'If Liverpool play like that at PSG it could be 10-0'

Liverpool's title defence suffered another setback as they were beaten by Brighton at the Amex, making it their 10th Premier League defeat of the season.

“When Liverpool came to Brighton last May, the away end was in party mode at the full-time whistle despite the defeat as they sang and celebrated with inflatables and balloons”

BBC

It is the seventh time a reigning Premier League champion has lost 10 or more games in a title defence.

BBC

Since starting the campaign with five straight wins, Liverpool have won only nine of their next 26 league matches, and with that form they do not look like a side capable of qualifying for the Champions League.

They sit fifth, with a game in hand on sixth-placed Chelsea, and the Premier League is all but certain to award an extra place in the Champions League next season.

Alisson and Mohamed Salah were forced out with injuries, and Hugo Ekitike was forced off early.

Slot attributed part of the problem to the 62 hours between their Champions League win over Galatasaray at Anfield and this Brighton trip, noting the disruption from injuries to key forwards and the early loss of Ekitike.

BBC

Slot acknowledged the outcome, saying Brighton were the better team in the second half and that this represented a 'backwards step for Liverpool'.

“When Liverpool came to Brighton last May, the away end was in party mode at the full-time whistle despite the defeat as they sang and celebrated with inflatables and balloons”

BBC

He attributed the run to injuries and the absence of three prolific forwards, insisting it is his job to find answers rather than make excuses.

Former Premier League goalkeeper Rob Green described Liverpool as lacking a spine and failing to show what they are getting from the team on 5 Live.

With seven league games remaining, Liverpool's chances of finishing in the Champions League places look increasingly fragile, and Slot said it would be unacceptable if they are not in the competition next season.

They face Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-final before travelling to Paris St-Germain in the Champions League, with the return leg at Anfield six days later.

BBC

Former Liverpool left-back Stephen Warnock warned that if they play like they did against Brighton in Paris it could be '10-0', underscoring the urgency for improvement.