ANFIELD – Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers castigated his players after they crashed to a sensational defeat at third-tier Oldham Athletic in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday night.
Report by Supersport
Rodgers named fringe players Brad Jones, Sebastian Coates, Jack Robinson and Jordan Henderson in his starting XI at Boundary Park and the plan backfired as the 18-time English champions were beaten 3-2 by League One Oldham.
Striker Matt Smith was the hosts’ match-winner on Sunday, scoring twice either side of a Luis Suarez goal for Liverpool to set Paul Dickov’s side en route to a famous victory.
Reece Wabara’s thumping header made it 3-1 after three minutes of the second half and Liverpool could not find a way back into the game despite Joe Allen pulling a goal back 11 minutes from time.
Liverpool became the fifth Premier League side to lose to a team from a lower level in this season’s fourth round and Rodgers pulled no punches in his assessment of his team’s failings.
Having handed opportunities to players desperate for playing time, Rodgers said he was frustrated to see them under-perform.
However, manager Dickov still appears set to lose his job after chairman Simon Corney effectively admitted he had decided to dispense with his services after a run of seven defeats and one draw in eight League One games.
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