Pierre Sage insisted his Crystal Palace side 'deserved better' in their 3-1 defeat to Liverpool, while admitting their own errors were to blame. Goals from Alexis Mac Allister, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak secured the win for Andoni Iraola's team, lifting them into the Premier League top four.
The loss is expected to be Sage's final game in charge of Palace after just 16 matches. The Frenchman has managed only two Premier League wins, and the defeat leaves the Eagles bottom of the table heading into the November international break.
Sage's Post-Match Assessment
In what looks set to be his last press conference as Palace boss, the 47-year-old lamented how Liverpool 'killed' his side following their own mistakes. "I think it's the scenario of the game, because we started well, we created the chances to score first, but we missed them," he said.
"And by doing this mistake in possession and conceding the transition and set-pieces just before the half-time, it was really hard to go in the dressing room with that. But you know, the worst thing was, with 1-0 for them, we opened the space because we had to come back to the score and we had to push. And we let a lot of space and with their speed they killed us in transitions."
Efficiency Concerns
Sage acknowledged that his team defended well in a low block but struggled when they pushed forward. "Today we defended well when we were in low block, but when we opened the space against this team with this speed, it was too difficult for us," he added.
"A lot of times I've said 'we deserved better today'. I think today it was the case too. But you know, football is not about what you deserve. It's about how efficient you are and we have a lack of efficiency offensively and defensively."
Future Uncertain
The Athletic reports that Sage is set to be sacked, having been under increasing pressure in recent weeks, which would make him the Premier League's first managerial departure of the season. Sage insisted he did not 'have to convince anyone' that he was the right person to turn things around at Selhurst Park.
"If my job is the way to convince people the best thing, then they just have to believe in that," he said. "If that's not the case, then they will take a decision. I always have confidence in myself. If I'm not 100 per cent involved in what I have to do, it's a big mistake. Today, my job is not the most important thing. The most important thing is to find an efficient solution for the team and club."
