John Aldridge: 'Daniel Sturridge let Merseyside derby occasion get to him'

Former Liverpool striker John Aldridge feels that Daniel Sturridge let the occasion of Sunday's Merseyside derby adversely affect his performance.

The Reds were held by their local rivals to a 0-0 draw at Anfield, with Sturridge guilty of spurning a couple of good opportunities in front of goal during his first outing in the fixture.

"Maybe [Sturridge] sensed what the fixture means to the city and the occasion got to him a bit," Aldridge wrote in his Liverpool Echo column.

"It was a frustrating first derby for Sturridge. I thought his work ethic was good. He battled away and made some good runs. Sometimes you have days as a striker when things don't come off for you.

"It can happen – it happened to me in my career. Sometimes you get a bit tetchy and snatch at opportunities that come your way."

The draw left Brendan Rodgers's side in seventh place in the Premier League.