Sunderland winger Duncan Watmore has admitted that he needs to improve his finishing touch in front of goal in the wake of their 2-0 defeat to Liverpool last Saturday.
Winger not wishing to dwell on missed opportunity
The England U21 international was afforded a great chance to put his side in the lead in the second half with the game still goalless, but his final touch let him down and the move ultimately came to nothing.
The Black Cats paid the price for not taking full advantage of their big opportunity when Divock Origi put Liverpool a goal to the good with just over 15 minutes left of the match, before James Milner doubled their lead from the penalty spot to condemn David Moyes' men to another defeat.
Watmore admitted that "it was a very good chance" and that he would "have loved to have scored it". The 22-year-old is keen to ensure that he does not dwell on missed opportunities however, saying that he must "concentrate on improving [his] own game".
Sunderland have one man that certainly knows how to put the ball in the back of the net in Jermain Defoe, and Watmore said that their star striker is "not a bad person to learn from because finishing is his game."
"I definitely need to improve in that respect", added Watmore, who is yet to score this season after registering a total of four goals across all competitions last season.
Black Cats return to the bottom of the Premier League
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp caused somewhat of a stir amongst Sunderland fans when he claimed that the Wearsiders were 'the most defensive team I have ever seen in my life' after the game last Saturday, but Watmore insists that his comments have not affected the players.
"As far as I’m aware, that hasn’t been mentioned", said Watmore, who admitted that he was disappointed that he and his team-mates "couldn't get the result that we wanted" after holding out for 75 minutes at Anfield before succumbing to the home side's pressure.
Speaking about the club's position at the foot of the Premier League table, Watmore said that he and his team-mates "know we are not in a good position" but that "back-to-back wins showed we are clicking" with a large portion of the season still remaining.
Sunderland's next match in the Premier League sees them host champions Leicester City on Saturday afternoon, in what will be seen as a winnable fixture given the visitors' poor form in the league this season.