The match had just passed for about 20 minutes when Dominik Szoboszlai for the first time clearly felt the anger from the Anfield stands. Liverpool were pushing up to find the opening goal in the Premier League match against Burnley, and when their teammates simultaneously rushed up, the Hungarian midfielder hesitated again to consider the handling plan.
Just a few seconds passed, Burnley's disciplined defense managed to retreat to reorganize the squad, completely extinguishing the attacking opportunity. Szoboszlai raised his hand to apologize, but that could not soothe the cheers that echoed when the player wearing number 8 unintentionally slowed down the pace of the match.
Perhaps, after a season full of turmoil - from sublimation, chaos to lacklusterness - Liverpool fans had a sense of something was wrong. Less than two hours later, boos appeared when coach Arne Slot and his students left the field, closing the disappointing 1-1 draw against Burnley by Scott Parker - a team struggling in the bottom group.
Fairly speaking, this performance of Liverpool is more attractive than most matches in the recent 12-match unbeaten streak. The home team launched up to 32 shots compared to only 7 of the opponent. Burnley scored from their only shot on target.
Once again, The Kop collapsed due to small details. Goalkeeper Martin Dubravka continuously made excellent saves, while defender Bashir Humphreys cleared the ball right on the goal line in the second half. Liverpool achieved an expected goal difference (xG) of 2.95 - their highest in a Premier League match this season - but still could not subdue an opponent far behind in quality.
More worryingly, Liverpool was held to a draw by all 3 newly promoted teams at Anfield. Against Sunderland, Leeds United and Burnley, they only won 7 points out of a total of 15 maximum points. In matches similar to last season, Liverpool won 18 points and advanced straight to the championship.
This is just one of many signs showing the significant decline of the team under Arne Slot compared to the peak of last season. What makes fans most uncomfortable is probably that, at many times, Liverpool seemed to have found their best version.
After Florentino Luis's clumsy foul on Cody Gakpo in the penalty area, Szoboszlai had a golden opportunity to open the score, but his penalty shot hit the crossbar. That was only the second time in 22 penalty kicks in his career that the Hungarian midfielder failed to convert.
However, Liverpool still reacted positively and deserved to take the lead with Florian Wirtz's goal in the 42nd minute. After a slow start at Merseyside, the German international is gradually proving the value of the 100 million pound contract.
Right at the beginning of the second half, Wirtz almost scored another goal when he surpassed two Burnley defenders before passing to Gakpo, but the Dutch striker's shot was blocked by Humphreys right on the goal line.
The inability to finish the match caused Liverpool to pay the price. Burnley gradually felt the opportunity, even Ibrahima Konate almost scored an own goal in a chaotic situation in front of the goal. That warning was not noticed, and after the 60th minute, the away team equalized thanks to Marcus Edwards' neat finish.
The "Red Brigade" poured all their strength into the rest of the match, with the enthusiastic encouragement from the audience. However, the ability to come back in the last minutes - which was once their specialty at the beginning of the season - completely disappeared. Instead, there was a feeling of helplessness and regret when a series of opportunities passed.
Speaking after the match, Arne Slot frankly admitted his disappointment: "In my head, it's not a booing, but definitely disappointment. If you are Liverpool and don't feel disappointed when they drew with Burnley at home, then something is wrong. I understand the feelings of the fans, I and the players feel the same way.
With Slot, the biggest problem at the moment is probably the increasingly widespread disillusionment at Anfield. According to Opta, Liverpool only averaged 1.24 points in the last 17 matches - even lower than Roy Hodgson's disappointing 1.25 points/match in the 2010-2011 season.
Of course, there are still mitigating factors. The team's internal affairs admitted that Slot had to patch up the team after a series of disastrous matches in November, when Liverpool conceded 10 goals in just 3 matches.
However, in the context that Chelsea, Manchester United and Sunderland all won last weekend, minor slips could become a fatal blow in the race to qualify for the Champions League.
