Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish remains defiant over a top four finish after defeat to Sunderland.

Nicklas Bendtner's second-half strike was enough to condemn the Merseysiders to a third successive Barclays Premier League defeat

Dalglish said: "We will say what we said at the very first game of the season - we will play all the matches, count the points up and see where we finish then.

"If we could maybe get fourth spot, it would be fantastic for the football club, but winning the Carling Cup was fantastic, getting into the sixth round of the FA Cup is more than where we have been for a little while.

"I don't think the performances that we have had, especially at home, have merited the number of points we have got.

"But we just need to keep going and do what we do well, keep our mouths shut, not feel sorry for ourselves and try to get as many points on the board as we can.

"It's a great credit to the lads who have come in, the seven new lads who have come in this season, to have put something on the board in their first season.

"There are not many places where there are that many changes and they get a success like that."