Aston Villa’s 1-0 loss to Newcastle United on Sunday left Steven Gerrard bitterly disappointed.
A lacklustre display was frustrating for the head coach, who watched the Magpies take the points via a deflected free-kick.
Gerrard didn’t hide his feelings when he spoke to VillaTV after the game.
He said: “Since I’ve been in the door, that’s our worst performance. We were way off our level by far.
“We have to be careful that we don’t repeat that performance because we can be dragged down this league and dragged down pretty quickly.
“There needs to be a drastic improvement, individually and collectively, and we got what we deserved today.”
In Wednesday’s 3-3 draw against Leeds United, Villa’s attacking play had been lauded.
But they were unable to penetrate a stubborn Newcastle side at St James' Park, despite an improved defensive display that limited the hosts to two shots on target.
When asked what was missing from Villa’s performance, Gerrard said: “Everything. Everything that we’ve worked really hard for, all the positives that we’ve shown, the steps forward that we’ve taken.
“We’ve certainly taken steps back today. It’s a frustrating day. I can’t think of many positives.
“I thought our two centre halves held us together and Phil (Coutinho) did everything he could to get us back in the game, but all in all, we were way off our level.
“I need to think hard and analyse this game more in closer detail. Everyone needs to be ready for next week and we need to react and put in a better performance.”
