All is not lost as far as Liverpool are concerned, although it might well have been had Paris Saint-Germain taken their chances in Wednesday's Champions League tussle at the Parc des Princes.
The eventual 2-0 scoreline certainly didn't flatter the rampant holders, with Luis Enrique's men recording 18 shots and generating four 'big chances', a far superior record to the men in red, who finished the first leg with an xG of just 0.18.
It had taken a deflected effort from Desire Doue for the Ligue 1 giants to eventually take the lead, before the relentless Khvicha Kvaratskhelia added a second after the break, following some dazzling footwork inside the area.
Arne-Slot-Liverpool-PSG
Had it not been for some errant touches, some wayward finishing and the presence of Giorgi Mamardashvili in the sticks, that scoreline may well have been even more damaging, ensuring Arne Slot can at least take a crumb of comfort into next week's second leg at Anfield.
Liverpool's poor performers as PSG run riot
At a time when Slot is firmly under the microscope following Saturday's thrashing at the hands of Manchester City, this was another worrying night for the Dutchman and his tactics, as Liverpool's back five was repeatedly undone on Wednesday night.
Time and again, the home side appeared to find space in behind, rampaging forward at will, as seen in their tally of 163 passes into the final third, almost 100 more than the Merseyside outfit.
Among those who were again at the scene of the crime from a Reds perspective was Ibrahima Konate, with the struggling Frenchman notably outmuscled in the build-up to Doue's opener, having also later survived a scare after avoiding a possible penalty for his last-gasp tackle inside the area.
Konate's display came amid what was a desperately difficult night for both Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez alongside him, the pair recording a pass accuracy rate of just 73% and 72%, respectively, as a sign of their woes in possession.
Those ahead of them didn't fare much better either, with Hugo Ekitike failing to flourish against his former employers, having lost the ball 14 times from just 33 touches, while registering just a solitary shot all night.
PSG vs Liverpool - Match stats
PSG
74%
2.20
18
0
3
8
744
10
12
0
The man alongside him, Florian Wirtz, was also largely ineffective as PSG took control of proceedings, the German playmaker registering just a solitary key pass as Liverpool struggled for any sense of attacking inspiration.
A difficult 90 minutes all-round then for Slot's side, with there those who have certainly played themselves out of Saturday's clash with Fulham, as well as Tuesday's second-leg on Merseyside.
Slot needs to drop Liverpool star after PSG nightmare
Aside from leaving Mohamed Salah on the bench for the entirety of proceedings, the big call from Slot on Wednesday was to opt for a back five in order to try and contend with PSG's attacking thrust from the flanks.
To say that approach backfired would be something of an understatement, with the hosts exploiting the spaces in behind with scary regularity, most notably for Kvaratskhelia's effort in the second half.
All night long, both the Georgian and Nuno Mendes behind him had joy up against summer signing, Jeremie Frimpong, with the Dutch right wing-back having been all at sea up against that relentless pairing.
Frimpong-Liverpool-PSG
Indeed, across his 89-minute outing, the former Bayer Leverkusen man failed to win a single tackle or duel, having also committed two fouls as he struggled to keep pace with that sparkling PSG duo.
On the ball too, Frimpong was particularly found wanting as Liverpool rarely applied the pressure going forward, with the ex-Celtic speedstar recording just 19 touches all night, 14 fewer than Mamardashvili in the sticks.
Frimpong-PSG-Liverpool
From that minimal involvement, the full-back only made ten passes, completed just two of his four attempted crosses and failed to successfully complete a single dribble, having almost been in no man's land for much of the night.
There have been signs of life from the 25-year-old of late after an injury-hit start to life at Liverpool, although this felt like something of a regression up against the very best that the Champions League has to offer.
Of course, finding it difficult up against the likes of Mendes and Kvaratskhelia is no real surprise, although if Slot is to turn the tie in Liverpool's favour next week, then shaking things up defensively could be a key solution.
This was Frimpong's chance to really flourish in his favoured wing-back berth, yet with the Cottagers next up on the agenda, he may well have played himself out of the starting lineup.
pep guardiola and arne slot Related
He’s a Liverpool fan: FSG handed green light to hire their own Guardiola
Liverpool could sack Arne Slot with his position in the Anfield dugout under scrutiny.