Their title defence is over – how low can Liverpool go?

Even when Liverpool managed to repeat one of their feats from last season, they picked the wrong one.

- RICHARD JOLLY AT ANFIELD

They lost to Nottingham Forest at Anfield last year, a setback that did not prevent Arne Slot's side from winning the title. They did so again, but now Liverpool languish in the bottom half. If their dismal title defence was not already over, it is now.

“I can never come up with enough excuses for us to come up with the results we have,” said Slot. “That is far from good enough and I am responsible for that.” The same logic underlined that it was another historic achievement for Sean Dyche, who masterminded Burnley’s first win at Anfield since 1974 and, now, Forest’s biggest ever. “Of course it is to be enjoyed,” he said.

But not for Slot. It was an awful afternoon for him, capped by the now-familiar catcalls of visiting fans predicting his sacking. “Playing at home and losing 3-0 is a very, very, very bad result,” he said. That may have been compounded by the context.

Forest kicked off in the relegation zone and without a clean sheet in 19 Premier League matches. Liverpool ended up defeated and demolished. They have the most expensive striker in the history of English football; despite - some might say, because of - that, they drew a blank.