Arne Slot complains about sloppy play after Liverpool’s first defeat

Arne Slot suffered his first defeat as Liverpool manager on Saturday as his side lost 1-0 to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, but visiting coach Nuno Espírito Santo outdid the Dutchman in a fascinating encounter.

Forest’s tactics were perfect: they occupied the midfield and put pressure on Liverpool’s wide players. And although the home side had some good chances in the first half, they were not consistent enough in front of goal.

“The result is the most frustrating thing ever and we cannot be satisfied with the way the game went. It was a game with a lot of interruptions and we hardly created any chances,” said Slot.

“We just have to look at ourselves – we have to get better. We lost the ball in the zone way too many times, that wasn’t good enough. We have to handle the ball better.”

Forest’s solid block left Liverpool little room, but at times they were their own worst enemies and substitutes Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi combined to ensure the latter scored on the counterattack to secure three points for the visitors.

“Our decisions and execution were not good enough. In general we defended quite well, but the two fast players came and made it difficult. We took a lot of risks and in the end it was a very nice goal,” added Slot.

Forest’s Portuguese coach Espirito Santo was delighted with the way his team implemented the game plan.

“Only if you are organized and do everything you can can you achieve something here,” he said.

“When you start like we did with our wingers Nico Dominguez and Elliot Anderson, with all the effort they put into chasing Liverpool’s full-backs, there’s a lot of energy in there.”

Having flirted with relegation in recent seasons, Forest’s win puts them in fourth place with eight points from four games. Liverpool are second with nine points.

“We are working hard and it is about developing this idea and believing in it,” said Espirito Santo.