Burnley 0 Liverpool 4: Displays against bottom teams cost us says Laws

Burnley manager Brian Laws accepted that his side were not good enough, often enough to stay in the Barclays Premier League but has vowed they will bounce back.

This defeat to Liverpool at Turf Moor confirmed their return to the Coca-Cola Championship after just one top-flight campaign.

With two matches to play the Clarets cannot now catch 17th-placed West Ham and return to the Championship after just one season in the top flight.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

However, Laws confirmed he would be in charge for next season and said he hoped to lead the side back up again.

"No one can explain how you feel. It is one of those feelings you get in the gut and it is not very nice; supporters will be feeling it because it (their Premier League stay) has come to an end," said Laws.

"You can't console the players. They are as hurt as anyone else. It is the final nail in the coffin and it is a horrible feeling.

"But they have to reflect and say, under that horrible feeling, they have to be proud of themselves at what they have achieved because getting into the Premier League was a magnificent achievement.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"Over the 12 months I'm sure many people will reflect and say we didn't deserve to stay in the Premier League.

"The regret is not winning games but every player has gone out there and given their all.

"At the end of the day, if we're not good enough, we're not good enough. But there have been moments within this season when we have been good enough but not on a consistent level.

"More importantly, against teams at the bottom end, is when you have to raise your performances and we didn't do that frequently enough. That is why we are where we are."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Two goals from captain Steven Gerrard – the first from a deflection – a maiden Liverpool strike for Maxi Rodriguez and a late effort from Ryan Babel did the damage.

All Liverpool's goals came in the second half and the frustrating thing for Laws was that Steven Fletcher and Jack Cork could have put the home side 2-0 ahead by half-time with headers which they wasted.

Laws said: "The players gave everything and today probably reflects on the effort that we have put in but also reflects the gulf in quality.

"We were very unfortunate with the first goal, which knocked the stuffing out of us.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"Having said that we should have scored just before that and the second goal Gerrard showed real quality.

"Teams of this ability will have their opportunities and they have certainly taken theirs and we haven't taken ours – that has been probably the story of the season.

"The scoreline doesn't suggest the performance and we were unlucky not to score first as that would have been the key for us to go on and win the game and give ourselves a fighting chance.

"Unfortunately we didn't take it. They did, and that was it.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"No one crumbled and gave anything less than their all and I'm very proud of them today."

The result kept alive the visitors' distant hopes of finishing fourth.

The win, Liverpool's first in eight away league matches this year, kept Rafael Benitez's side in the hunt for next season's Champions League but only just.

Tottenham are two points ahead on 64, with a match in hand, and Liverpool must win their remaining two games and hope neither Spurs, Manchester City nor Aston Villa amass more than 68 points – and even then it could come down to goal difference.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Burnley, however, must now face up to a return to the second tier of English football, which has been on the cards ever since the departure of former manager Owen Coyle to Bolton in January.

By that time they were already on the slide but the loss of the inspirational Scot was a major blow and the decision to bring in Laws failed to turn things around.

Whether anyone would have been able to save the Clarets on the shoestring budget and limited squad available is questionable. But opting to employ Laws just a month after he had left Sheffield Wednesday having taken them to the brink of relegation from the Championship now seems, at best, a misjudgment.

Laws has lost 14 of his 17 games in charge and the Clarets have won just seven games all season and not kept a clean sheet since Halloween.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

At least the frugal nature of the sensible financial planning at Turf Moor means Burnley do not have the money worries of Hull City, who are also doomed to relegation because of their dreadful goal difference.

Burnley: Jensen, Mears, Duff, Cort, Fox, Cork, Alexander (Blake 63), Elliott, Paterson (Eagles 71), Steven Fletcher, Nugent (Thompson 77). Unused substitutes: Weaver, Caldwell, Rodriguez, Bikey.

Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Ayala, Agger (Lucas 78), Maxi, Aquilani, Mascherano, Babel, Gerrard (Pacheco 82), Kuyt (Benayoun 48). Unused substitutes: Cavalieri, Kyrgiakos, Degen, El Zhar.

Referee: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire).