Liverpool FC manager Arne Slot admitted his side must urgently address their habit of conceding late goals after suffering a dramatic 2-1 defeat to bottom club Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux Stadium on Tuesday evening.
Liverpool appeared to have salvaged a point when Mohamed Salah cancelled out Rodrigo Gomes’ late opener, but their recurring weakness in the closing stages resurfaced once again as Andre struck in the dying moments with a deflected effort that wrong-footed goalkeeper Alisson Becker.
The result continued a worrying trend for Liverpool, who have now lost five Premier League matches due to goals scored in the 90th minute or later this season, the most ever suffered by a team in a single campaign in the competition.
Speaking after the match, Slot expressed his frustration at another late collapse that has further complicated Liverpool’s difficult season.
“We hardly conceded a chance and created more than they did, but the result is again a 2-1 loss,” Slot said. “We are losing far too many football games and dropping points. The last three defeats in our last 22 matches have all come in added time.”
Liverpool were beaten for the first time in five games in all competitions and now face increased pressure in the race for a top-four finish in the Premier League, with Chelsea FC able to move above them with a victory against Aston Villa.
The Reds struggled to find rhythm for long periods, and Slot criticised both the defensive lapses and lack of attacking precision that allowed Wolves to capitalise.
“Bad result. The first half was far from good, the second half better,” he added. “We had more urgency after the break, hit the post, scored through Mo and were close to winning it. But in the end, we conceded from a deflected shot that was not even a real chance.”
The defeat also marked a historic setback as Liverpool became the first reigning champions to lose to the Premier League’s bottom-placed side since Chelsea FC were beaten by Crystal Palace in 2017.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk admitted his side were responsible for their own downfall after a sluggish and error-filled performance.
“It’s down to ourselves,” Van Dijk said. “We were slow, predictable, sloppy in possession and made the wrong decisions. We didn’t concede many chances, but if you perform like that a result like this can happen.”
Liverpool will have the chance to respond quickly when they face Wolves again in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Friday, with Slot insisting his side must prove they can bounce back from yet another painful late setback.
