Whinge from Liberal in defeat (5)
I believe the answer is:
bleat
'whinge' is the definition.
(both can mean to complain)
'liberal in defeat' is the wordplay.
'liberal' becomes 'l' (abbreviation).
'in' indicates putting letters inside.
'defeat' becomes 'beat' (synonyms).
'l' inserted inside 'beat' is 'BLEAT'.
'from' is the link.
(Other definitions for bleat that I've seen before include "Complain; sheep's cry" , "Cry of a lamb at table" , "Sheep's weak cry" , "Sound from the fold" , "Cry like a goat" .)