Van Dijk hits out at Liverpool players for letting down Slot

Captain vents anger after defeat by Forest leaves champions in bottom half

- Andy Hunter

Virgil van Dijk has delivered a scathing assessment of Liverpool's woeful title defence, the club captain admitting the champions are in a mess and letting down Arne Slot while questioning whether every player is shouldering responsibility for the team's slump.

Van Dijk could not contain his anger after Saturday's 3-0 home defeat by Nottingham Forest that left Liverpool in the bottom half of the table with a negative goal difference.

Tom Werner, the club's American chair, was at Anfield to witness Liverpool's sixth defeat in seven Premier League games, their eighth loss in 11 matches in all competitions, and a performance that unravelled against a Forest side that started the day in the relegation zone.

Van Dijk described Liverpool's start to the second half as "unacceptable" and admitted "panic kicked in" as soon as Murillo gave Sean Dyche's team the lead. Forest's opener was the ninth goal Liverpool have conceded from a set piece in the Premier League this season.

"We had a great three or four days' preparation but in a game you are dealing with facts and the facts are we conceded a set piece in the first half and a terrible goal at the start of the second half," said Van Dijk. "We are definitely letting him [Slot] down, but we've let ourselves down as well.