Ings: We're disappointed, but there were positives
Danny Ings acknowledges Liverpool were frustrated at picking up just one point instead of three from Sunday's encounter with Norwich City – but insists there are positives to be derived from their second-half performance.
The Reds were held to a 1-1 draw by the Canaries at Anfield and were left to rue missed opportunities as the spoils were shared in L4.
It was Ings who gave the hosts the lead, needing just three minutes after coming on as a half-time substitute to beat John Ruddy with a neat chest down and low finish at the Kop end – his first competitive goal for the club since moving from Burnley in the summer.
However, Liverpool were ultimately to be denied by Russell Martin’s leveller just after the hour mark as the Norwich captain hooked over Simon Mignolet at a corner.
Nevertheless, Ings feels the Reds can build on the display they put in after the break as they prepare for three consecutive Anfield outings in the next two weeks.
“We came off the pitch extremely disappointed we didn’t get all three points,” he told Liverpoolfc.com. “From the amount of chances we created, I think everyone in the stadium was thinking the same thing.
“But there were a lot of positives, especially in the second half. The game started a little bit flat, but we turned that around, created a lot of chances and there are positives to take from the game.
“A little bit of concentration was lost at the corner, but we’ll sit down and talk about that and get it right.”
Ings' goal capped a livewire performance from the substitute – one which won the acclaim of the Kop for his endeavour and pressing.
“I came on and tried to put a live spark into the game,” he continued. “I wanted to come on and try to stretch them in behind and make a lot of movements to create space for Philippe [Coutinho] and Daniel [Sturridge].
“With the goal, it was great to get off the mark – but I should have had two, mind! Hopefully next game we can put it right.”
Next up for Liverpool is a Capital One Cup tie with Carlisle United on Wednesday evening before home meetings with Aston Villa and FC Sion.
Ings accepts the onus will be on the Reds to try to secure three wins out of three and stressed the importance of letting go of any lingering disappointments from their Norwich draw.
He said: “It’s massive, but if we play the way we did in the second half and create those chances, I’m sure we can win those games. We’ve got to go into games with positive attitudes – let this game go, move onto the next one and carry on strong.
“It’s easy to dwell on games, but there is nothing you can do to change it now. It’s important we look to the next one and put things in place that are going to put it right, work on strategies and look at what we did wrong and right.
“We need to get an understanding of what we need to do for the next game, and I think we’ll do that.”