The international break was supposed to offer some respite after Liverpool's poor 3-0 defeat away at Man City.
Instead they repeated the feat with an insipid home performance to go down 3-0 at Anfield to a rapidly improving Nottingham Forest.
Although Liverpool performed reasonably well for the opening half hour it was Forest who scored with their first moment of danger and Liverpool's expensively assembled squad essentially folded. No real fight and as each passing goal went in their deflation and finger pointing was more and more on display.
This team of 'mostly' Champions simply do not look interested or up for any kind of fight to get themselves out of this mess.
Szoboszlai apart there was a real lack of commitment. The fact that the reds best played is being played out of position in right back is not helping. Even from right back he was our best midfielder.
Gravenberch is another who shouldn't be singled out - he did his best - especially when he was shifted further back after another roulette spin on the Slot substitute wheel.
Liverpool's lack of defensive competition is a serious problem - there are players being played who simply are not in strong enough form to be playing for the reigning Champions.
Curtis Jones once again put in another sub-standard performance. It's hard to imagine he kind of burst into the team with his nice forward passes and goals - yes he used to score goals. When he wasn't leathering passes to a player 15 yards away he was frequently looking for the sideways and backward pass. He used to receive the ball and lay it on, drive forward or be somewhat unpredictable. Now he receives the ball, collects his thoughts and then passes it anyway to van Dijk or Konate.
As has been the case numerous times of late, Liverpool conceded first with dismal defending and then simply lack the ideas or bravery to get themselves back into the game.
A section of supporters departed in the 79th minute after the third goal. Most of Liverpool's players had already checked out in the 36th minute after the first goal.
The recruitment, which almost certainly has done over Slot's head by the transfer committee, has been poor. Ekitike looked lively when he came on but Alexander Isak was diabolical. At Newcastle, waiting for that cross might have been his strategy but he is going to have to grapple and fight a little bit more. He produced a fraction of the effort previous front men such as Firmino, Jota, even Darwin Nunez produced.
Liverpool have in the space of 7 games been buffeted out of top spot and are now in the second half of the table. Pretty embarrassing and the reds, irrespective of the results in the next six or so weeks, are going to have to solve some of the issues in January that they didn't in the summer. Too many strikers, not enough determination.
MOTM: Szobsozlai, again.
VIDEO: LFC 0-3 Forest highlights
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