'I heard Liverpool message loud and clear and Arne Slot only has one way he can respond'

Liverpool dropped more points in a game that it should have won, leaving Arne Slot with another big question to answer, this time against relegation-threatened Tottenham

Arne Slot, the Liverpool head coach, looks on before the Premier League match between the Reds and Tottenham.(Image: Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images)

Dominik Szoboszlai claimed not to have heard the boos at the final whistle, and you have to assume he was either being diplomatic or was simply keen to avoid the need to respond to them in the immediate aftermath of more dropped points.

After even Dr Tottenham failed to fix Liverpool's ills, the displeasure in the stands was audible — even though many fans had turned to head for the exit several minutes earlier — and it was not unjustified. The Reds failed to move more than one goal in front, let the game drift, and were then dealt some brutal, if largely self-inflicted, punishment.

Szoboszlai’s goal had put them ahead, and he was a decent performer, but Liverpool was never convincing. Richarlison’s leveler felt inevitable, and when it arrived, the deflation set in.

Rio Ngumoha was a positive and Szoboszlai deserved more, but Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch were among those to allow the contest to drift, even if they were far from the only culprits.

As a collective, Liverpool slowly regressed in the second half, ending it in chaos. The substitutions only appeared to make things worse, but Mac Allister, in particular, just looked shattered and unable to cover a sufficient amount of ground.

As has been the case for much of the season, Arne Slot should be getting more out of this group of players. Simultaneously, the Liverpool roster is so clearly lacking.

Arne Slot during a Liverpool press conference.(Image: Liverpool FC // YouTube)

Ngumoha and Jeremie Frimpong playing on either flank made sense to inject some pace into the team, but had you suggested that they would be a starting pair in those roles a few months ago, there would have been concerns.

Seventeen-year-old Ngumoha offered more in the final third but Frimpong’s introduction only did so much.

Cody Gakpo, shifted to number nine, was largely anonymous and clearly lacking confidence, and that they were deemed to be the right solution is not exactly a glowing appraisal of the Dutchman and Mohamed Salah.

At the end of the game, while Szoboszlai said he didn't hear them, Arne Slot had no choice but to admit that the jeers were justified.

"We have to wake up because if we carry on like this, we should be happy with the Conference League," Szoboszlai had admitted. "I don't know why this is happening. I honestly don't know."

There are those in the Liverpool fan base who are not for turning in their feeling that Slot’s time is up. Their decision is made and the jeers at the end felt louder than ever.

Quite simply, the Reds boss will need to do something about that very soon, with the clock ticking towards the end of this season.

With every passing game showing little in the way of signs that results are improving or performances are consistently heading in the right direction, something has to change. Even qualifying for the Champions League, with showings like these, may not suffice.