🔗 Share this article

Arne Slot stated he had to “look at myself” after Liverpool suffered a 6th defeat in 7 English top-flight games on their own turf to Forest and affirmed he would discover a solution out of the champions’ slump.

Forest, fighting against the drop before kick off, delivered the largest victory at Anfield in their club records as Liverpool fell to an eighth loss in eleven matches in all competitions. The British record signing, Alexander Isak, was once more unnoticeable and the home side argued the defender's first goal should have been disallowed for comparable grounds to Virgil van Dijk’s disallowed effort versus City before the national team pause. But the manager admitted the buck rested with him and made no excuses.

“Nobody wishes 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 should look at myself initially and my team, but it does show you how a goal can change the flow of a game. Before I was just hoping for us to score a goal. Later we hardly generated anything.

“Naturally there is a way out, particularly with the quality players we have. Regardless if you triumph or lose when you look back you are always thinking: ‘In which areas can we do better, in what aspects can we adjust?’ but that is different from doubting your abilities.

“I wish to emphasise I am responsible for the present losses. You are answerable when you are winning but also liable when you are defeated. I can never come up with enough excuses for us to have the results we have. That is not acceptable and I am to blame for that.”

Liverpool’s performance fell apart as Slot introduced several offensive substitutions when chasing the game. “It was the identical away at Nottingham Forest last season,” he remarked. “I substituted the French defender out and put on the Portuguese forward and he found the net straight away to make it 1-1. At that time it was brave, currently it’s probably unwise.”

The Anfield side previously were defeated in two successive at Anfield league games against Nottingham Forest in the sixties. The last time they suffered back-to-back league games by a 3-0 margin was in 1965.

Slot commented: “It was very bad. Playing at home, losing 3-0 no matter which opponent you encounter is a terrible result. Surprising if you consider the opening 30 minutes of the match. I haven’t seen us producing so many chances in the initial half-hour perhaps the whole season, and the first time they arrived in our box they scored.

“It did not happen at City, but in every other fixture we have been the controlling team and were capable to create opportunities. Recently it is nearly consistently that we miss our chances and the attempts we concede go in.”