Slot Faces Mounting Pressure After Liverpool Fall to Nottingham Forest
Liverpool’s attempt to steady themselves under Arne Slot collapsed further as Nottingham Forest delivered a bruising 3-0 defeat at Anfield, prompting serious questions about the direction of the club’s title defence. What was once dismissed as an early-season wobble has escalated into a situation that BBC Sport chief football writer Phil McNulty described as a “full-blown crisis”.
Chairman Tom Werner witnessed a performance that ranked among the poorest Liverpool have produced at home in recent years. Slot, reflecting on the collapse, admitted: “Playing at home, losing 3-0 no matter which team you face is a very, very bad result.” His tone left little doubt about the gravity of the moment.
Forest Capitalise as Liverpool Falter
Nottingham Forest executed their plan with clarity and conviction, exposing frailties that have plagued Liverpool since the opening weekend. McNulty summarised it starkly: “The cloak of invincibility that Liverpool carried last season has been replaced by a soft – very soft – underbelly.”
Forest’s opener came from a set-piece, an area where Liverpool have visibly regressed. Murillo was left unmarked to head in from a corner, adding to a tally that already made grim reading: Liverpool have conceded nine league goals from set plays this season, equalling last year’s total.
Barely a minute into the second half, further damage was inflicted. Former Liverpool defender Neco Williams released Nicola Savona with ease, the simplicity of the move underlining both Forest’s sharpness and Liverpool’s alarming lack of intensity. Morgan Gibbs-White’s calm finish 12 minutes from time sealed the outcome and triggered an early exodus from parts of the ground.
Recruitment Under Scrutiny
Liverpool’s bruising afternoon also reopened scrutiny into their summer investment. McNulty pointed to the record £125m signing of Alexander Isak as “Exhibit A” of the decline. The forward, still regaining sharpness after a groin injury, looked disconnected from the tempo and physicality of the contest. His withdrawal after 68 minutes felt inevitable.
Slot’s attempt to chase the game saw Ibrahima Konate withdrawn for Hugo Ekitike, a move McNulty noted “carried the whiff of desperation”. Such gambles only emphasised how far Liverpool have slipped from the structured, resilient approach that powered their title win last season.
Florian Wirtz, sidelined for this match, has also struggled to meet expectation following his £116m move from Bayer Leverkusen. Without a goal or assist in the league, he symbolises a broader issue: big signings yet to deliver.
Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown echoed this on BBC Sport, insisting: “The wheels are coming off now for Arne Slot… he has spent £450m on players and they are going backwards.”
Slide in Form Sparks Urgent Questions
This defeat marks Liverpool’s sixth loss in their first 12 league matches — only the second time this has happened in Premier League history for the club. They have now lost as many league games in their last seven outings as they did in their previous 58.
Recent home defeats have chipped away at Anfield’s aura. The subdued response from the supporters — no hostility, but little belief — spoke volumes. As Slot noted: “If things go well or things go bad, it’s my responsibility.”
Liverpool sit 11th in the table, eight points behind leaders Arsenal, who still hold a game in hand. McNulty concluded bluntly: “This is now a fight to make sure they finish in the Champions League places.”
Slot’s impressive start last season bought him time, but this is a test of an entirely different magnitude. With pressure intensifying, the Liverpool head coach must find solutions quickly to prevent an alarming slump from becoming irreversible.
