Troubled Liverpool’s season reached a new low with a shocking 3-0 home defeat against Nottingham Forest, exacerbating their Premier League woes. Meanwhile, Newcastle dented Manchester City’s title challenge with a controversial 2-1 victory, highlighting the unpredictable nature of this season’s competition.
The defeat at Anfield, marked by a lackluster performance, saw Liverpool fall behind in the 33rd minute. Murillo’s fierce strike punished the Reds’ inability to clear Elliot Anderson’s corner. Liverpool manager Arne Slot was visibly frustrated as the goal stood despite Forest’s Dan Ndoye appearing to obstruct Liverpool keeper Alisson Becker, an offence that had previously led to Virgil van Dijk’s equaliser being disallowed in their 3-0 loss to Manchester City before the international break.
Sean Dyche’s side doubled their lead shortly after the break when Nicolo Savona capitalized on a Neco Williams cut-back. With Liverpool’s defense in disarray, Morgan Gibbs-White sealed the victory for Forest, scoring from a rebound in the 78th minute.
Liverpool’s Decline: A Summer of Spending
Beaten by Nottingham Forest at Anfield for a second consecutive season, Liverpool have now lost eight of their last 11 games in all competitions, including six of their last seven in the Premier League. This marks the first time since 1965 that Liverpool have suffered consecutive league defeats by a three-goal margin.
Once a formidable force, Liverpool’s decline is stark, especially after a summer spending spree exceeding £400 million ($A812 million). The investment was intended to rejuvenate the squad, but the results have been underwhelming. Alexander Isak, acquired for a British record fee from Newcastle, has yet to score in the league, adding to the mounting pressure on the club.
“Another big disappointment. We started off quite well but we conceded the 1-0 and weren’t able to play the way we did in the first half hour,” Slot admitted. “If things go well or things go bad, it’s my responsibility. We weren’t able to create enough. I tried to adjust a few things, but it didn’t work out. We are in a very bad spell.”
Former Arsenal and England defender Martin Keown weighed in on Liverpool’s struggles, telling BBC Sport, “The wheels are coming off for Slot. It’s a major problem for the manager to go six defeats from seven. Unthinkable.” He added, “It was Jurgen Klopp’s team and he has tried to come in and make changes, but he has spent £450m on players and they are going backwards.”
Manchester City’s Title Challenge Falters
At St James’ Park, Manchester City faced their own challenges. Trailing to Harvey Barnes’ 63rd-minute drive, City managed to equalize through Ruben Dias’ deflected strike. However, Barnes secured Newcastle’s contentious second goal, which stood after a lengthy VAR check for a potential offside against Bruno Guimaraes.
Pep Guardiola’s frustrations were evident as he confronted referee Sam Barrott at full-time. Despite the confrontation, Guardiola later downplayed the incident, stating, “Everything is fine.” He expressed his dissatisfaction with the VAR decisions, “It happened in the Bournemouth game and it happened today again. It is what it is after VAR decided. They know perfectly.”
City’s fourth league defeat this season leaves them in third place, four points behind leaders Arsenal, who are set to host Tottenham on Sunday.
Elsewhere in the Premier League
In other matches, Chelsea climbed to second place with a 2-0 victory at Burnley. Pedro Neto’s diving header and Enzo Fernandez’s late goal secured the win. Chelsea’s form under Enzo Maresca has been impressive, with eight wins in their last ten matches, setting the stage for a crucial week with upcoming games against Barcelona and Arsenal.
New Wolves manager Rob Edwards faced a challenging debut, suffering a 2-0 defeat against Crystal Palace. Meanwhile, Brighton came from behind to defeat Brentford 2-1, and Raul Jimenez’s late goal earned Fulham a 1-0 victory over Sunderland. West Ham, however, squandered a two-goal lead in their 2-2 draw with Bournemouth.
The Premier League continues to deliver unexpected twists, with Liverpool’s struggles and City’s faltering title bid adding to the drama. As the season progresses, the pressure mounts for managers and players alike to turn their fortunes around.
