• Premier League

Liverpool don't have discipline problem - Dalglish

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish refused to criticise referee Mike Jones' decision to send off two of his players in the 4-0 defeat at Tottenham.

Earlier this week Dalglish met with referees chief Mike Riley after the Scot felt aggrieved that his team had not been awarded two penalties in last Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Stoke.

Dalglish fumed at Jones on Sunday afternoon, arguing with him at half-time for booking Luis Suarez for dissent. The official's decision to send off Charlie Adam and Martin Skrtel made Liverpool's task of overturning Tottenham's early lead an insurmountable one, although both looked correct calls.

Adam was sent off after 32 minutes for two bookings - the second a studs-up tackle on Scott Parker - and Skrtel followed in the second half when he earned a second yellow for hacking Gareth Bale down from behind just inside the Liverpool half.

Dalglish insisted after his meeting with Riley that he and his team would not criticise match officials and he held true to his word.

"It's better to just leave it," Dalglish said when asked about the red cards. "We will just stick to [talking about] what we can dictate. We cannot dictate interpretation [of the rules] in any way shape or form. It's best left unsaid because it takes away from a magnificent performance by Tottenham.

"You can talk about anyone being undisciplined but we have a very good record for discipline. My players did not surround the referee to complain at the decisions. That means we don't have a disciplinary problem."

Luka Modric's brilliant seventh-minute strike - his first of the season after a summer of speculation concerning his future - put Spurs on their way to victory. From there they never looked back and the game was eventually sealed by Jermain Defoe's low drive and Emmanuel Adebayor's brace - the second of which was a well-timed volley in added time. Dalglish admits his team were far weaker on the day.

"The boys are upset and so they should be. The football club expects more than that, a 4-0 defeat," Dalglish said, his misery compounded by a rib injury to Daniel Agger. "Tottenham started really well and that early goal dictated the result."

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp thought Adam's dismissal was harsh, but said he had no problem with Jones' decision to send off Skrtel, who had a torrid time trying to handle Bale. "The right-back had problems with Gareth - I have no sympathy for him. If you already have a yellow you don't lift a guy up on the halfway line," Redknapp said.

"I don't know whether Charlie Adam had his eye on the ball or Scott, but I can't see him trying to do him. He's not that kind of lad. He could have hurt Scott badly. He hung a leg out maybe and I would give him the benefit of the doubt."

After two humbling defeats to both Manchester sides, Redknapp is now unbeaten in three games and his team seem to have moved on from the turmoil that surrounded Modric's future.

"Luka is fine now. He's just getting on with it," Redknapp said. "I think the chairman will sit down with him now and discuss his contract. That's what I'd like to happen. It was a great strike today. That's why we were offered £40 million because he's a top player."

On Adebayor, who took his Tottenham tally to three in two games, Redknapp added: "He has been flying in training. You think he's going to run out of petrol but he doesn't. He trains like someone's wound him up. He always has a smile on his face. Let's hope it continues."

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