Liverpool Proved They 'Don't Know How to Defend' in 3-3 Draw with Sevilla

Rio Ferdinand believes Liverpool showed they "don't know how to defend" on Tuesday after they let slip a 3-0 lead at Sevilla to draw 3-3. 

Speaking as a pundit on BT Sport (h/t MailOnline's Matthew Smith), he said:

"They are better on the front foot, but the best teams can mix and match, and at the moment this Liverpool team don't know how to defend.

"They are good playing the way they did in the first half, but then you have to sit back and defend, soak up the pressure, and they have not been able to do that."

The Reds were 3-0 up inside half an hour as Roberto Firmino struck either side of Sadio Mane, and a win would have seen them confirmed as group winners with a match to spare.

Sachin Nakrani of the Guardian praised Liverpool's defending at half-time, though Manchester United legend Gary Neville made a tongue-in-cheek prediction that ultimately proved accurate:

Even at 1-0, the Reds were perhaps fortunate not to concede with Nolito and Wissam Ben Yedder failing to capitalise on excellent chances to score, but it did not take long for Sevilla to come back in the second half.

Liverpool allowed Ben Yedder to score with a near-post header just five minutes after the restart before a clumsy challenge from Alberto Moreno—who had earlier given away the free-kick that led to Sevilla's first goal—handed the hosts a penalty, which Ben Yedder also converted.

Guido Pizarro bundled in a 93rd-minute corner to complete the comeback after Ragnar Klavan failed to clear his lines.

Ferdinand added:

"What it does is it brings doubt into the squad and into individuals through personal mistakes—every goal there could have been prevented.

"The penalty for Moreno, the free-kick for Moreno, the header for Klavan, he could have headed that out in a different direction."

At home the Reds are typically solid in defence, as Goal's Melissa Reddy demonstrated after they beat Southampton 3-0 on Saturday:

However, away from Anfield their opponents perhaps feel more obliged to attack them, and in doing so they expose Liverpool's weaknesses.

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp said he doesn't "doubt the mentality of the boys, not a bit" after the result, per BBC Sport's Neil Johnston. He did, however, believe his side failed to compete in the second half, per Goal UK:

That such problems continue to rear their heads should be a significant concern for the German, particularly as the team can veer toward disaster even in the middle of a match in which they had been playing well.

Unless they can improve on the training ground and through recruitment in January, their defensive failure will likely prove costly this season.

Finishing in the Premier League's top four will be difficult with a much worse defensive record than those currently occupying the places—Liverpool have shipped 17 goals compared with Chelsea's 10, while Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are all in single figures.

As for the UEFA Champions League, it's evident their mistakes will be punished, and that will only become more apparent in the knockout stages, which the Reds should still reach.