• Midfielder accused of making gesture towards referee Marriner
• ‘We are not considering it,’ says Liverpool manager

Rafael Benítez has defended Steven Gerrard following allegations the midfielder made a V-sign gesture towards the referee Andre Marriner during Liverpool’s defeat to Wigan on Monday.

“Sometimes you move your fingers. It was nothing. We are not considering it, it was nothing,” said Benítez. “All the players know they have to behave on the pitch. I was more worried about the silly fouls we were giving to Wigan.”

Liverpool are struggling to claim fourth spot after losing a game many expected them to win. And the Wigan chairman, Dave Whelan, was critical of the club following their surprise victory.

That drew an angry response from Benítez, who said: “I do not talk about Wigan. I prefer to concentrate on my team. He [Whelan] should talk about his own club.”

Liverpool have the chance to recover from the loss to Wigan when they face Lille in the Europa League tomorrow. The squad leave for France this evening.

“We had been working well in the last 10 games, more or less. Sometimes these things happen. Now we have to move forward,” added Benítez. “Hopefully there will be a reaction in Lille. This is an opportunity to put things right and try to get a good result.

“In football you sometimes prefer to rest but at this time it is good to have a match quickly after what happened at Wigan.”

Rafael BenítezSteven GerrardLiverpoolPremier Leagueguardian.co.uk

• Liverpool manager could not hide disappointment after 1-0 loss
• ‘We have to keep going for fourth place,’ said Benítez

Rafael Benítez cut a dejected figure as Liverpool’s Champions League ambitions suffered a serious setback with a 1-0 defeat at Wigan Athletic last night, though he mustered enough venom to condemn his players for the attitude and lack of character they displayed at the DW Stadium. “We didn’t show the right attitude and even though we worked harder in the second half, we played without game intelligence,” complained the Liverpool manager.

Wigan’s first ever league win over Liverpool has left the Anfield club in a precarious position. Hugo Rodallega’s first-half goal gave Roberto Martínez’s side a major fillip in their bid to avoid relegation, but Wigan’s emotions were in stark contrast to Benítez.

The Liverpool manager added: “We didn’t do anything in the first half. The attitude was much better in the second half but it wasn’t enough. It is difficult to explain because we prepared for the game properly. We knew Wigan would play in this way but there were too many things from us that I cannot understand.”

Liverpool had five players booked on the night and Steven Gerrard was pictured raising two fingers after he was shown a yellow card for a foul on the impressive 19-year-old, James McCarthy. Liverpool later denied the gesture was intended to be offensive or was directed at the match referee, Andre Marriner.

“We have to keep going for fourth place,” added Benítez, who had described this fixture as a must-win before kick-off. “That is all we can do. You can have good and bad times but we had to do better tonight on what was a crucial moment.”

LiverpoolRafael BenítezWigan AthleticPremier LeagueAndy Hunterguardian.co.uk