Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers admitted it was a major letdown that his club would not compete in the FA Cup final on May 30.

The Wembley fixture would have fallen on club legend Steven Gerrard's 35th birthday and could have marked his final appearance with the club before his move to MLS outfit LA Galaxy.

However, the Reds were beaten 2-1 by Aston Villa in the semi-final on Sunday meaning Gerrard will get no Wembley swansong much to Rodgers' dismay.

"Is it a shame? Absolutely," Rodgers said.

"He did everything he possibly could to help the team. I thought he was excellent today. Collectively we didn't perform well enough."

Philippe Coutinho opened the scoring in the 30th minute before Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph saw Villa through to the decider where they will meet Arsenal at the end of next month.