AGENCIES

Arne Slot urged calm after Liverpool’s slump continued with a 2-1 defeat at Chelsea on Saturday -- their third loss in a row and second consecutive Premier League defeat.

Brazilian teenager Estevao delivered the decisive blow in the 95th minute at Stamford Bridge, condemning Slot to a first-ever run of three successive defeats in his managerial career.

It marked another agonising late collapse for Liverpool, coming just a week after Crystal Palace’s 97th-minute winner and following Tuesday’s 1-0 Champions League loss to Galatasaray. The Reds have not endured such a streak since 2023 when Jurgen Klopp was in charge.

“Another disappointing loss, that is clear,” Slot admitted after the game. “We created three big chances in the first half, they only had one and they scored it. The second-half performance, I liked. We created more than enough to score more than one goal. There were periods where I thought we were going to win it.”

Liverpool’s struggles were glaring, particularly in the first-half, as they again looked disjointed despite just two of their starting outfield players having joined this summer. Nearly £450 million worth of new signings have yet to bring cohesion, with £116 million midfielder Florian Wirtz’s advanced role behind forwards Hugo Ekitike and record signing Alexander Isak leaving the team exposed through the middle.

Slot, however, chalked the defeat up to fine margins going against his side and the impact of a turbulent off-season, with the tragic death of Diogo Jota.

“I don’t say we deserved the win, a draw we definitely deserved and then we would have had a great start to the season, if you take into account everything that happened in the summer in Liverpool,” Slot said.

Up front, Isak’s rhythm remains off following a truncated pre-season, while Mohamed Salah’s dip continues to concern. The Egyptian has just five goals in his last 21 appearances and missed several key chances against Chelsea.

Liverpool managed only one shot on target before the 51st minute, despite Chelsea missing several key defenders due to injuries. The hosts, who had lost their previous two league matches, were vulnerable, yet Slot’s side failed to capitalise.

“We didn’t play the final pass well enough in those [final] chances. It was end to end in the last few minutes. Either team could have won it and Chelsea did,” Slot added.

The defeat leaves Liverpool second in the Premier League table, a point behind Arsenal, having led the Gunners by five just two weeks ago.

A staggering 10 goals have been scored after the 80th-minute mark in Liverpool’s 11 games so far this season. All but two of those goals have altered the result of the match. Seven such strikes gave Liverpool the win.

Bournemouth, Newcastle United, Arsenal, Burnley and Atletico Madrid, and Southampton all fell to last-gasp blows -- but it was a high-risk unsustainable strategy, especially with Liverpool so far from their best. And now they have received a bitter taste of their own medicine twice in seven days.