Steven Gerrard has branded Liverpool’s 4-1 home defeat to PSV in Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League group fixture as completely unacceptable.
The Reds’ troubling run continued with another heavy loss, this time at Anfield, where PSV stunned the home crowd with a dominant performance.
Arne Slot’s men entered the clash already under pressure, having suffered a 3-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest last weekend. Before the international break, Liverpool were also beaten 3-0 by Manchester City. The latest setback means they have now conceded at least three goals in three straight matches across all competitions — a miserable run they last encountered in September 1992.
During that period, Liverpool lost 4-2 at Aston Villa, drew 4-4 against Chesterfield in the League Cup, and were later beaten at Anfield by Wimbledon once league action resumed.
“No, it’s not [acceptable],” Gerrard stated. “They’re conceding too many goals, they’re wide open, they’re vulnerable and unstable. Anfield tells a story; the seats are empty.
“PSV were excellent, and we were comfortable here tonight, deserving the victory. Liverpool’s problems become deeper, pressure intensifies even more, and there needs to be soul-searching for sure.”
Gerrard also raised concerns about the makeshift defensive line that ended the match for Liverpool.
Slot substituted Ibrahima Konate after PSV scored their third, bringing on Federico Chiesa. The change made little impact as Liverpool failed to mount a response, instead conceding a fourth goal in stoppage time.
Konate has now been taken off by Slot in back-to-back matches, including the clash against Nottingham Forest where he was replaced early in the second half by Hugo Ekitike. On both occasions, Liverpool later conceded again.
“The substitution of [Ibrahima] Konate was huge, that sends a story. You look at the back four that you finish with: Curtis Jones, [Ryan] Gravenberch, [Virgil] van Dijk and [Milos] Kerkez. That’s not a Liverpool back four, never will be.”
