In his latest column, John Aldridge looks back at Liverpool's disappointing draw with Chelsea and the latest controversy involving VAR
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot looks on during the Premier League match against Chelsea at Anfield on May 9 2026
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot looks on during the Premier League match against Chelsea at Anfield on May 9 2026(Image: Richard Martin-Roberts - CameraSport via Getty Images)
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Liverpool supporters have been spoilt over the past decade, first with the Jurgen Klopp era and then Arne Slot guiding the Reds to the Premier League title in his debut season in charge.
But a big dose of reality has been dolloped on them this campaign. And the Anfield crowd is becoming extremely frustrated with what Liverpool are serving up not just in recent weeks but the last nine months as a whole.
Fans had become used to seeing their team playing high-octane, exciting football under Klopp that was changed under Slot last season to very successful effect.
But this time around it just hasn't worked. It has been a complete write-off. We have dropped so many points at home, and to lose 18 games in all competitions is frankly nowhere near good enough.
And, with the greatest respect to the likes of Bournemouth and Brighton, that they are the two teams who could still stop Liverpool from gaining Champions League qualification is an indictment both of this disappointing Reds season and the quality of the Premier League as a whole.
Both have done brilliantly, but Liverpool were champions last season - the drop-off to be anywhere near them with two games remaining has been significant.
True, we have had a lot of injuries and that has exposed the fact our squad just isn’t big enough or deep enough. But that is no longer cutting any mustard with those who pay their hard-earned.
That said, it’s quite difficult to score goals when your main forwards and your chief creative midfielder are all missing. Any team would struggle, as Liverpool did for large parts against Chelsea in another dismal home draw.
The worry for me, as it has been for much of the season, is the midfield. That’s the one part of the team that hasn’t had many injury problems, but they have rarely had the right balance nor the necessary fitness and physicality to compete regularly in the Premier League.
In any other season, a draw at home to Chelsea wouldn’t be the end of the world. But they had lost six games on the bounce and had scored only one goal in that time. They were there for the taking.
But having taken the foot off the pedal the previous week when getting back to 2-2 at Manchester United, on Saturday we did it again not long having gone 1-0 ahead. It’s just frustrating.
Now there remains work to be done. Getting a place in the Champions League would save the day up to a point and allow Liverpool to properly plan for next season, and a lot needs to be worked out.
Whether Slot is there to oversee it, we shall have to wait and see.
Liverpool have a lot of questions that need answering. Surely everybody wants the manager to be successful, because then the team are successful and the fans love it and will be right behind him like last season.
However, it doesn’t take long for things to change. And after a swift decline, the Reds will be hoping the climb back up is just as quick. There is a big job to done - but that top-five place has to be secured first.
Arsenal highlight VAR flaw
The moment West Ham United equalised against Arsenal on Sunday, one thought came immediately to mind: “They are going to find a way to disallow this.”
Sure enough, after what seemed like an eternity, a free-kick was awarded to the Gunners which, from my point of view, was the one decision it shouldn’t have been
I know as a former striker I’m probably biased, but goalkeepers are protected far too much when challenged by opposing players.
The arm was a bit high from Pablo, yes, and if anything he should have put it nearer to his chest. The West Ham man gave the officials the option to disallow it.
But it’s not like Arsenal haven’t scored a few goals already this season using exactly the same approach.
And how can there be a clear and obvious error when VAR took five minutes to end up throwing it back for the referee to decide?
It was the same at Old Trafford the previous week with the clear handball that wasn’t given that would have denied Manchester United a goal against Liverpool. I don’t like the handball rule in general, but it has to be applied consistently or not at all.
I’ve said so many times that there needs to be a timescale on how long VAR takes to determine a decision. It’s ruining the game and, in this case, could have decided who wins the title and who goes down.