Arne Slott admits Liverpool have dropped too many points in the Premier League after qualifying for the Champions League as their hopes of finishing in the top five were dealt another blow with defeat to Brighton.
Danny Welbeck’s brace earned Brighton a deserved victory over Slott’s side, who became the first reigning Premier League champions to lose 10 games in a season since Chelsea in 2017-18.
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The Reds have lost five of their 10 games in Europe this season, winning four and drawing one, as they failed to advance to the quarter-finals with a thumping victory over Galatasaray on Wednesday.
With Mohamed Salah and goalkeeper Alisson both missing through injury, Liverpool lost Hugo Ekitic after a serious collision with James Milner within the opening five minutes and were beaten by a dynamic Brighton side who fully deserved their fourth win in five games.
“Obviously we dropped a lot of points after the European games,” Slott told TNT Sports. “I’ve tried many times to explain why that was the case, but today we have to give credit to Brighton as well. In the second half, they were the better team on the pitch.
“What did I think [before the game]you don’t need 24 points to qualify [from the final eight games of the season] Hopefully I’m right because we’ll never get 24 points again.
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“We kept working hard. We were close in the second half, but they were closer to the third goal than the second. Unfortunately, after a week like this, it wasn’t enough.”
Slaughter said losing Ekitic early in the campaign was a “huge blow” and Liverpool will be desperate to get as many players fit as possible after the international break against Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals, ahead of the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Paris Saint-Germain.
But Liverpool are also at risk of slipping out of the Premier League’s top five after three consecutive games without a win. While Liverpool’s impressive win over Galatasaray lifted sentiment after a defeat to bottom side Wolves and a 1-1 draw with struggling Tottenham Hotspur, Slott is again under pressure ahead of a crucial moment of the season.
Brighton inspired by Danny Welbeck’s brace as worthy winners (AP)
“At Liverpool, there’s always pressure on me and the players,” Slaughter said. “That’s completely normal. We’ve qualified for the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and the Champions League, but in the league we need to make sure we qualify for the Champions League.”
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“As much as I don’t like the fact that we lost here today, Brighton is always a difficult game away from home and as long as they continue to bring in so many good players it will always be a difficult game away from home.
“But there are other games where we should have taken more points, like last week against Tottenham. It’s more unacceptable than that. But even away to Brighton, a club like Liverpool should be able to get a result.”
Brighton’s fiery display was in stark contrast to Liverpool’s lethargic display, with Steven Gerrard questioning why Slott hadn’t made more changes to freshen up his squad. The former captain said Liverpool’s performance was predictable.
After playing in the Champions League in midweek, Liverpool only scored 13 points out of a possible 30 (Reuters)
“The performance wasn’t good enough but you could almost feel a performance like this and a result like this was coming,” Gerrard told TNT Sports.
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“Liverpool had some injuries in midweek to key players like Salah and Alisson and the manager talked about maybe a lack of energy and then you look at Brighton’s plan to try and play a game with that intensity, that pace, that energy.
“We’ve seen it many times this season, they put in a lot of effort and performed really well in the Champions League. To win a game or get a result, they have to put in all their emotions, all their energy and intensity.”
“It had a big impact on them at the weekend. They didn’t have the option to make a lot of changes in the squad or on the bench to bring the same level of energy and quality to the team as they did in midweek.
“Liverpool made some forced changes but the manager wanted to retain the team rather than make changes for energy and it backfired today. Brighton deserved to win overall and Liverpool missed a great opportunity.”
