Matt Beard has said his Liverpool side need to make a change after they fell to their fifth consecutive defeat against Aston Villa in the Women's Super League.
The Reds were beaten by a goal to nil in their first ever WSL clash with the Villans. It was a fairly even contest in the first half, with the visitors coming closest to taking the lead when Alisha Lehmann's strike was tipped onto the post by Rachael Laws.
However, Villa did go in front early in the second half, after Laws was adjudged to have fouled Kirsty Hanson inside the area. Despite protests from the Liverpool players, Daly converted from the spot to give Villa the lead inside 57 minutes.
READ MORE: Liverpool Women dealt huge blow as Ceri Holland injury confirmed ahead of Aston Villa clash
READ MORE: Liverpool challenge issued as 'season-defining' month begins with Aston Villa clash
“It’s frustrating," Beard told the ECHO after the game. "I don’t think anyone deserved to win it today.
"I think we’ve created the better chances. They obviously had the penalty and Lehmann had that one right on the stroke of half time. We didn’t even work the goalkeeper which is the frustrating thing but its an official's decision that changed the game in the sense of the scoreline."
Reflecting on the penalty decision, the Liverpool boss said: " I’ve watched it back, I’ve been in with (the referee). I’ve got respect for Robert (Massey-Ellis) but it’s not a penalty. Rachael’s won the ball cleanly and anywhere else on the pitch it’s a great tackle.
"That’s frustrating. I don’t know what a penalty is anymore…You can see from Rachael’s reaction that she won the ball. Rachael’s the most placid person in the world but moments like that shouldn’t be defining games."
Liverpool sit tenth in the table heading into the international break, with a crucial run of games to come when WSL action resumes on November 19.
“We’ve got to change it," Beard said. "There’s got to be a change quickly. We’ve got a big international break now so pray everyone comes back fit."
He added: “I think we looked at these run of games and if we could have got nine or ten points we’d be happy with that, but we’ve just got to make sure we don’t lose the games, that’s the most important thing.
"If I look at Man City last week, I don’t think we deserved to lose it. As much as it was an encouraging performance, I can’t keep saying we don’t deserve to lose games. We’re losing them so we’ve got to turn that around quickly.”
Sunday's defeat marks the first time Liverpool have lost five games consecutively since a run between October and December 2018. The Reds will be hoping they can reverse their fortunes when they take on Brighton at the Broadfield Stadium in two weeks time.
NEW! Our Year: European Champions 2022 - The Official England Winners Book
With a foreword by England manager Sarina Wiegman, this is the only official book of the historic triumph, reliving every kick of a thrilling tournament and telling the stories of the players who made it all happen.
Order from reachsportshop.com/https://reachsportshop.com/book/our-year-european-champion-2022/
READ NEXT:
- Everton Women given 'wake up call' in Manchester United defeat
-
Liverpool Women move top of Continental Cup group with 4-0 win over Leicester City
- 'Keep his mouth shut' - Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp slammed Tottenham Hotspur star for 'childish' outburst
- Liverpool fans stung by £400m broken promise before FSG found different answer
- We simulated Tottenham vs Liverpool to get a Premier League score prediction
