🔗 Share this article

Arne Slot declared he needed to “examine my own performance” following Liverpool endured a 6th defeat in seven English top-flight matches at home to Nottingham Forest and affirmed he would discover a solution out of the title holders' poor run.

Forest, fighting against the drop before kick off, delivered the largest victory at Anfield in their history as the Merseyside club fell to an 8th loss in eleven fixtures in all competitions. The most expensive domestic acquisition, the Swedish striker, was once more unnoticeable and Liverpool contended Murillo’s first goal should have been ruled out for comparable grounds to the captain's disallowed effort versus Manchester City before the national team pause. But the manager conceded the buck stopped with him and offered no alibis.

“No one wants to hear me now speaking about officiating calls if you are defeated 3-0 at home to Forest,” said the Reds' boss. “I should examine myself first and my squad, but it demonstrates you how a goal can alter the momentum of a match. Earlier I was just waiting for us to score a goal. Afterwards we barely created anything.

“Of course there is a way out, especially with the quality players we have. No matter if you triumph or lose when you look back you are always thinking: ‘Where can we do better, where can we make changes?’ but that is different from doubting your abilities.

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

The team's display fell apart as Slot made several offensive substitutions when pursuing the game. “It was the same away at Forest last season,” he said. “I took the French defender out and put on [Diogo] Jota and he found the net straight away to equalize at 1-1. At that time it was brave, currently it’s probably stupid.”

The Anfield side previously were defeated in back-to-back at Anfield league fixtures against Nottingham Forest in 1963. The most recent occasion they lost consecutive league games by a 3-0 margin was in the mid-60s.

The manager commented: “It was very bad. Competing on home soil, conceding 3-0 regardless of which opponent you encounter is a very, very bad outcome. Surprising if you look at the first half-hour of the match. I did not witness us producing so many chances in the initial half-hour perhaps the whole campaign, and the first time they arrived in our box they found the back of the net.

“It did not happen at City, but in all other game we have been the controlling team and were capable to generate chances. Recently it is almost consistently that we miss our chances and the attempts we allow go in.”