🔗 Share this article

Liverpool's head coach stated he needed to “examine my own performance” after Liverpool endured a sixth loss in 7 English top-flight matches on their own turf to Nottingham Forest and affirmed he would find a way from the champions’ slump.

Forest, fighting against the drop prior to the match, produced the biggest victory at Anfield in their history as the Merseyside club slipped to an eighth defeat in eleven fixtures in all competitions. The most expensive domestic acquisition, the Swedish striker, was again unnoticeable and the home side argued the defender's opener ought to have been ruled out for comparable grounds to the captain's disallowed effort against Manchester City before the national team pause. But the manager admitted the responsibility stopped with him and made no excuses.

“Nobody wishes to listen to me now talking about refereeing decisions if you lose 3-0 at home to Forest,” said the Liverpool head coach. “I ought to look at my own role first and my squad, but it does show you how a goal can change the momentum of a game. Before I was just hoping for us to net a goal. Later we hardly created anything.

“Naturally there is a way out, particularly with the talented footballers we have. Regardless if you triumph or are beaten when you look back you are always considering: ‘Where can we do better, in what aspects can we make changes?’ but that is something else from doubting your abilities.

“I wish to emphasise I am accountable for the present losses. You are responsible when you are winning but also responsible when you are defeated. 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 fell apart as Slot made several offensive changes when pursuing the game. “It was the same away at Nottingham Forest the previous campaign,” he said. “I substituted Ibou [Ibrahima Konaté] out and put on the Portuguese forward and he scored immediately to make it 1-1. At that time it was courageous, now it’s probably unwise.”

The Anfield side last lost two successive home Premier League games against Forest in 1963. The most recent occasion they suffered consecutive league matches by a three-goal scoreline was in 1965.

Slot commented: “It was extremely poor. Playing at home, losing 3-0 regardless of which team you face is a terrible result. Surprising if you look at the first half-hour of the game. I haven’t seen us creating so much in the initial 30 minutes perhaps the whole season, and the initial occasion they entered in our box they found the back of the net.

“It wasn’t against Manchester City, but in every other game we have been the controlling team and were able to create chances. Recently it is almost consistently that we miss our opportunities and the attempts we concede find the net.”