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Portsmouth 2, Liverpool 0

Not much to say after Liverpool's second league defeat in a week, other than it can't get much worse. Losing to a team that is bottom of the table and has been since the season began. Against a side that hasn't received paychecks on two separate occasions this season. And yet, Liverpool were outclassed, outworked, and exposed as a side that have deserved much of the trouble they've experienced thus far.

Yes, the pitch was frozen and Liverpool had 10 men for the full second half, but the pitch was frozen for Portsmouth as well, and Liverpool might as well have had 2 men. Their fight-back (if you want to call it that) after Mascherano was sent off was embarrassing. From the manager to the players, Liverpool have nothing to be proud of. Hard luck on the Belhadj goal, as he looked to be offside, but it's not as though Liverpool created much in the opposite box. I'd like to think they scratched and clawed a bit, although the performance they served up clearly contradicted that. Not everyone is indicted as an individual, but collectively it was as poor as Liverpool has been all season.

As a fan, there's little to feel other than sadness and disappointment. I'd accuse myself of being melodramatic, but it's impossible to be proud of what we saw today. The sentiment that things need to change is almost becoming cliched, but it's also becoming more and more true as the season progresses. Liverpool continue to look uninspired on the pitch despite their assurances off the pitch. I don't know if the disconnect comes from the players, from Rafa, or from the boardroom, but it's clear that nothing is changing. Meek performance after meek performance belies the idea that Liverpool are moving in the right direction, particularly when the "lacking fitness" excuse is quickly diminishing.

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