🔗 Share this article

Liverpool's head coach stated he needed to “examine my own performance” after the Reds endured a 6th defeat in 7 English top-flight matches on their own turf to Nottingham Forest and affirmed he would discover a solution from the title holders' slump.

Forest, in the relegation zone prior to the match, delivered the biggest victory at Liverpool's stadium in their club records as Liverpool fell to an eighth defeat in eleven fixtures in every tournament. The most expensive domestic acquisition, the Swedish striker, was once more unnoticeable and the home side contended Murillo’s opener ought to have been ruled out for similar reasons to Virgil van Dijk’s chalked-off goal versus Manchester City before the national team pause. But the manager conceded the responsibility rested with him and offered no alibis.

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

“Naturally there is a path forward, particularly with the talented footballers we have. No matter if you win or are beaten when you reflect you are always considering: ‘Where can we do better, where can we adjust?’ but that is something else from questioning yourself.

“I wish to stress I am responsible for the current losses. You are answerable when you are victorious but also responsible when you are losing. I can never come up with sufficient excuses for us to have the results we have. That is far from good enough and I am to blame for that.”

Liverpool’s performance fell apart as Slot made several attacking changes when pursuing the game. “It was the identical away at Forest last season,” he said. “I took Ibou [Ibrahima Konaté] off and brought on the Portuguese forward and he scored immediately to equalize at 1-1. At that time it was courageous, currently it’s probably stupid.”

The Anfield side last lost back-to-back at Anfield league fixtures against Forest in 1963. The last time they suffered back-to-back top-flight games by a three-goal margin was in the mid-60s.

Slot commented: “It was very bad. Playing at home, losing 3-0 regardless of which team you face is a very, very bad outcome. Unexpected if you consider the first half-hour of the game. I did not witness us creating so much in the initial 30 minutes maybe the whole season, and the first time they arrived in our box they scored.

“It wasn’t at City, but in all other fixture we have been the dominant side and were capable to create chances. Lately it is almost constantly that we fail to convert our chances and the ones we concede go in.”