Matt Taylor: Walsall levels were not there in Carlisle defeat

The Saddlers headed to Brunton Park after a fantastic victory over Port Vale.

But they were lacklustre throughout in Cumbria and fell to a 1-0 loss courtesy of Tristan Abrahams' 88th-minute goal, giving the hosts a first victory in 13 games.

"We hit a performance level at Port Vale that I was really pleased with. But today, we didn't do it," said Taylor.

"It's a difficult thing. You ask the players to produce performances week in and week out that reflect each other.

"Today, we've reached nowhere near the levels we did on Tuesday."

Walsall went close on two occasions early on, through Otis Khan and Conor Wilkinson.

They lacked a spark in attack, though, and switched off from a set piece as Abrahams tapped the ball in from close range.

"If either of those early chances go in, it's probably a different outcome," said Taylor.

"But I can't stand here and make excuses for the players. I won't do that.

"What I will do is say that today wasn't good enough by the standards they've adhered to this season.

"I'm not saying they haven't performed well. What I'm saying is they didn't hit the levels they reached on Tuesday.

"And if you don't do that, it's always going to be difficult away from home.

"I thought we got our game-plan right, frustrated them and had enough chances to win."

On Carlisle's winner at the death, Taylor added: "What I'm struggling with is that you don't do your job from a set play, and you lose a game of football.

"If we're stood here talking about a 0-0, I'd still be disappointed, but it'd be another clean sheet.

"That's the killer for me. I think we're better than that."