Arne Slot laments sloppy performance as Liverpool succumb to surprise defeat at the hands of Nottingham Forest

Forest executed their tactics perfectly by congesting the midfield and shutting down Liverpool's wide players. Despite Liverpool creating some opportunities in the first half, they were unable to capitalize on them due to their lack of clinical finishing.

“The result frustrates the most, and we cannot be happy about how the game went. It was a stop-start game and we hardly created any chances,” said Slot.

“We only have to look at ourselves – we have to be better. Far too many times we lost the ball around the area, it was not good enough. We have to be better with the ball.”

Forest’s solid block may have left Liverpool short of space but Slot’s men were their own worst enemies at times, and substitutes Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi combined for the latter to score on the counter and claim three points for the visitors.

It was Forest’s first away league win against Liverpool in 55 years.

The Reds had won all three of their opening games under Slot without conceding, including a 3-0 win away at Manchester United two weeks ago.

But they were sloppy and sluggish after the international break and were made to pay.

“Our decisions and execution weren’t good enough. In general we defended quite well, but the two fast players came on and made it difficult. We took a lot of risk and in the end it was a very good goal,” Slot added.

“If you lose a home game it’s always a setback. Especially if you face a team who, we never know, maybe they will go all the way to fight for the Champions League, but normally this team is not ending up in the top 10, so if you lose a game against them that’s a big disappointment.”

Defeat leaves the Reds three points behind champions Manchester City, who stretched their perfect start to the season with a 2-1 win over Brentford.

And Slot has little time to come up with a solution as Liverpool travel to AC Milan to begin their Champions League campaign on Sept 17.

“We will try to in the best possible way be prepared for Tuesday, which is going to be a completely different game but also a game where we will face a lot of quality,” he said.

Meanwhile, Forest coach Nuno Espirito Santo was delighted with how his side executed the game plan.

“The only way to achieve anything here is if you are organised and do everything that you can,” he said.

“When you start the way we started with our wingers Nico Dominguez and Elliot Anderson, all the effort of them tracking Liverpool’s full-backs, it is a lot of energy.

“We are working hard, and it is about building and believing in this idea that you can develop.” , AFP