Brendan Rodgers: 'Liverpool making Premier League top four was tough ask'

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has blamed his side's 1-0 defeat away at Hull City on "poor defending", adding that he wasn't confident of qualifying for this year's Champions League.

Michael Dawson nodded home the only goal of the game eight minutes before half time to condemn the Reds to a third Premier League defeat in five, leaving them seven points behind fourth-placed Manchester United with four games remaining.

Rodgers told BBC Sport after the game: "We just lacked that killer instinct in the final third. We are disappointed with the goal. Apart from that we didn't have too many chances against us. It was poor defending from us.

"We were never enough of a threat. It's been a mark of the season really, in that final third we have struggled.

"It was always going to be difficult for us [to make the top four]. The opportunity was tough this year in terms of where we were at as a team."

Liverpool finished second in the Premier League last season, just two points behind champions Manchester City.