Liverpool hits new low as Forest fires up for win
Liverpool suffered its sixth loss in seven Premier League games as it fell to a stunning 3-0 defeat at home to Sean Dyche's inspired Nottingham Forest.
The defending champion emerged from the international break eighth on the table, and it dropped into the bottom half after being torn apart on Merseyside.
Murillo got Forest's opener just after the half-hour mark, firing into the bottom-left corner when Virgil van Dijk only half cleared Elliot Anderson's corner.
Forest thought it had a second goal moments later through Igor Jesus, but after a video assistant referee (VAR) check, it was ruled that the ball had bounced on to his arm before he drilled past Alisson.
However, the visitors did not have to wait too long to pull further clear, with Nicolo Savona making it 2-0 just 39 seconds into the second half after Neco Williams's cutback.
Arne Slot introduced Hugo Ekitike and Federico Chiesa in a bid to improve Liverpool's lacklustre attacking play, but Morgan Gibbs-White finished on the rebound to kill the contest in the 78th minute.
While the win lifts Forest to 16th on the table, extending its unbeaten streak to three Premier League games, Liverpool now sits a lowly 11th and could be 11 points adrift of leader Arsenal by the end of the weekend.
Slot admitted responsibility after watching his side suffer its joint-heaviest home Premier League defeat.
"Another big disappointment," he said. "We started off quite well for the first half an hour. We conceded the 1-0, and we weren’t able to play the way we did in the first half hour."
The Dutchman conceded his tactical tweaks failed to spark a response.
"If things go well or things go bad, it’s my responsibility. We weren’t able to create enough. I tried to adjust a few things, but it didn’t work out. We were unable to score a goal," Slot said.
"Of course, it was damaging. It was already hard to be 1-0 against a team blocking everything.
"In a few days, we have to play in the [UEFA] Champions League again [on Thursday AEDT against PSV], and then play three Premier League games in a short space. Keep your head up and work incredibly hard. We are trying every single day."
The manager admitted experience alone will not solve the problems.
"It’s always helpful to have experienced and quality players," he said. "It’s not working out at this moment."
Van Dijk pulled no punches in a damning assessment of Liverpool's performance.
"Everyone is disappointed, like they should be, because losing at home to Nottingham Forest is, in my eyes, very bad," he said.
"That's the least I can say about it. Those goals we conceded are far too easy and we all have to look in the mirror.
"I've been at this club so long now and we've been through adversity. We will bounce back but it doesn't happen overnight. I'm not a quitter and we will keep going.
"I can't decide what the supporters are doing if they leave early. I know the fans have been through thick and thin with us. They will be there with us when we come out of this because we will come out of this."
Van Dijk apportioned some of the blame for the shoddy set-piece defending, with his clearance not strong enough to deal with the initial danger.
"We concede too many easy goals. They scored obviously from a set piece again," he added. "You can ask if he was in front of Alisson, but it counted, so we're 1-0 down.
"We were not good in terms of battles, challenges, the fight, too rushed. It's a very difficult situation at the moment.
"There was nervousness after we conceded, but not before. We tried to rush things and that's human when you're in a difficult moment.
"We're in a very difficult moment. We don't get out of it by just speaking about it. It will take a lot of hard work.
"It's a problem. Everyone in the team has to take responsibility as well. Football is a team and everyone has to take responsibility.
"We have to digest this and take it on the chin. We need to work harder. We have to keep going."
