Liverpool

Jordan Chamberlain
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool's problem this season is that they are relying on moments.

In the first five games, the moments went for the Reds, with multiple late winners leaving Liverpool top of the table.

But now, having conceded and lost in injury time in two consecutive Premier League weekends, they are on the receiving end.

Liverpool played no worse against Chelsea than they did in matches they won against Newcastle and Burnley. They just didn't get the rub of the green this time. Moises Caicedo scored from 25 yards and Mo Salah missed chances he usually scores. If the big moments were different, Liverpool would have won.

But that's the problem. There is no structure to Liverpool's play. There is no sustained pressure on the opponent. The midfield is wide open. They are not utilising the brilliant attacking options and the defence is shaky.

So if you rely on moments, sometimes they go for you and sometimes they don't. And that won't win Liverpool the Premier League.

The performances more than the result is a problem. Liverpool looked so tactically astute last season, but decided to spend £400m and tear it up and start again.

As a result, there is no cohesion. Liverpool's stalwarts are out of form and as a result the new signings are struggling to gel.

Arne Slot, so brilliant in his debut season, needs to step up and get this team playing.

Find more from Jordan Chamberlain at Empire of the Kop, external

Tom McCoy
BBC Sport journalist

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Mohamed Salah's decline in form is a concern for Liverpool head coach Arne Slot.

He played a key role in the Premier League title win last season, scoring 29 goals and assisting 18. But the Reds' 'Egyptian King' hasn't hit those heights yet this campaign, with a substantial drop-off in most key attacking metrics.

While it is only a relatively small sample of seven league games, Salah is getting only half as many touches in the opposition box as he did last season. That has led to a corresponding dip in the volume of shots he is taking, and likewise his figures for goals and expected goals.

Whether it is age catching up with the 33-year-old, or changes to Liverpool's squad upsetting the team's overall balance, Slot will have to figure out a way to get Salah back to his best.

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Liverpool's recent dip in form has raised plenty of talking points from tactical tweaks under Arne Slot to issues with intensity and consistency.

Later this week, BBC Sport's senior football correspondent Sami Mokbel will be answering your questions.

So send them in below - what do you want to know about Liverpool's form, team selections or title hopes?

Ask here

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It feels like Mohamed Salah's lack of defensive work has become a little problem for Liverpool, especially against the better teams.

I can totally understand if Arne Slot has told Salah not to track back, because waiting high up the pitch on the right for the transition has made him one of the most potent goalscorers in the world.

But the players behind him are not covering him correctly and that has caused a lot of issues for whoever has been at right-back this season.

Whether it has been Jeremie Frimpong, Conor Bradley or Dominik Szoboszlai, they have been in trouble because they are often facing a two against one overload down their side.

It was a real weakness on Saturday and led to Chelsea's late winner - so the concern must be that more teams will be clever enough to do the same.

The other players have to be able to help out more, and quicker, because it felt like Chelsea were working the ball forwards and then shifting it out to their left as that is where the space was.

If a Liverpool midfielder went out there too late - whether it be Ryan Gravenberch or Alexis Mac Allister - then it left space in the pockets in front of their defence because they were losing a man from the middle.

All of this becomes less of a problem when you are playing teams where you can dominate the ball. We've seen it be successful before - Liverpool won the league playing this way - but they have to tighten up because the top sides will continue to exploit it.

It is not as if Salah has changed his role this season but, because he is not scoring at the other end, maybe the defensive side of his game is amplified.

Read more of Murphy's thoughts over here

Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney also "questioned the work ethic" of Salah, who he describes as "lost", on the latest episode of The Wayne Rooney Show.

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Chelsea and Liverpool.

Here are some of your comments:

Chelsea fans

Evan: Honestly one of the best Chelsea performances I've seen in a long time. The last 15 minutes of the game we dominated and deserved to win as we did. Estevao looks brilliant and I'm excited to see him in the future when he is in his prime.

Fossie: A superb win. A stunning performance from Moises Caicedo, and a brilliant goal. It would have been easy for our heads to drop after the equaliser, but Chelsea came back stronger for it. The winner was an excellently crafted goal. Injuries in the back line are a concern, but a bit of time for some recoveries now. Well done Chelsea.

Rod: One of the best performances for years. It proves that it is there, just got to stop the boring wasteful side-and-back passing. Keep playing like this!

