🔗 Share this article

Arne Slot stated he needed to “look at myself” after the Reds endured a 6th defeat in 7 Premier League matches at home to Nottingham Forest and insisted he would find a way out of the title holders' poor run.

Forest, fighting against the drop before kick off, produced the biggest victory at Anfield in their history as the Merseyside club fell to an eighth defeat in eleven matches in every tournament. The most expensive domestic acquisition, the Swedish striker, was again anonymous and Liverpool argued Murillo’s first goal should have been ruled out for similar reasons to Virgil van Dijk’s chalked-off goal against City prior to the international break. But Slot admitted the buck rested with him and made no excuses.

“Nobody wants to listen to me now speaking about officiating calls if you lose 3-0 in your own stadium to Forest,” said the Liverpool head coach. “I ought to look at my own role initially and my team, but it demonstrates you how a score can change the momentum of a game. Earlier I was just waiting for us to net a goal. Afterwards we barely generated any chances.

“Naturally there is a way out, especially with the talented footballers we have. Regardless if you triumph or lose when you reflect you are always thinking: ‘In which areas can we do better, in what aspects can we make changes?’ but that is different from doubting yourself.

“I want to stress I am responsible for the current losses. You are responsible when you are victorious but also responsible when you are defeated. I can not provide enough reasons for us to have the outcomes we have. That is not good enough and I am to blame for that.”

Liverpool’s display unravelled as Slot made multiple offensive substitutions when chasing the match. “It was the same on the road at Nottingham Forest the previous campaign,” he remarked. “I took the French defender off and brought on [Diogo] Jota and he found the net straight away to equalize at 1-1. At that time it was brave, now it’s probably unwise.”

Liverpool last lost two successive home Premier League games by Forest in 1963. The last time they suffered consecutive top-flight matches by a three-goal scoreline was in the mid-60s.

Slot commented: “It was extremely poor. Playing at home, losing 3-0 no matter which team you encounter is a very, very bad outcome. Surprising if you consider the first half-hour of the match. I did not witness us creating so much in the opening half-hour perhaps the entire season, and the first time they arrived in our box they found the back of the net.

“It wasn’t at City, but in every other game we have been the controlling side and were able to create opportunities. Lately it is almost constantly that we fail to convert our opportunities and the ones we allow go in.”