🔗 Share this article

Liverpool's head coach stated he had to “look at myself” following the Reds endured a 6th loss in seven English top-flight matches on their own turf against Nottingham Forest and affirmed he would find a way out of the title holders' poor run.

Nottingham Forest, in the relegation zone before kick off, delivered the largest win at Anfield in their history as the Merseyside club fell to an eighth loss in eleven matches in every tournament. The most expensive domestic acquisition, Alexander Isak, was once more unnoticeable and Liverpool contended the defender's opener should have been disallowed for comparable grounds to Virgil van Dijk’s chalked-off goal against City before the national team pause. But Slot admitted the responsibility stopped with him and made no excuses.

“No one wants to hear me now talking about officiating calls if you lose 3-0 in your own stadium to Nottingham Forest,” stated the Reds' boss. “I should look at my own role initially and my squad, but it demonstrates you how a goal can change the flow of a match. Earlier I was just hoping for us to net a goal. Later we hardly created any chances.

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

“I want to emphasise I am responsible for the current losses. You are answerable when you are victorious but also liable when you are losing. I can never provide sufficient reasons for us to have the results we have. That is not acceptable and I am responsible for that.”

Liverpool’s performance fell apart as Slot introduced several offensive changes when chasing the game. “It was the same away at Forest the previous campaign,” he remarked. “I substituted Ibou [Ibrahima Konaté] out and put on [Diogo] Jota and he found the net immediately to make it 1-1. Then it was brave, currently it’s likely unwise.”

The Anfield side previously were defeated in two successive home league games against Nottingham Forest in 1963. The most recent occasion they lost consecutive top-flight matches by a 3-0 scoreline was in 1965.

The manager commented: “It was very bad. Competing on home soil, conceding 3-0 regardless of which team you face is a terrible outcome. Unexpected if you consider the opening 30 minutes of the game. I did not witness us creating so much in the opening half-hour maybe the entire campaign, and the initial occasion they entered in our penalty area they found the back of the net.

“It wasn’t at City, but in every other game we have been the dominant side and were capable to generate opportunities. Recently it is almost constantly that we fail to convert our opportunities and the attempts we allow go in.”