Allen: Liverpool must recover momentum

Joe Allen has challenged his team-mates to recapture the momentum they lost in a shock collapse against Southampton.

The loss was the latest dip in a rollercoaster season for the Merseyside giants, who were 2-0 up at half-time before losing 3-2 at St Mary’s after a huge week in which they knocked Manchester United out of the Europa League.

Such inconsistency has plagued Liverpool, who are seven points off Champions League football, and Allen said it was important his side bounce back straight away from their latest disappointment.

“Our focus has been on the run, gaining that momentum and I thought for large spells it looked like we would keep that going, but to come away with nothing isn’t good enough,” he said.

“We can’t look beyond that at the moment.

“I don’t quite know what happened in the second half but we are all very disappointed.

“To be ahead like that and then throw it away is hugely disappointing.

“We’ll make sure lessons are learned and for the rest of the season we’ll have to get that ball rolling and get some wins again.”

It gets harder for Liverpool as they return to action against title-chasers Tottenham after the international break, before continuing their Europa League campaign with the first leg of the quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund.