Stewart Downing has said that Liverpool took too long to get into their game against Southampton yesterday.

The Reds lost 3-1 to Mauricio Pochettino's side, finding themselves two goals down a little over half an hour into the match.

The 28-year-old told Liverpool's official website: "We just didn't start brightly enough. The manager said we didn't start playing until we were 2-0 down. He stressed from the start that this was a difficult game, probably one of the hardest of the season.

"They are scrapping for their lives and, to be fair, they were the better team on the day. You've got to give them credit for that. We started too late."

"If you can beat Tottenham at home, you should come here and win. If you want to be in the top four, you have to come to places like this and win. That's easier said than done."

The result leaves Liverpool in seventh place in the table, seven points off the top four.