Swansea's Britton rues 'basic errors' against lethal Liverpool

(Reuters) - Swansea City were punished for making too many basic errors against a lethal Liverpool side, caretaker manager Leon Britton said after their 5-0 Premier League defeat at Anfield. Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho opened the scoring after Swansea conceded possession in their own half with Roberto Firmino scoring the second after being left unmarked for a free-kick. The Welsh side's defensive errors also contributed to the Merseyside club's next three goals and Britton criticised his side's sloppy performance. "You cannot make basic errors, whether that's your set-up at set-pieces, second balls or misplaced passes, because you give yourselves no chance," Britton told reporters after the match. "When you come to a place like Liverpool, you need a seven or eight out of 10 performance from everyone, and then you'll have a chance of getting a result. "But if you make basic errors that you would expect to see in academy football, a team like Liverpool are going to punish you." The defeat leaves Swansea rooted to the bottom of the table, five points adrift of safety, and Britton, who took charge after Paul Clement's sacking, questioned his team's desire after they collapsed under pressure. "We are bottom of the league and confidence is low in the team," Britton added. "... As players we have all been in difficult situations, but you still remain professional and do the right things for the team. "But out there, I have to be honest and say I didn't see that from a lot of players." Britton, who took on a player-assistant coach role last month, also said that he would likely take charge of Swansea's league game against Watford on Saturday while the struggling side continue their search for a new permanent manager. (Reporting by Aditi Prakash in Bengaluru; editing by Amlan Chakraborty)