By LEWIS STEELE, FOOTBALL REPORTER
Published: 21:00 EST, 9 November 2025 | Updated: 21:00 EST, 9 November 2025
Some of the home crowd broke out into a chorus of 'are you watching Arsenal?' before others stopped them, not wanting to get too carried away on the long and arduous road of this title race.
Mikel Arteta and Co may have been trembling watching Manchester City but, if they were casting an eye over the champions Liverpool, they may have been rubbing their hands knowing Arne Slot's men are way off the pace.
They were not just beaten here at the hands of Slot's great idol Pep Guardiola but humiliated. Not just edged past, as is the case in most of the defeats of the Dutchman's era, but played off the park.
This defeat leaves Liverpool eight points adrift of early pace-setters Arsenal. It is only November and Slot says he does not look at the league table until matchweek 19 – when each team has played every opponent at least once.
But judging from their first 11 league games, they will be way behind both Arteta and Guardiola by then and maybe an even bigger gap when all is said and done in May. Play like this, they will not get close to defending their crown.
It is tricky to truly analyse this team because of what we know they can do. They showed the world on Tuesday night by beating Real Madrid and making the 15-time kings of Europe look bang average in the process.
Liverpool will not even get close to defending their crown if they play like they did against Manchester City
Liverpool are already eight points adrift of pace-setters Arsenal - it is hard to analyse this team because of we know what they can do
Last season, they showed that they can rock up and sweep away any team, twice getting the better of Guardiola in the process and only falling out of the Champions League on penalties against eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain.
After spending £446million, they were meant to get better. Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, the list goes on, had overhauled the squad. The roof had been fixed while the sun was shining rather than on a rainy day – but clearly there were some holes. Liverpool have been leaking goals in the last six weeks.
Either side of rock-solid displays against Aston Villa and Real Madrid they have conceded three here, three at Brentford, two against Manchester United, two at Chelsea and Crystal Palace. They have let in 26 goals after 18 games this season in all competitions. At the same stage of last term, that stood at just 11.
Led by the aura of Virgil van Dijk, the Reds barely allowed chances against them… now opposition players fancy their chances. While Vinicius Junior got no change from an imperious Conor Bradley on Tuesday, winger Jeremy Doku robbed the right back blind time and again.
The best night of Bradley's career on Tuesday was backed up by one that will leave him having nightmares of the tricky Belgian. It is harsh to single him out for criticism – no Liverpool player deserved much credit.
Ibrahima Konate and many others are great on their day but when it rains, it pours for some of Slot's squad.
'It is too many (losses),' said Slot – and he is right. This is their seventh defeat in 10 games, five in six league games. Doku's strike rubbed further salt in the wounds as it meant Liverpool had fallen below Manchester United on goal difference.
Imagine telling someone that after five games, when Liverpool had a 100 per cent record and pundits were calling for Ruben Amorim's head.
The Red barely allowed chances against them last season - now opposition players fancy their chances
Slot has taken a number of lessons from Pep Guardiola (left) in his coaching career, and the next should be how to rise again
Similar of Guardiola after a tricky start for City but here he showed why he is the greatest manager of his generation.
Slot has taken a lot of lessons from the Catalan in his coaching journey and the next one should be how to rise again after a fallow period.
City are back to their best after last year's slump but it got worse before it got better again. Maybe the same will follow for Slot and Co.
The fixture list has been harsh on Liverpool and it is much kinder this side of New Year, with six of their next eight against bottom-half opposition.
There is a long road ahead but Slot must get the champions out of reverse and put his foot on the gas if he wants to catch Arsenal and City.