Western Sydney Wanderers defender Michael Thwaite absolved Keanu Baccus of blame and instead shifted the focus to himself for Sunday’s 3-1 defeat against Perth Glory.
Teenager Baccus was sent off in the sixth minute for giving away a penalty that gifted Perth an early lead.
Although they briefly restored parity through Oriol Riera, the disadvantage ultimately proved too great for Wanderers to overcome as they were dealt a second successive defeat.
“It’s difficult for a young player to come in. We had a late change,” Thwaite told Fox Sports.
“But I take full responsibility. I’m the heart of defence.
“You can’t cop three goals and expect to win the game. We keep getting sucker-punched against counter-attacking teams.
“But we’ve still got 30 points to play for so the top six is still anyone’s game at the moment.”
Western Sydney boss Josep Gombau conceded his players’ brave second half efforts were little consolation.
“The important thing in football is the result and we didn’t get the result,” he said.
“The players worked hard and we tried. It’s frustrating because we prepared for the game and after six minutes all that we prepared was out [the window].”
