Declan Rice was frustrated as West Ham United missed their chance to lay down a real marker against Liverpool on Sunday evening.
The Hammers saw their six-game winning streak and eight-match unbeaten run come to an end as Premier League champions Liverpool claimed the victory which kept them ahead of their hosts.
West Ham were unable to threaten the Reds for sustained periods, and Jürgen Klopp’s side’s power eventually told after the break, as Georginio Wijnaldium added to Mohamed Salah’s quickfire double.
Craig Dawson notched a late consolation, but Rice was disappointed that his team could not hit the heights they have scaled recently.
“It’s really disappointing,” he admitted. “I don’t think we played well enough tonight. We all knew as players what an opportunity it was for us to go out there and put in a performance, knowing Liverpool’s recent form, and knowing the way we’ve been playing, so to not get the win is really disappointing.
“They’re champions for a reason and they don’t become bad players overnight. Everyone has a dip in form. We had chances in the first half, and it might have been a different game if we’d taken them.
“We always looked a threat from set pieces, but once that first goal goes in we’ve opened ourselves up in trying to push, and you don’t want to see two, three or four goals go in.
“You want to stay in the game [and we couldn’t do that].”
Despite the setback, Rice was still keen to stress that the start to 2021 has brought with it plenty of plus points for his side.
Six successive wins have fuelled an optimistic mood at London Stadium and the England midfielder says Sunday’s defeat will not impact that.
The Hammers head to Aston Villa on Wednesday, with the games continuing to come thick and fast so Rice is keen to go again in the Midlands.
“We’d have taken six wins from seven on New Year’s Day, for sure,” he continued. “Let’s not be too down on ourselves, there have been a lot of positives this month.
“There’s been a real positive feel about the place. We’ve got 35 points when last season we finished on 39, so now it’s a chance for us to reflect, and then push on again in the Premier League.
“We want to get better, and as a Club, and as players, we want to be up there and around those European spots. Let’s keep being positive and see what happens next.”
