Liverpool's Manager Provides No Excuses and Vows to Plot Way From Slump

Liverpool's head coach stated he had to “examine my own performance” following Liverpool suffered a sixth loss in seven English top-flight games at home against Forest and affirmed he would find a way from the champions’ poor run.

Forest, fighting against the drop prior to the match, delivered the biggest win at Liverpool's stadium in their history as Liverpool fell to an eighth loss in 11 fixtures in every tournament. The British record signing, the Swedish striker, was again unnoticeable and Liverpool contended the defender's first goal should have been ruled out for similar reasons to Virgil van Dijk’s chalked-off goal versus City prior to the national team pause. But the manager conceded the buck rested with him and offered no alibis.

“Nobody wishes to hear me now talking about refereeing decisions if you lose 3-0 in your own stadium to Forest,” said the Reds' boss. “I should examine myself initially and my squad, but it demonstrates you how a goal can alter the flow of a match. Before I was just waiting for us to net a goal. Later we barely created any chances.

“Naturally there is a way out, particularly with the quality players we have. No matter if you win or lose when you look back you are always thinking: ‘In which areas can we do better, in what aspects can we adjust?’ but that is different from questioning your abilities.

“I want to emphasise I am accountable for the present defeats. You are responsible when you are victorious but also responsible when you are defeated. I can never come up with sufficient reasons for us to have the outcomes we have. That is not acceptable and I am to blame for that.”

The team's display fell apart as the coach introduced several offensive substitutions when pursuing the match. “It was the identical away at Nottingham Forest last season,” he remarked. “I took Ibou [Ibrahima Konaté] off and put on the Portuguese forward and he scored straight away to equalize at 1-1. At that time it was brave, currently it’s probably stupid.”

The Anfield side previously were defeated in back-to-back at Anfield league games against Forest in 1963. The most recent occasion they suffered consecutive top-flight games by a 3-0 scoreline was in 1965.

The manager said: “It was very bad. Competing at home, conceding 3-0 no matter which team you encounter is a terrible result. Surprising if you consider the opening 30 minutes of the game. I haven’t seen us creating so many chances in the initial 30 minutes perhaps the entire season, and the first time they entered in our penalty area they scored.

“It wasn’t against Manchester City, but in every other fixture we have been the controlling side and were capable to generate opportunities. Recently it is nearly constantly that we fail to convert our chances and the ones we allow go in.”