Arne Slot made Liverpool history… in an unexpected way

The 1-2 loss at home to Manchester United not only prolonged Liverpool’s bad streak but also led the Dutch manager to replicate a disappointing record established by Brendan Rodgers back in 2014.

Liverpool entered the high-stakes clash with Man Utd after two Premier League defeats. However, things quickly worsened when Bryan Mbeumo scored for the “Red Devils” just 62 seconds into the match, shocking Anfield. Although Cody Gakpo’s late equalizer sparked hope, Harry Maguire’s header in the dying minutes crushed Slot’s team into despair.

Earlier, Liverpool’s decline began with a 1-2 loss to Crystal Palace on September 27, with Eddie Nketiah scoring in the 97th minute. Afterwards, they fell 0-1 to Galatasaray in the Champions League following Victor Osimhen’s penalty, then lost 1-2 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge after Estevão’s decisive goal in the final moments.

The defeat against Man Utd officially extended the gloomy streak to 4 straight losses, a scenario that Liverpool had not experienced since November 2014, when Brendan Rodgers was still in charge.

At that time, the “Reds” were beaten 0-1 by Newcastle, then lost to Real Madrid, followed by a home defeat to Chelsea, and finally fell 1-3 to Crystal Palace. This losing streak caused the team to drop as low as 12th place in the Premier League standings.

Compared to Rodgers’ era, the current situation is somewhat more manageable as Liverpool remain in the top group, but Slot knows the pressure at Anfield has never been light. The loss to Man Utd left the team 4 points behind Arsenal and forced him into a must-win situation in the upcoming Champions League match against Eintracht Frankfurt to avoid extending the losing streak to five games.

Notably, Jurgen Klopp, who managed Liverpool for 9 years after Rodgers, never lost 4 consecutive matches during his time. Even during the 2021 crisis when the team lost 4 straight Premier League games (to Brighton, Man City, Leicester, and Everton), Klopp avoided this “nightmare streak” by securing a win over RB Leipzig in the Champions League in between.

For Arne Slot, the defeat to Man Utd officially puts him “on par” with his predecessor Rodgers in an unwanted record, and Anfield is genuinely heating up with concerns over an impending crisis.