Jamie Carragher has revealed he is ‘hurt’ by Liverpool’s losing, but has urged his team-mates to ride out the storm.

Carragher was given his marching orders in the Reds 3-1 loss to Fulham, a defeat that sent Liverpool spiraling to their sixth setback in seven games.

The defeat away to the Cottagers has left Liverpool nine points behind Chelsea in the Premier League table, all but eliminating the Reds' chances at gunning for the title.

The loss to the west London outfit is close on the heels to their Carling Cup defeat to Arsenal which has raised concerns as to Rafael Benitez's future at Anfield.

Liverpool's only silver lining in this period has been a 2-0 win over bitter rivals Manchester United and the Reds now take on Lyon in a must-win Champions League clash on Wednesday.

One more loss in the Champions League will see Rafa's men booted out of Europe's elite competition and Carragher says he knows how crucial this match is.

Another defeat is likely to see Benitez's men miss out on a place in the last 16 of the competition and Carragher acknowledged the importance of the match.

The Reds veteran, who is skippering the side while Steven Gerrard recovers from his injury, has conceded that Liverpool are not playing their best football at the moment.

"These are tough times and it hurts a lot," said Carragher.

"This is un-Liverpool like. But it is not just the fans who are disappointed, it is the players, the staff and the manager.

"We have got to get back on track with Lyon, which is another massive game.

"We made up for a few things last week by beating Manchester United. Then we have had two defeats since.

"There is only us on the pitch that can turn it around and there will be a lot of talk about this result again.

"We have got to sort this out with the management and staff. We can't afford to be too downhearted for too long because we've got to get ready for the next game."