Rio Ferdinand blasts Liverpool's 'small club mentality' after their limp defeat

Rio Ferdinand has blasted Liverpool's 'small club mentality' after their defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday.

The Reds slipped to a 1-0 loss at the Vitality Stadium as Philip Billing's effort took the hosts off the bottom of the table.

The result dented Liverpool's hopes of finishing inside the top-four, which extended to six points thanks to Tottenham's convincing victory over Nottingham Forest.

It came after the Red Devils were left stunned at Anfield with an embarrassing 7-0 loss just a week on from winning the Carabao Cup.

Speaking to FIVE, the former Manchester United defender said: 'That is a small club mentality. That screams small club.'

The 44-year-old also laid into Anfield legends Jamie Carragher and Graeme Souness for over-celebrating last week's victory.

He said: 'The way Souness and Carragher were celebrating, the way they were trying to antagonise the guys [Roy Keane and Gary Neville], and then their team goes and does that at the weekend.

'They should be ashamed of themselves.'

Ferdinand added that he doesn't see Liverpool getting a top four place or beating Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League clash.

Bournemouth's goal came after 28 minutes when a ball was played over the top to Dango Ouattara who left Van Dijk flat-footed as he burst down the right flank.

Ouattara pulled the ball back from the by-line, with Konate unable to block his cross and Billing rushing in front of Alexander-Arnold to fire home.

Liverpool did have a chance to equalise through Mohamed Salah, but the Egyptian stunningly sent his penalty wide to allow Bournemouth to take the three points.

It was the latest long line of defensive calamities at the back for Liverpool this season, as they have dropped from Premier League title contenders to a side struggling to work their way into a Champions League qualification spot.

Speaking to BT Sport after the match, Klopp admitted Liverpool's performance was disappointing.

'What can I say? It was never really our game,' he confessed. 'We were dominant in the first half but mostly we put ball in at the wrong moment against a compact side.

'They had their counter-attacks they wanted to have. I really think the spaces we had to play were super clear, super open.

'The rest was more or less busy with covering other spaces, we didn't use that often enough, didn't enjoy the challenge to face a deep, compact side. It's clear we cannot get through with all the balls but it was like we didn't get through and things didn't work out.

'Little things which make a massive difference and then we go 1-0 down, not helpful obviously in the counter-attack.

'They did the same stuff but it was successful enough because we didn't defend it well and then I thought we started pretty well in the second half and then got the penalty and we missed it and after that we were in a real rush and didn't create enough really and that's it.'