Scott: Really controlled performance from Chelsea in the first half - absolute mayhem in the second due to the defensive substitutions. Excellent win and Enzo Maresca deserves credit as he went for it - more of that please.

Liverpool fans

Fraser: People were scapegoating Florian Wirtz for our performances lately - we were actually better when he came on. Wirtz and Alexander Isak are not the problem - the problem is clearly tactical/systematic. I don't think Arne Slot knows what his best starting XI is or how to best utilise them. That, combined with key veterans struggling for form, especially Mohamed Salah, Ibrahima Konate and Alexis Mac Allister. We're too exposed at the back and we're far too slow and cautious going forward. The international break couldn't have come at a better time.

Killian: No point hiding it - that was a dreadful performance. The lads look like they don't know each other. Total faith in Slot and the team to turn it around. I genuinely believe we have an elite squad - we just need to bring it together. YNWA!

Andrew: Time to recognise Salah has passed his peak and let Federico Chiesa have his chance. Overall, too many established players underperforming at the same time and apart from Hugo Ekitike, all the other newcomers have distinctly disappointed. Time for Slot to earn his coin.

Rae: Another desperately nervous performance - Milos Kerkez not yet settled, Conor Bradley trying too hard and Konate out of form. Slot is also trying to force the likes of Wirtz and Isak into an unsuitable formation.

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Are Liverpool in a mini crisis after a third successive defeat? That was the question posed on the latest episode of BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.

"The success of last season was because of Arne Slot's ability to address situations early within games to get them over the line," said former Reds keeper David James. "They were excellent at winning the second half of games and quite regularly not very good in the first.

"This season, they have been better in the first and more often than not, worse in the second half and not up to scratch.

"They have a manager who does have - or should have - the ability to recognise the problems and resolve them.

"Liverpool are one point behind Arsenal, so it is not like they have lost three games and there is all of a sudden a big gap.

"There are no questions about the quality they have brought in this summer, but the pressure is then on the manager to get the players playing like they should be.

"I didn't think they needed Alexander Isak when they bought him and now they do - the conversation has widely been that they will win the league.

"They almost have too much quality and the issue is they are teething."

Listen to the Football Daily podcast on BBC Sounds

Liverpool remain in contract talks with Ibrahima Konate, 26, as they aim to extend his deal and prevent losing him for free at the end of the season, with Real Madrid keen on the France centre-back. (FootballInsider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Phil McNulty
Chief football writer

The wins...

• Liverpool 4-2 Bournemouth (Premier League) - Federico Chiesa 88' and Mohamed Salah 90+4'

• Newcastle 2-3 Liverpool (Premier League) - Rio Ngumoha 90+10'

• Liverpool 1-0 Arsenal (Premier League) - Dominik Szoboszlai 83'

• Burnley 0-1 Liverpool (Premier League) - Mohamed Salah (pen) 90+3'

• Liverpool 3-2 Atletico Madrid (Champions League) - Virgil van Dijk 90+2'

• Southampton 1-2 Liverpool (League Cup) - Hugo Ekitike 85'

The defeats...

• Crystal Palace 2-1 Liverpool (Premier League) - Federico Chiesa 87' and Eddie Nketiah 90+7'

• Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool (Premier League) - Estevao Willian 90+5'

Late goals or otherwise, the brutal truth is that Liverpool have been a pale shadow of the side the cruised to the Premier League last season since the Community Shield loss to Crystal Palace, the tables being turned on them dramatically in the last week as the flaws that have been in evidence since that Wembley defeat have been exposed.

Liverpool have looked unbalanced after an influx of nearly £450m worth of new signings, the introduction of £116m Florian Wirtz into a role behind the strikers – whether it was £70m Hugo Ekitike or £125m Alexander Isak – leaving them more exposed through the centre.

The arrival of two new full-backs, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez, with instinctive attacking tendencies has also left Liverpool more vulnerable on the counter.

Slot gave Liverpool a more familiar look at Chelsea by dropping Wirtz to restore the title-winning midfield trio of Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Alex Mac Allister.

Liverpool were not quite as open, although Szoboszlai was moved to right-back when Conor Bradley was replaced at half-time, but for all Slot's positive messages this was another largely flat display. They still almost got a point through Cody Gakpo's equaliser after Moises Caicedo's magnificent early opener for Chelsea.

This was until Estevao intervened as the biters of early in the season were painfully bitten back.

