The Northern Irishman saw his side lose their fourth game in a row after blowing an early lead against Crystal Palace and he says he must take full responsibility for their slump

Brendan Rodgers admits he is fighting to save his job after Liverpool blew a one-goal lead against Crystal Palace to lose their fourth consecutive game.

The Reds took the lead at Selhurst Park after Rickie Lambert converted an Adam Lallana pass for his first goal for the club before strikes from Dwight Gayle, Joe Ledley and Mile Jedinak sealed three points for the hosts.

The result leaves Liverpool 12th in the Premier League after collecting just 14 points from their opening dozen games and Rodgers says he must answer for the team’s plight.

“I’m not arrogant enough to think that I will be in a job through anything,” he told reporters. “Any manager will tell you that you have to win games and you have to get results. You have to perform.

“In my first year when we weren’t maybe getting the results we were performing well. I will only ever do my best. The best has seen us develop well.

“Now I need to fight even harder and take the responsibility because as manager full responsibility comes down to me. Any pressure comes on to me.”

Analysing the performance against Palace, Rodgers was critical of his side’s commitment and highlighted a lack of belief as the reason for their slump.

He added: “It was nowhere near the levels we’d expect. You’ve seen a team low on confidence.

“You could see our passing was a wee bit tentative, and then we make mistakes. Mistakes you wouldn’t expect to see at a team that’s supposed to be challenging. We failed to manage the game.

“Overall, that intensity and togetherness in our game isn’t there.

“We’re in another transition phase, but whatever phase it is we have to do better than that. That’s down to me to coach and manage that. That’s what I’ll continue to fight to do.”

Liverpool travel to Bulgaria on Wednesday looking to salvage their Champions League hopes with a win over Ludogorets.

The Reds took an early lead at Crystal Palace through Rickie Lambert but went on to lose their fourth consecutive match and the manager says that confidence is low

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers admits that he is ultimately responsible for the club’s slump in form this season after another costly Premier League defeat, this time by Crystal Palace.

Last season’s runners-up endured another afternoon to forget at Selhurst Park on Sunday, having thrown away a three-goal lead to draw 3-3 on the same ground last season in a result that ultimately proved crucial in the title race.

This time, they could not even escape with a point as goals from Dwight Gayle, Joe Ledley and Mile Jedinak overturned Rickie Lambert’s second-minute opener as the game ended 3-1.

It marked a fourth consecutive loss for Rodgers’s side, who find themselves in the bottom half of the table, and the Northern Irishman concedes that they are suffering from a crisis of confidence.

“It was bitterly disappointing,” he told reporters. “It was nowhere near the level that we would expect. We started the game as you would want but I think you saw a team low on confidence.

“We’re not quite together as a team, which is what we pride our work on. We need to find a solution very quickly because it was very disappointing.

“It’s my responsibility as the manager, ultimately. I picked the team and put the team out there and I pick the best team I think can win us the game.

“We made mistakes that you would not expect to see at this level for a team that wants to be challenging. We go 1-0 up and then we fail to manage the game. Overall, there’s that intensity and togetherness that’s not quite there in our game. When you don’t get the results, that is affected.”

Rodgers will have little time to reflect as he bids to mastermind a turnaround. Liverpool face a must-win trip to Ludogorets in the Champions League on Wednesday before returning to Premier League action at home to Stoke City.

Defeat in both games could leave them looking to only the domestic cup competitions for a realistic chance of silverware this term but Rodgers insists that they can still turn around their season.

“We need to find a way because we’ve seen over the last couple of years as we have seen this group develop that they are very talented players,” he added, “but it’s been a new phase this season and we’ve had a lot of games, a lot less preparation time in terms of coaching and injuries that were key for us.

“But we can’t complain. We just have to get on with it and find ways of getting results because that’s what Liverpool is about.”

The visitors took an early lead through Rickie Lambert although goals from Dwight Gayle, Joe Ledley and Mile Jedinak secured all three points for Neil Warnock’s side

Selhurst Park again proved an unhappy hunting ground for Liverpool as Crystal Palace came from behind to earn a 3-1 win over the Reds on Sunday.

Dwight Gayle, Joe Ledley and Mile Jedinak got the goals to ensure Brendan Rodgers’ side, who famously let a three-goal lead slip at the ground last season in a game that derailed their Premier League title challenge, continued their poor start to the campaign.

It appeared Liverpool would exorcise the demons from last time out when Lambert, afforded a rare starting opportunity since returning to his boyhood team, converted his first goal for the club in the second minute.

But Gayle, whose double in that 3-3 draw proved so pivotal in the title race, levelled matters 15 minutes later as Palace found the ideal riposte.

Ledley and Jedinak finished the job with late strikes to heap further misery on Liverpool – whose bottom-half standing makes the lofty heights of 2013-14 seem an increasingly distant memory.

Palace, meanwhile, climbed out of the bottom three on goal difference following a first win in six league outings.

Liverpool flew out of the blocks to take the lead as Lambert, playing in place of the injured Mario Balotelli, justified his selection in the second minute.

It was the striker’s connection with Adam Lallana, so fruitful at Southampton before both completed summer moves to Anfield, that made the difference as the former picked out the 32-year-old with a lovely ball in behind Martin Kelly. Lambert did the rest expertly, deftly controlling the ball before producing the coolest of finishes.

Thoughts that an easy afternoon might ensue were quickly put to rest, however, as Gayle levelled in the 17th minute.

Yannick Bolasie was the architect, his strike at the end of a driving run rattling the post to gift Gayle a tap-in from the rebound.

The game took on an end-to-end nature thereafter, with Bolasie again threatening when forcing Simon Mignolet into a solid stop with a powerful strike from distance.

He continued to prove the biggest threat, epitomised by him forcing Dejan Lovren into a superb block at the end of a fine counter-attack.

His next chance came just before the break, striking it just over from a tight angle having collected Jason Puncheon’s throughball.

Liverpool created the first chance of the second period, with Martin Skrtel volleying just wide after Palace failed to clear Steven Gerrard’s corner.

Yet Palace grew into the game again following that chance as they pressed forward with menace.

The hosts were unable to take advantage of good openings – something they nearly paid for when Javi Manquillo side-footed just wide from 12 yards.

Liverpool were rueing that miss almost immediately, Ledley slotting through the legs of Mignolet following more good work from the outstanding Bolasie to send the home crowd into raptures.

Hopes of a Reds comeback were quickly snuffed out, too, as Jedinak produced a stunning 25-yard free-kick that flew into the top corner after Skrtel had brought down Gayle.

The full-time whistle confirmed the visitos’ sixth top-flight defeat of the campaign and left a rain-soaked Rodgers with plenty to contemplate.