A WEEK TO FORGET

Late-goal drama goes against Reds again, but the team is misfiring on all levels

- By PAUL GORST

AS this the day when a blip turned to a crisis for this new-look Liverpool? Whatever Arne Slot's feeling on that particular debate, he will now have two weeks to stew on it as his side lost their third successive game to bring the curtain down on the week from hell for the Reds boss.

Having become masters of late-goal drama in the early weeks of the campaign, the champions have been administered copious amounts of their own medicine in the last two league games as they once more conceded in stoppage-time to lose 2-1.

This time it was Chelsea substitute Estevao picking up where Eddie Nketiah left off at Crystal Palace last week, sliding in in the 95th minute to secure a huge victory for Enzo Maresca, whose riotous celebrations saw him pick up the most joyous yellow card of his career to be sent off by referee Anthony Taylor.

It will have mattered little to him as Chelsea Dagger echoed around Stamford Bridge and Slot must now face up to some massive questions during this break.

Namely, how does he inject some fluency into his team on the other side of the international fixtures? With Manchester United up next at Anfield, it is the ideal time to show everyone exactly why they are the champions of this division.