"It’s important" - James Milner sends message to Liverpool players after Crystal Palace draw

Liverpool veteran James Milner gave his verdict after the Reds were held to a 0-0 stalemate against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park last night (February 25). The 37-year-old admitted the draw was due to a 'loss in confidence' within the squad.

Liverpool failed to make it three wins in a row in the Premier League after victories against Everton and Newcastle. Despite dominating in possession and hitting the bar twice through Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah, the Eagles were able to secure a much-needed point.

Milner, who made his 17th Premier League appearance this season, spoke to Liverpoolfc.com after the game and gave his verdict on his side's performance:

"It was a tough away day in the Premier League. You always know what you’re going to get here, it’s going to be a tough game, they have some very good individuals and make it difficult. It was always going to be that."

"I think obviously when things aren’t going your way there’s obviously a loss of confidence. When things are going well in a general period and you have a game where you hit the post and it doesn’t go in or you misplace a pass, it doesn’t affect you as much, you shake it off and go again."

He added:

“Obviously at this moment in time with the confidence a bit lower and a few bad experiences, it probably gets us down a bit more than it should do at this moment in time – and that’s something we need to try to fight through. It’s hard when you’re not getting the results you want to see the good things in the performances.”

Milner stressed that it is important for the Liverpool squad to be mentally strong during these testing times:

“It’s important that we don’t get too down on not getting the results and things that don’t go our way in games, we have to bounce back and be a bit mentally more strong than that, and also still see the good parts in the games.”

Last night's draw took Liverpool to 7th place, with 36 points. They next play Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday (March 1) at Anfield in the Premier League.

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Liverpool midfielder James Milner rates Diogo Jota's performance against Crystal Palace

Liverpool winger Diogo Jota made his first Premier League start since October 2022 after recovering from a long-term injury. He came into the starting XI, replacing the injured Darwin Nunez.

He played 70 minutes before being substituted. While he failed to score the chances he had, he did hit the bar from a tight angle.

In the same interview, Milner gave his opinion on the Portuguese international's performance:

“I thought Jots did well, he’s been out for a long time and he’s had bits and bobs, he’ll be very tired tomorrow.”

He added:

“A few other lads coming back, Virgil – the amount of football he’s played since he’s had an injury and things like that. The boys gave everything they had, you saw the desire and the willingness and the drive to try to get the result. It’s a point, it’s not a defeat but sometimes it feels like that when you’re desperate to get the win.”