Brendan Rodgers has insisted that speculation over Raheem Sterling's Liverpool future did not affect his performance in the team's defeat to Arsenal this afternoon.
The England international missed several chances during the 4-1 loss at the Emirates Stadium, just days after revealing that he had turned down a contract extension with the club, although he did win the penalty that resulted in Liverpool's only goal of the match.
The Reds manager told BT Sport: "I thought Raheem was outstanding today, in fairness the kid's done great today.
"It's not distractions, we were just poor defensively. You see from our record the last six games we haven't conceded away from home. It's just a disappointing day when you concede bad goals, you're always going to be up against it against a team that's obviously got good confidence."
The result leaves Liverpool fifth in the table, eight points behind third-placed Arsenal.
Sian Cowper
