Liverpool's alarming descent into crisis accelerated on a dismal night at Anfield as Arne Slot's beleaguered side were comprehensively dismantled 5-2 by Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League.
The defeat marks a staggering ninth loss in twelve games for the Premier League champions, a 75% loss rate that dates back to Eddie Nketiah's stoppage-time winner for Crystal Palace on 27 September. The Anfield crowd voiced their fury at the final whistle, with boos echoing around the stadium as the team's collapse shows no sign of abating.
Anfield Nightmare Begins Early
The worst possible start materialised for a team desperately in need of stability. From PSV's second corner, delivered by Joey Veerman, Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk handled the ball high above his head to concede a clear penalty. Despite the Dutch defender's protests of a push from international colleague Jerdy Schouten, the decision stood after a VAR check. Ivan Perisic confidently dispatched the spot-kick past deputy goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, highlighting Liverpool's recurring problem of conceding first for the tenth time in twelve outings.
To their credit, Liverpool initially responded with vigour. The aggression from Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo paid dividends in the 16th minute. Gakpo cut inside Sergino Dest and forced a save from Matej Kovar, with the rebound falling perfectly for Dominik Szoboszlai to slot into an unguarded net.
Defensive Frailties Resurface
The parity was almost immediately shattered when a PSV free-kick led to a chaotic sequence, with Yarek Gasiorowski tapping home only for the effort to be correctly disallowed for offside. Liverpool then enjoyed their best spell of the match, with Van Dijk seeing a header kiss the crossbar and Hugo Ekitiké drawing a fine save from Kovar.
However, the composure shown after the equaliser evaporated after half-time. PSV dominated possession, exposing Liverpool's fragile rearguard. The visitors restored their lead in emphatic fashion when Mauro Júnior glided away from Mohamed Salah and threaded a superb pass for Guus Til to beat Mamardashvili with a first-time finish.
Liverpool's woes were compounded when Ekitiké hobbled off injured, and a costly miss from Gakpo, who headed over from close range, proved pivotal. The game unravelled completely for the hosts when Ibrahima Konaté committed a dreadful error, missing a routine clearance and allowing substitute Ricardo Pepi to strike the post. Couhaib Driouech was first to the rebound to make it 3-1.
Late Collapse Seals Humiliating Defeat
With Slot forced into attacking changes, Liverpool's defence was left exposed. In stoppage time, a swift PSV counter-attack was finished by Driouech, who found the bottom corner to seal a 5-2 victory and a third successive defeat by a three-goal margin for the Merseyside club.
The result leaves Arne Slot facing intense scrutiny, with his team stuck in a vicious cycle of defensive errors and impotent attacking play. The scale of the task to reverse this collapse and prevent a full-blown crisis at Anfield appears greater than ever.
