Rafa's reaction to defeat

Rafael Benitez insists Liverpool are still on course for a top four finish despite slumping to a sixth league defeat of the season at home to Arsenal on Sunday.

The result means the Reds have slipped five points behind the current occupants of the final Champions League berth, Aston Villa, but the boss is adamant his side will bounce back, beginning with Wigan at home on Wednesday.

"The target is still the same," he told his post match press conference. "Look at the next game and aim for the top four. It is the same situation. We have to keep going, try to improve and win our games. If we play at the same level that we did in the first-half, I am sure we will win more games."

Liverpool had looked on course to take all three points against the Gunners after Dirk Kuyt capped an impressive first-half team performance with the opener.

However, the visitors produced a second-half fightback to claim a 2-1 victory, leaving Benitez to rue a Glen Johnson own goal that sparked the turnaround.

"It is difficult to explain when you play so well in first half," he said. "We were on top of them. We had the chance for Torres, the goal and the penalty that was not given.

"Then we started the second half with an own goal and then a second goal went in and everything changed. You could see that the confidence went down. We gave the ball away in the second half which was the opposite to the first when we were controlling things.

"We've had too many problems this year and when you have another one, like the own goal, sometimes it is hard to keep the confidence high. We have to be ready and start training tomorrow. We need to show character and play at the same level we played at in the first half, against Wigan.

"The fans and the players are disappointed. We have to start working with the players and do things in the right way. Some players are coming back and they need to improve their match fitness. The positive is the first-half, the negative is the lack of confidence we showed in the second half."

During a one-sided first 45 the Reds were denied what appeared to be a clear-cut penalty when Steven Gerrard was brought down by William Gallas. Benitez felt the referee's decision had a big impact on the outcome of the game and that Liverpool had missed a chance to gain ground on the top four after some favourable results on Saturday.

"It was a penalty. 100 per cent," he said. " A foul is a foul, so it is a penalty. These decisions can make a massive difference."

He added: "We were talking before and we knew that the only way to reduce the gap was to win our games. If you cannot do that you cannot get closer to the other teams."

Asked if the result meant Liverpool's hopes of winning the title were over, the boss said: "You always ask me the same, but for me it is just one game at a time. I cannot say anything because you never know what can happen in football. But to be realistic, it is Wigan and nothing else.

"Today, after the first-half everyone was convinced it was a different team and one with a winning mentality. Maybe we need to score the second goal and have this advantage for some games, then we will see the confidence go higher.

"There was clearly a loss of confidence in the second half .After the own goal, everything was different. We had no confidence passing the ball. It's not a question of quality, just confidence."

The clash with the Gunners also marked the return to the starting line-up of Fernando Torres, and Benitez felt the striker gave a good account of himself.

"It was a difficult game at the end because we were not playing good passes for him," he said. "He had a chance first-half and he was a threat. We need to play better to provide the strikers with chances and it will be easier for them."

Quizzed about the fitness of Javier Mascherano, after the Argentina skipper was seen nursing his knee prior to his substitution, the boss added: "He is okay. He got a knock on his knee. He was limping a bit and he also had a yellow card so I replaced him. I think he will be okay for Wednesday."