Manager Roy Keane has delivered a scathing verdict on Liverpool’s recent struggles, declaring it is a “crisis moment” for the Reds after Sunday’s 3-0 defeat at Manchester City. Arne Slott’s side were comprehensively outclassed at the Etihad Stadium, with Erling Haaland, Nico Gonzalez and Jeremy Doku finding City’s net.
Despite missing a penalty that would have given City the lead in the 13th minute, Haaland finally gave Pep Guardiola’s side the advantage just before the half-hour mark, heading his shot past Reds keeper Giorgi Mamadashvili. Liverpool believed they had equalized when Virgil van Dijk converted Mohamed Salah’s corner, but the assistant referee ruled that Andy Robertson had interfered from an offside position and the goal was ruled out.
Moments later, City doubled their lead when Gonzalez’s shot deflected past a helpless Mamadashvili. The Doc then clinched victory after the interval, handing Liverpool their seventh defeat in 10 games.
In his post-match speech, Keane ripped into the Reds, labeling them a “weak” team. “I think this is a period of crisis for Liverpool,” he told Sky Sports. “We can afford to lose to a club like Man City, it’s a difficult place to come to.
“But losing seven out of 10 games, having already lost five in the league, must be a crisis for a club like Liverpool. I thought Liverpool looked a really weak team today. The manager said he was happy with the second half, but the game is over! It’s easy to play well when you’re not playing for anything.”
“I thought[Slot]was right in his assessment of the game. City looked stronger today than Liverpool, better technically, better physically.[Liverpool]still had chances, they always had quality, but the goals they were giving, their decision-making, wasn’t good enough.”
“There was a lack of intensity, a lack of energy. When the subs came on, they looked really soft. I think it’s a crisis for Liverpool.”
Liverpool held their Expected Goals (xG) to just 0.71 during the encounter. They recorded just seven attempts and found the target only once.
The Reds had the most big chances (two), but were better in almost every other metric. “It was a very good start to the week, a very bad end to the week, but City away is a difficult game for everyone, including us,” Slott said in a post-match interview with Sky Sports.
“The reason we were able to win here last season was because we scored a set piece, got a 1-0 lead and then had to defend hard.
“Today, apart from that decision, I probably didn’t think it would be our game. You never know what happens after 1-1, but in general they were the better team.
“We need to improve, we know that, but we didn’t need this game to know that. But if there’s anything I liked today, it was the performance in the second half. Because sometimes teams that struggle, teams that are down 3-0 here, give up, but that wasn’t what I saw. I saw a team trying to get back into the game and we had our moments to do that, but it wasn’t enough today.”
After losing to City, Liverpool currently sit in 8th place in the Premier League. They have six wins and five losses after 11 games, leaving them four points behind second-placed City and eight points behind leaders Arsenal.
