Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard insists he hasn't been critical of the club's board in recent weeks.

Gerrard recently suggested the Liverpool takeover saga had been an unwelcome distraction to the players.

But he insisted: "I wasn't suggesting what's gone on behind the scenes is a reason for us not passing the ball well, or not beating teams we should have done. All I meant is we seem to have spent a lot of time reading and talking about a situation which I've never known during all my time at Liverpool.

"I think all of us can agree that time would have been better used talking about other things and staying focused on our job on the pitch."