**Liverpool’s dismal form was extended in a thrashing by PSV Eindhoven.**
The hosts fell behind barely five minutes into Wednesday’s encounter as Ivan Perisic converted from the penalty spot following a handball by Virgil van Dijk.
Arne Slot’s side pulled level soon after through Dominik Szoboszlai firing into an empty net after Matej Kovar had parried Cody Gakpo’s initial effort.
But the Eredivisie outfit reclaimed their lead just 10 minutes into the second half when Guus Til was able to slide home from a Mauro Junior delivery.
They extended the advantage in the 73rd minute as Couhaib Driouech was first to the rebound after Ricardo Pepi’s shot came back off the near post.
Driouech doubled his tally in added time, sweeping in Sergino Dest’s cutback to condemn the Reds to a hat-trick of defeats by three goals or more.
_Here were the key talking points from Anfield:_
Kopites finally lose faith in Slot
----------------------------------
It was not PSV Eindhoven’s second-half schooling which delivered the confirmation that Arne Slot’s Liverpool tenure is on borrowed time.
Nor was it the sound of visiting fans gleefully chanting ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’ as Anfield began emptying long before the final whistle.
Even a fresh wave of statistical humiliations, one dating back 72 years and another to the bad old days of Graeme Souness’ reign, did not cover it.
Yet the clearest sign that the Dutchman stands on the precipice lay in the stadium’s reaction when time was finally called on this latest ignominy.
Until Wednesday’s Champions League encounter, boos were normally reserved for contentious officialdom or undeserved points dropped.
Instead, Kopites expressed their frustrations with audible dissent which was drowned out by chants of encouragement which felt decidedly half-hearted.
Slot continues to keep the faith in both his and the Reds’ abilities to turn around a situation which is, to use his own words, simply unbelievable.
But support in the stands is ebbing away with each passing game.
How do Reds fix relegation form?
--------------------------------
Liverpool’s aforementioned statistics make for incredibly grim reading.
PSV became the third team to consecutively plunder three goals or more in all competitions; mirroring the run Souness presided over in September 1992.
The legendary midfielder was at least able to salvage a draw in one of those, holding fourth-tier Chesterfield to an eight-goal thriller in the League Cup.
Slot, however, became the first Liverpool manager to oversee three defeats in succession by those same margins since the infamous December 1953.
His current return of nine defeats in the last 12 games mirrors another stat from the season which culminated in the club last bowing out of the top flight.
In the bluntest terms, this is officially relegation form. The overriding question has moved from why it has happened to how do Liverpool go about fixing it?
At both ends of the pitch, the once razor-sharp players that clinched last season’s title at a canter now resemble a shadow of their former selves.
Solutions aren’t forthcoming from the dugout yet but Slot has to unearth a new solution or the conversation about a different voice will only grow louder.
Time to consider other square pegs
----------------------------------
Slot’s title success in his debut campaign was in no small part down to unlocking the potential in Liverpool’s squad through unorthodox methods.
Ryan Gravenberch was transformed from the midfield periphery to an award-winning playmaker while Wataru Endo found a new lease of life in defence.
This season, too, he has elected to put square pegs in round holes to great effect as Dominik Szoboszlai’s early star turn as an inverted right-back.
Midfielders as defenders proved Slot’s undoing in the loss to Nottingham Forest and arguably once more against PSV with Curtis Jones slotting in.
But considering other auxiliary options should be on the agenda in light of Ibrahima Konate’s latest unconvincing appearance in the famous red shirt.
The France international’s haphazardness is becoming a liability which Liverpool can ill afford, especially after his poor timing gifted PSV’s third goal.
Supporter clamour for him to belatedly make way for Joe Gomez as Virgil van Dijk’s centre-back partner seemingly continue to fall on deaf ears with Slot.
If the club’s longest-serving player is still considered an unviable alternative, Endo’s return to the defensive line could restore some much-needed stability.