Roy Hodgson admitted he and his Crystal Palace side were left “humiliated” by a 7-0 defeat to Liverpool that served as one side’s record win and other’s record loss.
Given the extent of the result, which is Liverpool’s biggest-ever victory in the history of the Premier League, it would be forgiven for expecting Palace to have been out of the contest entirely.
But in fact, Saturday’s hosts were arguably the better side for much of the first half, with the Reds particularly sloppy in possession and let off by poor finishing or a slack final pass.
Ultimately, seven goals with no reply serves as Palace’s worst-ever home defeat, and speaking after the game, Hodgson conceded: “We’re humiliated.”
“There’s nothing I can say, there’s nothing positive I can say,” he told reporters.
“We’re humiliated by the result, there’s no question of that. We take it very, very badly. Most of us in the dressing room have not been on the end of a 7-0 defeat before, so it’s a new experience.
“Quite frankly sitting here in front of you now I can’t think of anything positive to say at all.
“We just have to get over it, that’s what everyone has to do. There’s no point in dwelling on it any longer than we really have to. We have to learn some lessons from it, and I’m sure we will.”
Liverpool have not only inflicted Palace’s biggest-ever home defeat, but also their biggest away loss, too, having beat the Eagles 9-0 at Anfield in 1989.
Hodgson said that it was his first loss by such a scoreline, and that he and his players will be required “a day or two of grieving” to come to terms with how they were so frequently dismantled.
“I’m still sitting here trying to come to terms with the fact we’ve just been beaten 7-0 at home,” the ex-Liverpool manager continued.
“Albeit by a very good team, etc., but it doesn’t change the fact that that’s the first-ever 7-0 defeat I’ve suffered and that goes for very many people in that dressing room.
“I’m afraid we’re going to have to go through a day or two of grieving at least, and that might prevent me from finding too many positive things to say.”
There was one positive, perhaps, in that supporters were not in attendance at Selhurst, though Hodgson rightly pointed out: “Most of our fans will have seen it on the television.”
“If they’d have been here, of course, it would have made it maybe slightly worse,” he admitted, “but I’m not certain that makes a vast difference.”
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