Thibaut Courtois: 'Poor start cost Chelsea'

Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has admitted that his side put in a below-par performance against Liverpool on Friday night.

The Blues succumbed to goals from Dejan Lovren and Jordan Henderson as the Merseyside giants ran out 2-1 winners at Stamford Bridge, and the Belgian stopper has acknowledged that his team failed to recover from their slow start in West London.

The 24-year-old told the club's official website: "We didn't start well. First half we didn't have the duels, we didn't have the second ball, everything was for them

"They pressured us and we couldn't cope with it. It was very hard and we gave two goals away. The second half was a bit better, we scored and had some pressure but I don't think we had a big chance."

Despite the defeat, Chelsea remain in third place in the table with Liverpool edged into fourth on goal difference.