BRENDAN RODGERS said he was “bitterly disappointed” after Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, and pointed the finger at referee Phil Dowd for his refusal to award the Reds two penalties.

Early goals from Aaron Lennon and Gareth Bale condemned the Reds to their sixth straight defeat at White Hart Lane, although they dominated for large spells in North London.

Rodgers, though, was left incredulous after Dowd failed to award spot-kicks for fouls on Steven Gerrard, in the first half, and Luis Suarez in the second. He also criticised Dowd’s decision to give the free-kick from which Bale scored what proved to be the winning goal.

“We’re bitterly disappointed, because we dominated the game really,” said the Liverpool boss.

“You’ll struggle to come here and play as well as that without getting anything from the game. I thought the players were absolutely outstanding, and we’re bitterly disappointed that we couldn’t at least get a point from the game.

“We’d have been disappointed to have only taken a point from the game, in all honesty, because we’d played so well.

“I thought our tempo and rhythm was superb, and we deserved at least something from the game.

“I thought we should have had two penalties. It’s incredible to think that we haven’t had a penalty all season.

“All the statistics will tell you that we’ve been in the penalty box as much as anyone. We know we need to be more clinical, but to arrive at this point in the season without having had a penalty, I don’t know what the players have to do!

“The first one, on Steven Gerrard, it is nearly assault! How that is not a penalty is incredible.