Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho slams defending against Tottenham but insists Dejan Lovren is not to blame
Spurs ran riot to win 4-1 and send Jurgen Klopp’s to ninth in the Premier League
PHILIPPE COUTINHO insists Liverpool's entire team is to blame for the defensive horror show against Tottenham.
Dejan Lovren was hauled off in the first half after being at fault for two goals as Jurgen Klopp’s side fell to ninth after a 4-1 mauling.
But Coutinho believes all of his team-mates need to stand up and be counted to stop the rot.
He said: "They were goals that could have been avoided.
"Starting from out wide, they ended up being silly goals. ‘The manager said quite a lot about how they would try goals like that and, of course, in defence we have to play a decent game.
"We were in the game, but the third goal in the first half was a low.
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"It’s not just about the defence, it’s about the whole team, because the first goal started out wide, where everyone is involved in defending, not just the wingers or full-backs.
"We have to improve this as quickly as possible in order to win games, fight more, in more difficult games like this.
"To concede in the first four minutes, that unsettled the whole team a bit. Then the next one was after 12 or 13 minutes. It’s really difficult against a strong team when you start like that."
The Reds have shipped 15 goals in five games away from Anfield this season in a worrying trend.
And in-form Spurs were able to help themselves at the weekend thanks to some horrendous defending.
Harry Kane waltzed through to pass the ball into an empty net within minutes before Son Heung-min added a second.
Mohamed Salah cut the deficit after Lovren's withdrawal but goals from Dele Alli and Kane sealed a comfortable win.
Joel Matip added: "It cannot be that we concede that many goals away. I’m a defender and I should take care of this.
"We gave them the opportunity. It was not that they played the perfect ball with our mistakes. We have to take care of them and have to stop them."