5 horror Arne Slot moments at Liverpool as Jamie Carragher gives brutal verdict

Liverpool's season is in danger of petering out with Arne Slot's side facing a battle to secure a top-five finish and the Dutchman's future at Anfield is far from certain

Liverpool is having a poor season(Image: Getty Images)

Liverpool's campaign is drifting toward a disappointing finale.

Arne Slot is now hoping his side can secure fifth place, which could prove crucial in determining his future at the club. The Reds entered the season following a title-winning campaign and a $600 million summer spend, creating elevated expectations. However, those hopes were swiftly dashed by Christmas, and Slot has been forced to significantly revise his season objectives.

Liverpool faces the real possibility of missing out on the Champions League and its financial rewards. That is likely to be the most significant factor in whether the Dutchman remains at Anfield, but the nature of the team's defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday highlights the chasm between them and Europe's elite at present.

The decline at Anfield has been concerning, particularly given how Liverpool won its first five matches to establish an ominous tone for the rest of the Premier League. The Reds tumbled from those heights and are more than 20 points adrift of top spot, while cup chances have slipped away. A Champions League miracle now demands precisely that, a miracle, after they were defeated in Paris.

Slot has gone from the man with all the solutions to a man frantically trying everything, including deploying five at the back, to find answers. With his Anfield position firmly under scrutiny, Liverpool.com examines the five moments he — and the Liverpool hierarchy — won't reflect on fondly this year.

Losing to United

For the first time since 2016, Manchester United claimed victory at Anfield. In the intervening years, Liverpool had inflicted heavy defeats on the Red Devils, most notably a 7-0 thrashing and a 4-0 triumph.

Harry Maguire delivered for Manchester United against Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)

Traffic had very much flowed in one direction whenever United visited Merseyside. So when a struggling United side — then still managed by now-fired boss Ruben Amorim — came to town, few anticipated any drama. Bryan Mbeumo sparked a stunning upset inside the opening minute, before Harry Maguire headed home a late winner to silence the Anfield faithful.

PSV mauling

During any dire run, there is invariably a result that truly underscores how close a side has come to crisis. The Reds had already suffered back-to-back 3-0 defeats, yet few anticipated PSV inflicting anything more than a narrow defeat at Anfield.

How wrong they were — the Dutch outfit secured a resounding victory, handing Slot a ninth defeat in 12 matches as Liverpool's season threatened to completely fall apart.

Wolves woes

Rooted to the foot of the table and bound for the Championship, Wolves nevertheless claimed a third win of the season, leaving Liverpool once again searching for answers and questioning its inability to remedy familiar weaknesses.

Andre struck in the 94th minute for Wolves — the fifth stoppage-time goal Liverpool had conceded that season. It served as yet another illustration of the Reds' struggles to break down deep-sitting sides from open play, a shortcoming that Slot himself has openly acknowledged throughout the campaign.

Etihad nightmares

Liverpool has made two trips to the blue half of Manchester this season, returning with a combined 7-0 deficit. The latest was a 4-0 FA Cup defeat, prompting Virgil van Dijk to admit the Reds had surrendered, while earlier in the campaign City cruised to a 3-0 win. Both displays underlined Liverpool's alarming decline from a side that had dominated the same opponents just last season.

Outclassed by PSG

The most recent indication of how far Liverpool has slipped behind Europe's finest. Jamie Carragher described it as "like watching a team from a lower division."

The Reds were fortunate to escape Paris with just a two-goal defeat, and while that leaves the tie alive for the Anfield return leg, few observers at the Parc des Princes will imagine any circumstances in which Liverpool will overcome the French team.