Stevie: England are still in contention
Defeat by Italy does not spell the end for England's World Cup campaign, insists Steven Gerrard, who pledged that the Three Lions will raise themselves for the challenge of meeting Uruguay.
Group D kicked off in stunning fashion on Saturday, with Reds duo Sebastian Coates and Luis Suarez forced to watch from the substitutes' bench as their country were overturned by Costa Rica.
Focus then turned to Manaus, where Daniel Sturridge grabbed a classy equaliser after Roy Hodgson's charges had fallen behind against the team that eliminated England from Euro 2012.
Despite a forward-thinking, zestful display which included starts and impressive performances by five Liverpool players, a Mario Balotelli header earned the crucial three points for the Italians.
"We weren't sure how much Italy were going to improve from two years ago but they have certainly found another gear," reflected Gerrard after the final whistle.
"I thought we matched them all the way; they had more of the ball in the first half, but if we look at the game as a whole we can be pleased with a lot of it.
"But it just goes to show how cruel it is at this level - you give so much effort and try so hard and you can still come away with nothing. That's the lesson. We fell a bit short but we're still not out of this group.
"No matter what the result was, we still would have had to go and beat Uruguay anyway. The challenge is a bit more difficult but it's certainly doable."
Two years ago, England were criticised for their performance in suffering a penalty shoot-out loss to Italy at the quarter-final stage of the European Championships.
Reaction was largely positive after Saturday's result, though, with media and supporters pointing to the encouraging and energetic contributions of Raheem Sterling and Sturridge among others.
Gerrard commented: "The effort, desire and commitment were there, it was just maybe a little bit of quality in the final third.
"The chances were there, we created them. Maybe we've got to look at trying to finish a few more chances off, but we can't point any fingers because everyone has given everything they have got.
"Italy are a good team and we knew how they were going to play; they never surprised us really. It's disappointing because we have put so much into it and come away with nothing.
"Anyone who watched that game could see that we were trying to create - we pushed and pushed, and gave it everything we have got. We were unlucky not to get something out of it."