Steven Gerrard has warned Liverpool's recent poor form may get worse before it gets better following their shock FA Cup fourth round exit to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The former midfielder, who recently re-joined the Merseyside club in a coaching role, saw goals from Richard Stearman and Andreas Wiemann consign Liverpool to a third home defeat this week.

With what was once a promising season threatening to unravel and a visit from Premier League leaders Chelsea on the horizon, Gerrard called on Jürgen Klopp’s side to dramatically improve.

“The players need to regroup and regroup quickly because they’ve got major problems on the counter-attack and they’re about to play the best counter-attacking team in the Premier League,” he told BT Sport

“It’s crash helmet time for the players. They’ve got to react and they’ve got the react quickly. They need a massive, huge performance against Chelsea in a few days.”

Before Liverpool’s defeat, Gerrard suggested that their recent struggles are largely attributable to the absence of Sadio Mane, who is currently on international duty with Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Liverpool 1 Wolves 2 player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 Liverpool 1 Wolves 2 player ratings Liverpool 1 Wolves 2 player ratings Loris Karius - 6 out of 10 Rushed out and was easily beaten for second goal but made good close range stop in second half. Liverpool 1 Wolves 2 player ratings Connor Randall - 5 out of 10 Subbed at half time for Coutinho, so didn't have the best afternoon. Liverpool 1 Wolves 2 player ratings Joe Gomez - 6 out of 10 Had a busier afternoon than he would have hoped for, Wolves’ strikers running at him all afternoon. Liverpool 1 Wolves 2 player ratings Ragnar Klavan - 5 out of 10 Unable to stop Wolves from breaching his defence twice in an afternoon to forget. Liverpool 1 Wolves 2 player ratings Alberto Moreno - 4 out of 10 Gave away free kick for first goal, lost Costa for second, in a word, terrible Liverpool 1 Wolves 2 player ratings Ovie Ejaria - 5 out of 10 Subbed for Can in second half, struggled to make much of an impact. Liverpool 1 Wolves 2 player ratings Lucas - 5 out of 10 The most experienced player in the side failed to exert any influence on this game. Stopped a third goal from Bodvarson more by luck than judgment. Liverpool 1 Wolves 2 player ratings Georginio Wijnaldum - 5 out of 10 Never really got into the game, disappointing. Liverpool 1 Wolves 2 player ratings Ben Woodburn - 5 out of 10 Didn’t offer that much and fortunate to escape a booking for a rubbish dive. Liverpool 1 Wolves 2 player ratings Divock Origi - 6 out of 10 Scored a late goal and was one of Liverpool’s better players but didn’t exactly terrify the Wolves defence. Liverpool 1 Wolves 2 player ratings Roberto Firmino - 7 out of 10 Made way for Sturridge in second half, but was up till that point Liverpool’s brightest player, although admittedly that is not saying much. Liverpool 1 Wolves 2 player ratings Harry Burgoyne - 6 out of 10 Had literally nothing to do until Liverpool’s first shot on target in the 60th minute, but made an excellent save late on to prevent an equaliser. Liverpool 1 Wolves 2 player ratings Conor Coady - 7 out of 10 Helped marshall an impressive performance at the back from Wolves. Liverpool 1 Wolves 2 player ratings Kortney Hause - 7 out of 10 Made some good blocks and helped stifle Liverpool. Liverpool 1 Wolves 2 player ratings Richard Stearman - 7 out of 10 Got his side off to perfect start with opening goal, steady thereafter in defence. Liverpool 1 Wolves 2 player ratings Matt Doherty - 7 out of 10 Was there time and time again to snuff out any Liverpool chances with a succession of great blocks, so was cruel that his poor clearing header allowed Liverpool to score. Still overall enjoyed an excellent game. Liverpool 1 Wolves 2 player ratings Lee Evans - 6 out of 10 Crunching late tackle on Moreno aside, had a quiet but effective game. Liverpool 1 Wolves 2 player ratings Dave Edwards - 6 out of 10 Played his part in a midfield that comfortably outperformed the opposition’s. Liverpool 1 Wolves 2 player ratings George Saville - 7 out of 10 Tracked back well in defence and prevented Liverpool from ever really creating much of note. Liverpool 1 Wolves 2 player ratings Helder Costa - 9 out of 10 Provided the assists for Wolves’ two goals and nearly scored a wonder solo goal. Was subbed in second half but still easily man of the match. Liverpool 1 Wolves 2 player ratings Andreas Weimann - 8 out of 10 Took his goal well, cleverly rounding Karius and worked hard all game. Liverpool 1 Wolves 2 player ratings Nouha Dicko - 7 out of 10 Ran tirelessly without much end product but helped put Liverpool under pressure before being subbed in second half.

Mane has impressed since arriving as a £34million signing from Southampton last summer, but has been unavailable for selection in each of Liverpool’s last seven games.

“It’s clear for everyone to see, he’s a top player and we’ve missed him so much. He comes with that pace, that unpredictability,” Gerrard said.



“As Paul [Lambert, the Wolves manager] said to stretch teams you need to run in behind and he does it for 90 minutes.