Something has gone badly wrong at Liverpool this season, and Arne Slot’s attempts to explain it are becoming increasingly uncomfortable for everyone involved. Brighton ended the Reds’ week in the worst possible way on Saturday, winning 2-1 at the Amex Stadium through a Danny Welbeck brace — Liverpool’s tenth Premier League defeat of the campaign.
The result was particularly damaging in context. Liverpool had just delivered what Slot himself called their “best performance of the season” against Galatasaray in the Champions League on Wednesday.
The inability to carry that level into a Saturday league fixture is perhaps the defining problem of their season — a brilliance that comes and goes, and a consistency that simply does not exist.
Slot spoke with visible frustration in the post-match, though he was careful to couch it: “It is not my job to come up with excuses.” He then proceeded to outline several. The fixture schedule — Liverpool played on Sunday the previous week, then Wednesday, then Saturday — has given them just 62 hours of preparation ahead of certain games while other Champions League sides enjoyed considerably more. Hugo Ekitike also went off injured during the match, a collision that Slot traced directly to fatigue from the compressed turnaround.
Slot put it bluntly: “The goal last week in the 90th minute is a bigger problem than losing away at Brighton.” He was referring to the late equaliser Tottenham grabbed at Anfield, which stopped Liverpool from taking three points they badly needed. The accumulation of those dropped moments across the season tells the full story — with nine defeats to their name, Liverpool have burned through their margin for error entirely.
Mo Salah’s continued absence through injury adds another layer of uncertainty, particularly with the summer approaching and questions over his future still unresolved. The Egyptian winger is reportedly undecided on a move to the Saudi Pro League, and Liverpool’s season — a potential factor in his thinking — has given him little in the way of reassurance.
Sitting outside the top four and needing results to go their way, Liverpool now face what one report described as “the most pivotal match of the season” in the coming week. The pressure on Slot, once relatively low for a first-year manager inheriting a squad in transition, is escalating rapidly.
Brighton, for their part, produced a thoroughly deserved performance. The win continues their habit of unsettling big clubs and confirms that their style under their current setup remains capable of punishing anyone who gives them space in transition. Welbeck, a veteran who seems to deliver when it matters most, was the decisive difference.
Whether Liverpool can reverse course in the final stretch remains the central question surrounding Slot’s tenure. Right now, the signs are not encouraging, and the Champions League may yet provide the only redemption this season has to offer.
