Milos Kerkez attempts to explain Liverpool collapse with honest admission after Man City

Milos Kerkez played well for Liverpool this weekend but the Reds were unable to get over the line against Man City, even when Dominik Szoboszlai scored a screamer

Liverpool defender Milos Kerkez is interviewed by Viaplay.(Image: X/Viaplay)

Milos Kerkez says the Liverpool players were left frustrated after losing to Manchester City, with Dominik Szoboszlai's sensational free-kick ultimately counting for nothing.

The Hungarian put his side in front with a superb strike from distance with around a quarter of an hour of the game remaining. But goals from Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland turned the match on its head before Szoboszlai was sent off.

It was another setback for Liverpool in the race to qualify for the Champions League next season, with Manchester United and Chelsea both having won earlier in the weekend against Tottenham and Wolves respectively.

"Obviously we're disappointed. We know where we are in the table and we knew we needed this game — it was really important and we needed the points," Kerkez told Viaplay.

"It sums up our season and we have to come back in a couple of days against Sunderland away. It is going to be tough but it was really disappointing today.

"We were leading and I think it was a pretty soft two goals that we conceded.

Arne Slot brings on Milos Kerkez during the Champions League match between Liverpool and Atletico Madrid at Anfield on September 17, 2025(Image: Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)

"We were pretty balanced I think. We were a bit in the low block [after the Szoboszlai goal] and we kicked the ball up. We need three or four players to sprint for the second balls.

"That was helping because the whole game we were running and following man-to-man. We could have done that better a bit.

"The first goal was defensively not really good talking, with no communication. You can put the second goal on Ali (Alisson Becker) for the penalty, but it is what it is. It happens. Disappointing."

Virgil van Dijk has spoken numerous times about the need for more consistency at Anfield. And Kerkez says Liverpool still needs to find a way of providing it.

"I don't know [why it is happening]," he continued. "It obviously happened in some games that we lost and then we couldn't get that consistency. We have to find the consistency to make it like the beginning of the season with wins in a row.

"We have to keep working. It was a very tough game and in two or three days, we have to go again and we have to fight."

Liverpool will be without Szoboszlai for its midweek trip to Sunderland. Arne Slot also confirmed that Joe Gomez is unlikely to be back available again, so with Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley sidelined, Wataru Endo could play full-back.

Liverpool.com says: Kerkez played really well for most of the game and he is getting better and better. Slowly, the pieces are starting to come together, with Florian Wirtz also impressing, but there is still a lot of work for Slot to do.