10 man Liverpool looked certain to hold on to a 1-0 lead after débutante Joe Cole received his marching orders however a late howler by the Spaniard gifted Arsenal a draw.
The Reds boss told the club’s official website: “He took it hard because he is a very serious professional who really believes in himself and the team.
“He will be the first one not to try and apportion blame to other people, so of course he’s taken it hard.
“But I thought he played well considering he didn’t have an awful lot to do – and what he did have to do came very spasmodically. His concentration was good, his kicking was excellent.
“He’s had a shoulder injury and came back quicker than we thought he would, so there are an enormous number of positives.
“The one negative, unfortunately, was he let in a goal which in normal circumstances he would have kept out.”
