Chaotic Liverpool Trio Completely Fail Arne Slot in Defeat to Nottingham Forest
Liverpool slumped to their eighth defeat in 11 matches across all competitions as Nottingham Forest claimed victory at Anfield on Saturday, with three of Arne Slot’s trusted players delivering hugely disappointing performances.
The defending champions fell behind in the first half to a contentious strike from Murillo. Forest then had a second goal ruled out for an alleged handball – despite replays indicating no contact – before finally doubling their advantage less than a minute after the break. Nicola Savona fired into the top corner following poor defending, and Morgan Gibbs-White later added a third as Forest secured back-to-back league wins at Anfield.
Isak, Mac Allister and Konate Fail Slot in Forest Defeat
With both Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong unavailable, Slot deployed Dominik Szoboszlai at right-back, slotting Curtis Jones into midfield alongside Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister. Alexander Isak was preferred to Hugo Ekitike up front, while Ibrahima Konate partnered Virgil van Dijk in central defence.
But as senior figures expected to provide stability during a rough spell, Konate, Mac Allister and Isak all fell short with noticeably poor displays.
Konate, per Sofascore, won only 40% of his ground duels, was frequently pulled out of position, and came in for heavy criticism from supporters. Mac Allister was largely responsible for Forest’s second goal after failing to track his man, and he struggled throughout defensively — winning none of his four ground duels, making zero tackles, and losing possession eight times.
Isak’s difficult start to life on Merseyside continued. The £125m signing managed only one shot, completed six passes before being subbed off after 68 minutes, and did not complete a single dribble.
Fans Slam Liverpool Trio After Anfield Defeat
Supporters were furious as Liverpool’s hopes of retaining the Premier League title now look all but over.
James Pearce described Konate as “having a nightmare,” while Mina Ibrahim said the defender has endured a terrible season. Another fan claimed Konate and Mac Allister are Liverpool’s two worst performers this year.
Mac Allister faced further backlash, with viewers labelling his defending “shocking” and calling him “an incredibly average Premier League midfielder” — one fan even branding him a “liability.”
As for Isak, who has just one goal since arriving from Newcastle, criticism centred on his mere 11 touches in a first half where Liverpool controlled 70% possession.
With a Champions League clash against PSV Eindhoven looming, Liverpool face major decisions. But what is clear is that this senior trio — who collectively earn £567,000 per week — are falling short when Slot needs them most.