Rodgers says Liverpool 'needs to improve' at dealing with big game occasion

Liverpool football team boss Brendan Rodgers has said that dealing with big game occasion is something they need to improve at following their dismal FA Cup semifinal performance at Wembley.

Liverpool lost 2-1 to Aston Villa on Sunday to add to their League Cup semifinal defeat earlier in the season.

Rodgers said that they were nervous for some reason, adding that maybe when one wants to win something so much, perhaps it plays on ones mind. He said that dealing with the occasion is something they need to improve at.

The Liverpool boss said that there have been other big games where they have dealt with that very well, but there are others where they haven't, the BBC reported.

Philippe Coutinho gave Liverpool the lead but Christian Benteke levelled before half-time and Fabian Delph scored a superb second-half winner for Villa.

Liverpool finished second in the Premier League last season when they were overtaken by Manchester City late on in the race for the title. And they have endured a difficult start to this season and were as low as 12th at one stage, while they were also knocked out of the group stage of the Champions League.

An improvement in form has helped them to compete for a top-four spot but that challenge has also faded in recent weeks following defeats to Manchester United and Arsenal, the report added.