Arne Slot has admitted that Liverpool's title defence season "hurts a lot" following another significant blow to their Champions League hopes.
The Reds suffered a devastating 2-1 defeat to Brighton at the Amex Stadium on Saturday afternoon in their 10th League loss of the season.
England international Danny Welbeck scored a brace, and Brighton looked the better team throughout the contest.
The Seagulls recorded their fourth win in their last five to ignite their own European charge.
Slot said: "Of course now, looking at the league table, this loss hurts a lot. It should hurt a lot.
"The main problem is that we dropped points at Wolves with a deflected week and then a week ago we had to play on Sunday (against Tottenham)... that goal in the 90th minute is even a bigger problem than losing away at Brighton."
The Reds remain stuck in fifth place, sitting two points adrift of Aston Villa in fourth.
Things could get worse for Liverpool later today when Chelsea have the chance to leapfrog their rivals in the table if they win the fixture.
Arne Slot has admitted that Liverpool's title defence season 'hurts a lot' following another significant blow to their Champions League hopes
|GETTY
The Liverpool manager added: "It makes complete sense if you won the league last season and you spent £450million that the expectations are high, and those expectations were high for the pundits, for the media, for me, for the fans.
"At our club we're also looking at the situation and the challenge we had during this season, and then we might be a bit more realistic, why the season has gone how it is gone.
"But still it's not good enough no matter how many excuses I can come up with, it's still not good enough the position we're in right now."
The Merseyside club last registered a tally of 10 defeats or more in a single season a decade ago in the 2015/16 campaign.
LATEST SPORT NEWS
The Reds remain stuck in fifth place, sitting two points adrift of Aston Villa in fourth
|GETTY
Speaking on the unwanted milestone, Slot said: "It says a few things.
"First of all, it says how and what great teams Liverpool has had in the last 10 years and a great manager.
"Then I could come up and tell you all the reasons why we have lost this season.
"You just heard about late goals and I think today sums it all up in terms of injury problems in this season."
England international Danny Welbeck scored a brace
|GETTY
He added: "To go without three great goalscorers never helped any team and against the right full-back position.
"That's not my job to find excuses, my job is to find answers and that's what I tried to do again today.
"That worked out, in my opinion, not too bad in the first 45 minutes because we were playing with them and we were in my opinion close.
"They were a few times close, we were a few times close. In the second half they were the better team."
Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter