The Reds were eliminated from the FA Cup semi final by Aston Villa and the coach believes his side were too nervous
Brendan Rodgers says Liverpool's FA Cup semi-final defeat to Aston Villa shows they are struggling to deal with the pressure that comes with playing in big games.

Philippe Coutinho opened the scoring for the Reds via a heavy deflection off Jores Okore in the first half but goals from Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph ensured that Villa booked a final date with Arsenal on May 15.

The defeat means Rodgers is the first Liverpool manager since the 1950s to go three seasons without winning a trophy, and he conceded that his side had let their emotions get the better of them.
"We were nervous for some reason," he told the BBC. "Maybe when you want to win something so much, perhaps it plays on your mind.
"Dealing with the occasion is something we need to improve at.

"There have been other big games where we have dealt with that very well, but there are others where we haven't.
"We have come close now in two competitions but failed to make the steps. Hopefully in the future we can learn that.

"I think sometimes you can want to win too much and the focus comes away from what allows you to win.

"I thought our energy was low today. Aston Villa had a good start and I felt we were too passive in the game. I had to change the system, it got us some joy, we started to control the game a little bit and then we got in front - but we didn't keep the lead long enough.

"We were too passive on the side of the field, Fabian Delph skips through way too easily and they got back into the game. Second half, we hoped to play better but we just didn't create enough today.”

Liverpool finished second in the Premier League last season and Rodgers has admitted that they are missing the intensity that turned them into title contenders.

"It was a trademark of the team last year - in the first 20 minutes of games, the intensity of our game was very high,” he added.

"Of late, that hasn't quite been the case. We just were nowhere near our level. Congratulations to Aston Villa because they played well and are through to the final. The better team won."