🔗 Share this article

Liverpool's head coach declared he had to “examine my own performance” following the Reds suffered a sixth defeat in 7 Premier League matches at home to Forest and insisted he would discover a solution out of the champions’ slump.

Nottingham Forest, fighting against the drop before kick off, produced the biggest win at Anfield in their club records as Liverpool fell to an eighth loss in 11 matches in all competitions. The British record signing, the Swedish striker, was again unnoticeable and Liverpool argued Murillo’s first goal should have been disallowed for similar reasons to Virgil van Dijk’s chalked-off goal versus Manchester City before the international break. But the manager conceded the responsibility rested with him and offered no alibis.

“No one wishes to listen to me now speaking about refereeing decisions if you lose 3-0 at home to Forest,” stated the Reds' boss. “I ought to look at myself initially and my squad, but it demonstrates you how a score can change the flow of a game. Earlier I was just waiting for us to score a goal. Afterwards we barely generated any chances.

“Of course there is a way out, particularly with the quality footballers we have. Regardless if you win or lose when you reflect you are always considering: ‘Where can we improve, in what aspects can we adjust?’ but that is something else from doubting your abilities.

“I wish to emphasise I am responsible for the present defeats. You are answerable when you are winning but also liable when you are defeated. I can not provide sufficient reasons for us to have the outcomes we have. That is far from acceptable and I am responsible for that.”

The team's performance unravelled as the coach made multiple attacking changes when chasing the game. “It was the same away at Nottingham Forest last season,” he remarked. “I substituted the French defender out and brought on [Diogo] Jota and he scored straight away to equalize at 1-1. At that time it was brave, currently it’s likely stupid.”

The Anfield side previously were defeated in back-to-back at Anfield Premier League fixtures against Nottingham Forest in 1963. The most recent occasion they suffered consecutive league games by a 3-0 margin was in the mid-60s.

The manager said: “It was very bad. Competing on home soil, conceding 3-0 regardless of which team you encounter is a terrible outcome. Unexpected if you consider the opening 30 minutes of the game. I haven’t seen us producing so much in the initial half-hour maybe the whole season, and the initial occasion they entered in our penalty area they found the back of the net.

“It wasn’t at City, but in all other game we have been the controlling side and were capable to generate chances. Lately it is almost consistently that we miss our chances and the ones we concede go in.”