Skrtel calls for ruthless streak

Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel has called on his team-mates to be "more ruthless" if they are to climb higher up the Premier League table.

The Reds surrendered a 1-0 lead to go down 2-1 to Tottenham last Sunday thanks to Aaron Lennon's stoppage-time winner.

Roy Hodgson's men wasted a number of clear goalscoring chances to put the game beyond Spurs and Skrtel, who scored Liverpool's goal, admits the manner of the defeat at White Hart Lane was hard to take.

"Losing that game was very difficult to take," Skrtel told the Liverpool Echo.

"In the first half we did really well and controlled the game. We scored one and created a few more chances.

"In the second half we let them get back in it and to concede again right at the end was so disappointing.

"It came down to us missing our chances. If you don't score goals you don't win games. We have to improve."

Skrtel admitted his first goal in a year mattered little to him as Liverpool ended up losing the game.

"It was nice to score a goal after so long without one but for me the most important thing is winning and we didn't do that," added Skrtel.

"I might have scored but I can't be happy after that because we didn't get the result."