Liverpool’s mounting injury list worsened on Saturday. Florian Wirtz and Conor Bradley both missed the game with fresh muscle issues, while Jeremie Frimpong remains sidelined. Their absence forced Slot into a patchwork solution, with Curtis Jones filling in at right-back. Alexander Isak returned up front but lacked sharpness and was replaced in the 68th minute by Hugo Ekitike. Neither forward made a meaningful impact.
As boos echoed around the stadium and supporters streamed out early, captain Virgil van Dijk did not hide from Liverpool’s failings. Speaking with rare bluntness, the 33-year-old condemned the team’s defensive organisation and suggested deeper issues behind the slump.
"We concede too many easy goals. They scored obviously from a set piece again," he said. "You can ask if he was in front of Alisson, but it counted, so we're 1-0 down. We were not good in terms of battles, challenges, the fight, too rushed. It's a very difficult situation at the moment. There was nervousness after we conceded, but not before. We tried to rush things and that's human when you're in a difficult moment. We cleared the ones before and in the end, we'te in a very difficult moment. We don't get out of it by just speaking about it. It will take a lot of hard work.
"It's a problem. Everyone in the team has to take responsibility as well. Football is a team and everyone has to take responsibility. We have to digest this and take it on the chin. We need to work harder. We have to keep going. Everyone is disappointed, like they should be, because losing at home to Nottingham Forest is, in my eyes, very bad. That's the least I can say about it. Those goals we conceded are far too easy and we all have to look in the mirror. I've been at this club so long now and we've been through adversity. We will bounce back but it doesn't happen overnight. I'm not a quitter and we will keep going. I can't decide what the supporters are doing if they leave early. I know the fans have been through thick and thin with us. They will be there with us when we come out of this because we will come out of this."