Score flattered Reds, says Dalglish

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish conceded the 5-1 scoreline in his side’s FA Cup defeat of Oldham Athletic was flattering.

Robbie Simpson gave the visitors a shock lead at Anfield with a stunning strike, before goals from Craig Bellamy, Steven Gerrard, Jonjo Shelvey, Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing wrapped up a dominant victory for the Reds.

Dalglish told reporters: “The scoreline was a bit flattering, really. Oldham did their club proud, did their manager proud. They created a couple of threatening situations for themselves, especially in the first half.”

“Getting back as quickly as we did with the equaliser was a great help, but I think it was important for us to give the players who haven’t had much time (on the pitch) than the others, to give them a run out as well. Fabio (Aurelio) got his first 60 minutes of the season I think.”

“For us there were a lot of positives coming out of today’s game; Stewart Downing scoring, big Andy (Carroll) getting a goal, Jonjo (Shelvey) scored, Steven (Gerrard) with a penalty. A few positives, but I don’t think the scoreline represents the distance between the two teams.”

Bellamy showed his frustration after being taken off with 15 minutes left to play, but his manager underlined the need to preserve his fitness for the next game.

Dalglish said: “I don’t know what he eats, but he comes flying in. He gets a bit frustrated coming off, but we’ve got to protect him as well.”

“They love to play for 90 minutes and we’d love to have them for 90 minutes, but then we’d rather have them available for the next game, so we’ve just got to babysit him.”