Dirk Kuyt believes Liverpool’s hard work will eventually pay off – but admits the side are not performing to their best at the moment.
The Dutchman returned to the side after a shoulder injury to grab the opening goal of the game against Sunderland on Saturday in bizarre circumstances.
A double from Darren Bent turned the game on its head as Liverpool required captain Steven Gerrard to bail them out once again with an expert header just after the hour.
Kuyt concedes if the team were playing at full capacity then the weekend’s 2-2 draw would almost certainly have been a second win of the Premier League season for Roy Hodgson’s men.
But the Holland international says the squad will continue to put maximum effort in and remains confident the results will then follow.
“If we are in our best shape, we win this game,” said Kuyt.
“But one thing I can say is that we worked really hard for it. Every day we are working really hard and it’s only a matter of time before we get there.
“Unfortunately it didn’t happen but we will change things. I’m sure it will come. We started very well and scored a goal that was a bit confusing for everyone. But after that, we just kept going. Unfortunately, we then conceded a penalty and that changed the game. They then scored their second from a great cross but then we just tried to get back in to it.
“We even had a couple of chances to win it. But, we didn’t have the luck with us.
“I sat in the stands at Man United last week and thought we deserved more from the game. We came back from 2-0 down at Old Trafford and that takes a great effort from the team. With a bit of luck, we should have had a least a draw.
“Things are not really happening at the moment but it is just a matter of time before it comes. The only things you can do then is work really hard.”
Kuyt says the difficult start to the season is hard to take because playing for Liverpool carries a certain level of expectation but has called for patience.
“If you are a player for Liverpool, you want to win every game,” he added.
“You want to challenge for trophies. But with the situation we are in at the minute, you have got to be patient. You have to keep working hard and then things will change. We know we have quality.”
Sunderland looked as if they could be in for a torrid afternoon as Fernando Torres’s chest trap and volley from Steven Gerrard’s second minute free-kick was ruled out for offside.
The Spain striker’s quick-thinking, combined with referee Stuart Attwell’s interpretation of Michael Turner backheeling the ball to goalkeeper Simon Mignolet as being the taking of a free-kick, set up the first goal three minutes later.
With everyone assuming the official, in charge for the infamous “ghost goal” two years ago in the game between Watford and Reading, would pull play back Torres nipped in and rolled a pass for Kuyt to slide home a shot.
The decision incensed the Black Cats and they used that injustice to launch a fightback which saw Bent equalise with a penalty after Christian Poulsen’s handball before putting his side ahead with a header just after the interval.
Liverpool looked devoid of ideas but midway through the second half Torres slipped past Phil Bardsley on the right touchline and swung over a deflected cross which Gerrard nodded in at the near post.
There were a flurry of late chances for the hosts, including Daniel Agger missing the target with a free header in the sixth minute of injury time, but a victory really would have been papering over the cracks.
“The pleasing thing for me was the way we took the ball and dominated possession for big periods,” said Sunderland manager Steve Bruce.
“I thought overall we thoroughly deserved it and, on another day, we deserved to win the match.”
Liverpool are set to be without left-back Paul Konchesky for Thursday’s Europa League game in Utrecht and next Sunday’s visit of Blackpool after he sustained a hamstring strain in the first half against Sunderland.
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