Last season, Liverpool lost to Nottingham Forest at Anfield - a defeat that could not stop Arne Slot's team from winning the championship. Now, they have suffered the same defeat, but this time Liverpool are sinking deep in the bottom half of the rankings.
"I can never think of enough reasons to explain the current result. It will take a long time to meet the requirements and I will take responsibility" - Slot admitted.
Meanwhile, Sean Dyche celebrates another historic achievement. He led Burnley to their first win at Anfield since 1974, and now Nottingham Forest's biggest ever. "Of course, we have to enjoy this victory," Dyche said.
Slot, on the other hand, has nothing to celebrate. It was a terrible afternoon, culminating with the familiar whistling of fans about him being fired. "playing at home and losing 0-3 is a very, very, very bad result" - he admitted. This result is even more serious when placed in the current context of the port city team.
Liverpool were defeated miserably. Despite having the most expensive striker in English football history, they still could not score. This is the first time in two and a half years that Liverpool have failed to score in two consecutive matches.
For the first time since April 1965, they lost 3 consecutive goals in the tournament. In the past 2 months, the "Red Brigade" has declined dramatically. This was the 8th loss in 11 matches, and the 6th loss in the last 7 matches in the Premier League.
It was hard to believe that Liverpool had just won three out of a total of 21 points. A team that once dominated the top of the table now has a negative goal difference. There are many unfortunate truths to tell, just like there are countless problems that Liverpool cannot blame the referee for.
Slot, commendable in that, did not blame anyone: "I think no one needs to listen to me talk about the referee's decision. I should look at myself more." In fact, it was Liverpool who caused their collapse.
Basic, familiar weaknesses, including the ability to defend against set pieces and being vulnerable to quick counter-attacks, are still a concern for Liverpool. Forest have exploited this weakness to the fullest, like many teams before them.
Murillo's opening goal came from a corner kick, making Liverpool the team that has conceded 9 goals from set pieces in the Premier League this season.
Subsecutive goals from Nicolo Savona and Morgan Gibbs-White came from Forest's quick push-ups, causing Liverpool to confuse later in the match. Slot brought the entire attack into the pitch, applying a strategy that seemed to come from despair rather than inspiration.
"We are in a very, very difficult time, and we have to get out of this situation. We have to take responsibility. Football is a team sport. We have to accept this, accept failure and make more efforts.
I've said this many times this season, but things haven't gone as expected. We need to continue. In my opinion, the current atmosphere is very bad. We need to look at ourselves," said Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk.
