The worrying trend that could cost Liverpool in Champions League race

Arne Slot accepted that Liverpool have dropped too many points in the Premier League after playing in the Champions League as they suffered another blow to their hopes of finishing in the top-five with defeat at Brighton. Danny Welbeck’s double earned Brighton a deserved victory over Slot’s side, who became the first reigning Premier League champions to lose 10 games in a season since Chelsea in 2017-18. The Reds have lost five games of their 10 games immediately after playing in Europe this season, winning four and drawing one, as they failed to back up Wednesday’s big win over Galatasaray to reach the quarter-finals.

Already without Mohamed Salah and goalkeeper Alisson to injuries, Liverpool lost Hugo Ekitike to a dead leg following a heavy collision with James Milner in the opening five minutes and they were outworked by an energetic Brighton team who were fully deserving of their fourth win in five games. “It is clear that we have lost a lot of points after playing in Europe,” Slot told TNT Sports. “I have tried to explain a lot of times already why this is but today we also have to give credit to Brighton.

In the second half, they were the better team on the pitch. “What I thought [before the game], is you won’t need 24 points to qualify [from the final eight games of the season] and hopefully I am right because we aren’t able to get 24 points anymore. “We kept trying.

In the second half we were close but they were closer to score the third one than we were the second one. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough after a week like this. ” Slot said losing Ekitike so early in the game was a “big blow” and Liverpool will be desperate to get as many players as possible back fit after the international break for the FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester City, which will be followed by the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain.