Monday 9 March 2015 11:45, UK
Liverpool defender Glen Johnson admits criticism is inevitable following Sunday's goalless draw against Blackburn Rovers.
The Championship side earned a replay with a dogged display at Anfield but Liverpool's inability to break them down led to grumbles among a section of their supporters.
Liverpool are unbeaten in the league since New Year's Day and were expected to comfortably advance to the semi-finals at the expense of Gary Bowyer's side, but Johnson said: "That's football.
"You aren't going to play to the best of your ability in every game. Whether you play well or not, the most important thing is that you don't go out the cup.
It was frustrating. Everyone wanted to win the game but the most important thing is that we're in the hat for the semi-finals.
"We're still in the draw and we can still win the tie. It was frustrating. Everyone wanted to win the game but the most important thing is that we're in the hat for the semi-finals.
'Confident'
"You've got to give Blackburn a lot of credit because they worked hard. They got men behind the ball. Hopefully we'll play better in the replay and get the win we want.
"The fixture list isn't too crowded for us now so having a replay isn't a big problem. We've got plenty of time on the training ground in between matches to work on things now.
"We're still confident we can go through. Hopefully we can pick up our performance and go through in the replay."
And Johnson believes the patchy state of the Anfield pitch played a part in his side's off-colour display but refused to use that as an excuse.
"It slowed us down a bit but we just didn't play to our best," he added. "That happens sometimes. They played well and made it tough.
"Without doubt it's the worst it's been during my time at Liverpool but it's the same pitch for both sides. You have to watch your touch more because it bobbles so much and it's harder for the likes of Philippe and Raheem to dribble with the ball.
"It slows everything down because the bounce is so irregular. It's different every time. It takes a bit more concentration and it's harder to play one-touch football which is what you need to open these teams up from around the box."
