Liverpool boss Arne Slot has called for unity after his side slumped to a fourth consecutive defeat, this time against Manchester United at Anfield. The result marked a rare home loss to their bitter rivals and deepened the Reds’ current crisis in form.
United stunned the home crowd with a goal inside the opening minute and went on to seal a 2-1 victory, despite Liverpool dominating possession and creating a host of chances.
It was a frustrating evening for Slot’s men, who have now lost to Crystal Palace, Chelsea, Brighton, and United in successive games across competitions.Slot admitted the defeat hurt but insisted his team must remain focused and united through a challenging period.
He said: “If you play a United side that comes with a low block and long balls, you know it is going to be difficult. It makes it even more difficult if it is after one minute.
Arne Slot knew it was always going to be hard after going a goal down so early
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“I think if you lose a game after you have lost four, you would have more emotion, but there are no excuses.
"We need to focus on ourselves — we had so many chances and we should score more, we should have defended better than we did.
“I brought on substitutions to turn the game around and they created more opportunities, but you don’t have the same structure in defending and set pieces. The main thing is that the players stick together.”
Slot also reflected on Liverpool’s wastefulness in front of goal and recurring issues defending from set pieces, which have cost them repeatedly in recent weeks.
Arne Slot is in the worst run of his managerial career
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He said: “If you had told me before the game that against a low block, against so many long balls, we would have created as many chances as we did, I would not have expected us to lose.
"But we did. We had enough chances to score more than one goal, but on the other hand again conceding two, and one was a set piece.”
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Defender Virgil van Dijk echoed his manager’s call for togetherness and admitted the team’s mistakes proved costly.
He said: “We conceded a very sloppy second goal. We worked so hard to get back into the game and created great opportunities to score the winner, but if you concede a second goal like that, it’s disappointing.
Virgil van Dijk's lacklustre performance played a big part in the loss for Liverpool
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“It’s an interesting time because we have to stick together — not just us as players but as a club and the fans. When things get tough, it’s important we keep the mentality of being there for each other.”