champions looked short of sharpness on the night, as Harry Kewell and Fernando Morientes evinced Benitez' claims they were short of match fitness.

Now Liverpool must get themselves back on track after back-to-back defeats, with the cup exit following on from the 2-0 loss at Fulham on Saturday.





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