Danny Sturridge apologised for his stroppy behaviour during Liverpool's win over Everton. Aside from missing the penalty Sturridge also incurred the anger of Luis Suarez after opting to shoot instead of failing to pass to his better-placed strike partner and soon after was substituted.
Sturridge was visibly upset as he came off but insisted he was frustrated only with himself and not manager Brendan Rodgers for taking him off.
"I apologise for my reaction," he said on BT Sport. "I was disappointed by missing the penalty and felt I'd let myself down as well as the fans. The hat-trick would have been the icing on the cake and it's unfortunate.
"I was disappointed with myself. It was nothing to do with the manager and I'd like to apologise for my reaction if anybody took any offence. It's not about me, it's about the boys and a great victory."
Captain Steven Gerrard, who opened the scoring after 21 minutes, made the decision to hand Sturridge the ball for the penalty as he wanted his team-mate to experience - as he has in the past - a hat-trick against Everton.
"I take responsibility for that," Gerrard said. "I've scored a hat-trick against Everton and I wanted Daniel to experience that feeling. I'm sure the disappointment will see him strive to do better."
