Liverpool midfielder James Milner urged his team to bounce back, saying ‘blips’ were normal during a season.

Jurgen Klopp’s men suffered consecutive defeats for the first time this campaign, bowing out of the FA Cup at Wolves after losing to Manchester City in the league.

Milner, whose side visit Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday, said every team had to go through difficult periods in a season.

‘We have to make sure we bounce back and look at where we can get better,’ he told UK newspapers, via the Liverpool Echo.

‘You’re never going to go a full season without having blips. I think the start of this season we weren’t playing our best but we were getting results.

‘Back-to-back defeats now, which really isn’t good enough for us, but you have blips in a season. It’s about how you respond.

‘I think you’ve seen the character in the squad in the last few years and the players we have to know we will bounce back.’

Liverpool’s defeat at Manchester City saw their lead atop the Premier League reduced to four points.

After the trip to Brighton, they have home clashes against Crystal Palace and Leicester City to complete January.