Slot in ‘shock’ and facing full-blown crisis at Liverpool after thrashing by PSV in Champions League

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) – Arne Slot was facing a full-blown crisis at Liverpool on Wednesday after the beleaguered English champion lost by a three-goal margin for the third straight game and plunged into its worst run of form in more than 70 years.

PSV Eindhoven pulled away for a 4-1 win at Anfield in the Champions League to leave Liverpool with nine defeats in its last 12 games, a scarcely believable streak for a team that cruised to the Premier League title a matter of months ago and then spent $570 million on new players in the summer transfer window.

“This is a shock. This is very, very unexpected,” said Slot, whose position is coming under increasing scrutiny.

The Dutchman said it was inevitable there would be speculation over his future, given the run of results.

“If any manager around the world loses football games, let alone as many as we have lost, it’s quite normal people have an opinion about that. If it’s fair or unfair, it’s for other people to judge. Is that normal? I think it is. If you lose so many times, people start talking about that.”

The last time Liverpool lost nine games in a 12-game streak in all competitions was in the 1953-54 season, stats company Opta said.

The Reds were coming off 3-0 losses in the Premier League to Manchester City before the international break and Nottingham Forest on Saturday, when defensive blunders were largely to blame before the team unraveled.

The same happened against PSV – the Dutch champion and current Eredivisie leader that has already beaten Napoli 6-2 in the Champions League this season.

Firstly, Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk’s raised his arm at a corner and handled the ball to give away a penalty, converted by 36-year-old Ivan Perisic for the opener. Van Dijk complained a push in his back threw him off-balance but his appeals were ignored.

Dominik Szoboszlai equalized 10 minutes later but after Guus Til regained the lead for PSV, Liverpool center back Ibrahima Konate – a target for criticism from fans and pundits alike in recent months – missed the ball completely to let the visitors in on goal again.

U.S. forward Ricardo Pepi shot against the post and Couhaib Driouech was there to convert the rebound. Minutes later, Konate was taken off.

Liverpool was bedraggled and Driouech added a fourth in stoppage time to complete the humiliation.

“We just have to face what we are in and fight really hard,” Slot said.

“It would be nice if we don’t every time get this knock of a goal we concede. It’s not only conceding a goal, it’s the feeling I have, and I think the players and fans have the same, that after 45 minutes you don’t expect to be 1-1. You expect to be up.”

Liverpool sits 13th in the Champions League table. It is in 12th place in the Premier League.

Adding to Slot’s problems was an apparent back injury to striker Hugo Ekitike, who was forced off in the 61st minute.

Liverpool currently only has five senior defenders available and one of them, Joe Gomez, was not brought off the bench because he has a nagging knee issue.

First-choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker didn’t feature, either, reportedly because of illness.