"I thought Chelsea just wanted it a little bit more," said ex-England forward Wayne Rooney, who is a pundit on Saturday's Match of the Day. "They showed more bite and determination in how they played. It wasn't the Liverpool we've been used to watching and Chelsea definitely deserved the three points.

You can read the full analysis on Liverpool's late goals here

Pundits Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney join host Gabby Logan to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures and Friday's action.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

• Manchester United 2-0 Sunderland

• Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool

Phil McNulty
Chief football writer

Image source, Getty Images

Slot gave his side a more familiar look as he dropped Wirtz to the bench, restoring the midfield triumvirate of Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Szoboszlai.

The champions did not look as vulnerable as they have, although Szoboszlai was moved to right-back when Conor Bradley was replaced at half-time, but this was still a pale shadow of the side that cruised to the title last season.

Mohamed Salah was back in the starting line-up after being left out at Galatasaray in the Champions League but, as he has for most of the season, was desperately out of form.

The Egyptian's plight was summed up when he sent a second half chance wide with only Sanchez to beat - and fired off target on other occasions.

Isak can claim involvement in Gakpo's equaliser but looks way short of match sharpness after his protracted, acrimonious move from Newcastle.

It concluded a miserable week for Slot and Liverpool, in which they have twice received a taste of their own medicine - the side who had made a habit of scoring late winners having been on the receiving end in two straight league games.

After the last seven days, Slot may just be glad of the international break to try to regroup and fire up his side once more.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot speaking to BBC Match Of The Day after the defeat to Chelsea: "If you play at Stamford Bridge and create as many chances as we did today that is something positive we take. We conceded two goals in both games [against Palace last week and Chelsea today], the only chance they had in the first half - maybe you should compliment them - unfortunately we couldn't score."

On Ibrahima Konate: "Not 100% sure if he's injured, he felt his quad and if a player feels his quad when he's running then alarm bells go on for me. If the game had gone on like this I would've taken him off later anyway because we needed Ryan [Gravenberch] in that position. The main reason was he felt his quad but we wanted Ryan in that position at 1-0. That worked well with us being dominant in that part of the game.

"After we scored 1-1 it went our way and I think I was waiting for us to score the second. Decision making could've been better, last 10-15 minutes was end-to-end. We arrived in their 18-yard box with [Andy] Robertson, we couldn't control the ball but again it's fine margins like it's been for as long as I've been here. Last week, same as this week two difficult away games, the fine margins haven't been in our favour.

"In both games we've created more chances than the team we have faced - Palace and Chelsea - but the truth is that we have only scored once in both games and our opponent has scored twice."

Did you know?

• Enzo Maresca and Arne Slot both received yellow cards (Maresca also a red), the first game of the 2025/26 Premier League season in which both managers were shown cards.

• Arne Slot has lost three games in a row in all competitions for the first time in his managerial career.

Hear more from Slot and reaction from The Atletic's James Pearce on BBC Sounds

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Chelsea's performance

What did you make of Liverpool's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Chelsea XI: Sanchez, Gusto, Acheampong, Badiashile, Cucurella, Caicedo, James, Pedro Neto, Fernandez, Garnacho, Joao Pedro

Subs: Jorgensen, Slonina, Hato, Emenalo, Lavia, Buonanotte, Gittens, Estevao Willian, Guiu

Liverpool XI: Mamardashvili, Bradley, Konate, van Dijk, Kerkez, Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Szoboszlai, Salah, Isak, Gakpo

Subs: Woodman, Gomez, Endo, Robertson, Frimpong, Jones, Ekitike, Chiesa, Wirtz

There are four games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Leeds United v Tottenham (12:30)

• Arsenal v West Ham - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Manchester United v Sunderland - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Chelsea v Liverpool (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 15:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Arsenal v West Ham" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Chelsea v Liverpool", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Chelsea's back-to-back league defeats by Manchester United and Brighton have been a classic case of them shooting themselves in the foot.

If they had kept 11 men on the pitch in both matches it would have had a huge impact.

So, that is their first aim here and if it is 11 v 11 then Chelsea can hurt Liverpool, even without Cole Palmer, because the Reds are at sixes and sevens at the back.

I am tempted to go with a draw but this is a big game and I want to be brave and pick a winner.

I am going to stick my neck out and back my old team to make it a hat-trick of defeats for Arne Slot.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here