🔗 Share this article

Arne Slot declared he needed to “examine my own performance” following the Reds suffered a sixth defeat in seven Premier League games at home to Forest and affirmed he would discover a way out of the champions’ poor run.

Forest, in the relegation zone prior to the match, delivered the largest victory at Anfield in their history as Liverpool fell to an 8th loss in 11 matches in every tournament. The most expensive domestic acquisition, the Swedish striker, was once more anonymous and Liverpool argued Murillo’s opener ought to have been ruled out for similar reasons to the captain's chalked-off goal against City prior to the national team pause. But the manager conceded the responsibility stopped with him and made no excuses.

“Nobody wants to hear me now talking about refereeing decisions if you lose 3-0 at home to Nottingham Forest,” said the Reds' boss. “I ought to look at my own role initially and my squad, 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 strike. Afterwards we hardly generated any chances.

“Of course there is a way out, especially with the talented players we have. Regardless if you win or are beaten 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 yourself.

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

The team's display fell apart as the coach made multiple attacking substitutions when pursuing the game. “It was the identical away at Nottingham Forest last season,” he said. “I substituted Ibou [Ibrahima Konaté] off and brought on the Portuguese forward and he found the net immediately to make it 1-1. At that time it was courageous, currently it’s probably stupid.”

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

The manager commented: “It was extremely poor. Playing at home, losing 3-0 regardless of which team you encounter is a very, very bad outcome. Unexpected if you look at the opening 30 minutes of the game. I did not witness us producing so much in the initial half-hour perhaps the entire season, and the first time they arrived in our penalty area they scored.

“It wasn’t at City, but in every other fixture we have been the dominant team and were able to create chances. Recently it is almost constantly that we miss our opportunities and the attempts we allow go in.”