🔗 Share this article

Liverpool's head coach stated he needed to “look at myself” following Liverpool suffered a sixth loss in seven Premier League games at home to Nottingham Forest and insisted he would find a way out of the title holders' slump.

Nottingham Forest, fighting against the drop prior to the match, delivered the biggest victory at Liverpool's stadium in their history as Liverpool fell to an eighth defeat in 11 fixtures in all competitions. The British record signing, Alexander Isak, was once more unnoticeable and Liverpool contended the defender's first goal ought to have been disallowed for similar reasons to the captain's disallowed effort versus Manchester City before the international break. But the manager conceded the buck stopped with him and made no excuses.

“Nobody wants to hear me now speaking about officiating calls if you lose 3-0 at home to Nottingham Forest,” said the Liverpool head coach. “I should look at myself first and my squad, but it demonstrates you how a score can alter the flow of a match. Before I was just hoping for us to net a goal. Later we barely generated any chances.

“Of course there is a path forward, particularly with the talented footballers we have. Regardless if you triumph or are beaten when you look back you are always thinking: ‘Where can we improve, where can we make changes?’ but that is different from doubting your abilities.

“I wish to stress I am responsible for the current defeats. You are answerable when you are winning but also liable when you are losing. I can not provide sufficient excuses for us to have the results we have. That is not good enough and I am to blame for that.”

The team's performance unravelled as the coach made multiple offensive substitutions when chasing the match. “It was the same on the road at Forest the previous campaign,” he said. “I substituted Ibou [Ibrahima Konaté] out and put on [Diogo] Jota and he scored immediately to equalize at 1-1. At that time it was courageous, now it’s probably unwise.”

The Anfield side last lost two successive home league games by Nottingham Forest in the sixties. The most recent occasion they lost back-to-back league games by a three-goal scoreline was in 1965.

Slot said: “It was extremely poor. Playing at home, losing 3-0 regardless of which opponent you face is a terrible outcome. Surprising if you look at the first half-hour of the match. I haven’t seen us producing so many chances in the opening half-hour maybe the entire season, and the first time they arrived in our box they found the back of the net.

“It did not happen at City, but in every other fixture we have been the dominant side and were capable to generate chances. Lately it is nearly constantly that we miss our chances and the attempts we concede find the net.”