Arne Slot admitted Liverpool must solve their habit of conceding late goals to save their troubled season after Tuesday’s embarrassing 2-1 defeat at bottom of the table Wolves.
Slot’s side fell behind to Rodrigo Gomes’ strike with 12 minutes left at Molineux before Mohamed Salah’s equaliser looked to have rescued a point for the Reds.
Liverpool’s Achilles heel of surrendering goals in the final seconds came back to haunt them once again as Andre’s shot deflected over wrong-footed keeper Alisson Becker.
Liverpool have lost five games thanks to 90th minute goals in the Premier League this season, the most of any side in a single campaign in the competition’s history.
Slot urged his players to solve their late-game meltdowns in time to salvage one of the most disappointing campaigns in Liverpool’s illustrious history.
“We hardly conceded a chance, created not so much but more than they did, but the result is again a 2-1 loss,” said Slot, who spent around £450 million on new signings before this season.
“We are losing far too many football games and dropping points. Was it again in extra time that we conceded?
“The three times we lost in the last 22 games were all in extra time.”
Liverpool were beaten for the first time in five games in all competitions, opening the door for sixth-placed Chelsea to move above them with a win against Aston Villa on Wednesday.
Out of sync for much of a difficult season, Slot bemoaned Liverpool’s careless defending and poor finishing in a game that exposed their flaws at both ends of the pitch.
“Bad result, far from good first half, better second half. Second half, there was a bit more urgency, getting closer to scoring a goal, then conceding with the first moment they arrived around our box,” Slot said.
“We immediately struck back, first off the post, then with Mo, then we were twice close to making a winner.
“In the end, we conceded a deflected shot, which was not even a chance.”
– ‘Slow, predictable and sloppy’ –
Liverpool are the first reigning champions to lose to the Premier League’s bottom club since Chelsea were beaten by Crystal Palace in 2017.
It is the latest chastening loss in a turbulent season for Liverpool, who sit in fifth place after a dismal defence of the title they won last term.
The Anfield outfit are far from certain to qualify for next season’s Champions League and questions are mounting about Slot’s future.
The Dutchman, the toast of Anfield less than a year ago, has presided over a long run of lacklustre performances with little of the flair and excitement the club’s fans expect.
Liverpool have a chance for immediate revenge over Wolves when they return to the west midlands for an FA Cup fifth round tie on Friday.
“Yeah, which is a good thing and a nice thing because we have something to prove on Friday,” Slot said.
One of many Reds stars well below their best, Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk conceded his team had only themselves to blame.
Van Dijk was caught out during the build-up to Wolves’ opener and missed a golden opportunity to put Liverpool 2-1 up before Andre’s winner.
“I think it’s down to ourselves. It was slow, we were predictable, sloppy in possession and wrong decision-making,” he said.
“We didn’t concede chances but if you perform like that then a result like this can be a result of that and that’s a fact. It was disappointing.”
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