Ian Doyle with the main talking points after Liverpool suffered a pathetic 4-1 Champions League defeat at home to PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday evening
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 26: A dejected Alexander Isak of Liverpool and Ibrahima Konate of Liverpool walk off at full time during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD5 match between Liverpool FC and PSV Eindhoven at Anfield on November 26, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
A dejected Alexander Isak and Ibrahima Konate walk off at full-time following Liverpool's 4-1 home loss to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League
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When Virgil van Dijk hinted not all the squad were holding their hand up to assume responsibility for dragging Liverpool out of their malaise, this wasn’t the example he was hoping to set. The skipper’s mindless flailing arm from a PSV Eindhoven corner invited Ivan Perisic to put the visitors ahead after only six minutes and set the tone for the horror that was to follow.
Van Dijk had, with good reason, been hugely critical of Liverpool’s collective efforts following the embarrassing loss at home to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
But his bizarre error further tested the brittle mental resolve of a side that has made conceding the first goal something of an art form this season.
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It also prompted a period where Van Dijk’s composure went missing, shortly afterwards booked for needlessly wiping out Ismael Saibari near the touchline.
And there was later another calamitous error from Ibrahima Konate that invited PSV to score their game-clinching third. Konate, for his own good, needs a spell on the bench.
Not since September 1992 have Liverpool conceded three or more goals in three successive games.
Van Dijk was the final Reds player to leave the pitch after the final whistle. He will be hurting more than most.
Szoboszlai the exception
It didn’t take long for Dominik Szoboszlai to underline why he is far more effective in a central midfield role than at right-back.
Sixteen minutes was on the clock when Szoboszlai, restored to the number 10 position here, was in the right place to roll the ball into the empty net after Cody Gakpo’s low drive had been parried out into the danger zone by PSV goalkeeper Matej Kovar.
While the strike offered false hope of a good night, few would question the Hungarian has been Liverpool’s best player of a tortuous season, and employing him where he can be most influential should now be a priority for boss Arne Slot.
Certainly, Szoboszlai and compatriot Milos Kerkez were two of too few Liverpool players who appeared willing to show the kind of fight desperately needed right now.
While Curtis Jones was hardly awful as the latest emergency right-back, his presence in defence highlighted why the Reds are so disjointed and so easy to unpick at present.
Joe Gomez can surely no longer be wrapped in cotton wool. If he’s fit enough for the bench here, he needs to start at West Ham United on Sunday.
Midfield worry
As Liverpool romped to the Premier League title, the defensive midfield partnership of Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister was hailed as a key tenet of such a dominant domestic campaign.
But the growing concern is the duo are now becoming part of the problem for a rapidly-regressing Reds, Gravenberch a shadow of the player who shone in the first half of last season while Mac Allister still doesn’t appear back to his mobile best.
Too often PSV were able to stroll through the flimsy protection to the backline, as evidenced by their second goal.
Wataru Endo has barely featured this season but his naturally defensive instincts must surely now become a realistic option if only to provide more solidity. The Reds desperately need more resolve.
Amid all the acrimony, it’s easy to overlook this result has dealt a significant blow to Liverpool’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League knockout stages.
While still three points clear of the cut-off point, two of the Reds' three remaining games are away at Inter Milan and Marseille.
Nobody would back Liverpool to beat anyone at present.