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Premier League Reaction Liverpool were soundly beaten at the Etihad on Sunday Liverpool FC via Getty Images All the positivity Liverpool generated by back-to-back wins over Aston Villa and Real Madrid was washed away amid a Manchester downpour. Bullish assessments that Arne Slot’s side had finally turned a corner after such a torrid few months proved to be horribly misplaced. They weren’t just beaten at the Etihad, they were out-thought and outclassed in every department. Advertisement This was the heaviest Premier League defeat of the Slot era and the first time they had failed to score in a top-flight match for nearly 14 months. As standards plummeted and Manchester City cashed in, it was hard to believe this was the same personnel who exerted such dominance and control against Madrid just five days earlier. Liverpool’s defence of their crown lies in tatters, with five losses in their opening 11 league games. The only reigning champions in the modern era to have been beaten more often at this stage of a campaign were Chelsea (six) in 2015-16. “The last thing I should think about now is the title race, ” admitted Slot. “The reality is we are eighth. ” It’s not so much the size of the gap between Liverpool and leaders Arsenal, which stands at eight points, but the manner of the setbacks that makes that deficit already feel insurmountable. The only consistency they have shown so far is the ability to cause problems for themselves. Defensively, Liverpool look so vulnerable, with 17 league goals conceded — more than 15th-placed Fulham. After 11 league games a year ago, the Merseyside club had conceded just six times. There’s a soft underbelly that keeps getting exposed away from the home comforts of Anfield. Trips to Crystal Palace, Chelsea, Brentford and City have failed to yield a single point. It’s the first time Liverpool have lost four successive away Premier League matches since the final stages of Sir Kenny Dalglish’s second spell in charge in April 2012. For context, in his first season at the helm, Slot didn’t experience an away league defeat until Fulham in April. There’s a school of thought that Liverpool will be better equipped to mount a serious challenge for the Champions League rather than domestic honours this season. They are handily placed to reach the last 16 with three wins out of four, and given their current period of transition as summer signings adjust to their new surroundings, they should be a much stronger force come March when it’s knockout football and relationships have developed further. Advertisement The logic is sound, but if Liverpool are going to kick on and salvage something from this season, rather than continue to lurch from one extreme to the other, then Slot is going to have to change the mindset on their travels. Even the minimum requirement — qualifying for the Champions League — depends on it because six points out of a possible 18 away from home so far is pitiful. Those defeats on the road have had much in common with slow starts giving the hosts the initiative, followed by the sight of Slot’s side wilting under pressure while offering little as an attacking force. What a contrast to Liverpool’s previous visit to the Etihad in February, when they raced into a 2-0 lead and then effectively shut up shop to move 11 points clear at the Premier League summit. City had 66 per cent possession that day but never laid a glove on them, with an x G (expected goals) of 0. 6. This time, City were a different beast, but they were given a helping hand as they celebrated the 1, 000th game of Pep Guardiola’s managerial career in style. When Giorgi Mamardashvili kept out Erling Haaland’s penalty early on, Ibrahima Konate was the most relieved man inside the Etihad after his glaring error led to it being awarded after a VAR check. However, the warning wasn’t heeded. Konate then made a hash of dealing with Matheus Nunes’ cross as Haaland’s header looped into the far corner. The French defender has been increasingly erratic this season — adding weight to the argument that Liverpool really should have prioritised the signing of Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace in the summer. Maybe the uncertainty over his future has been preying on Konate’s mind. He could sign a pre-contract agreement with a club overseas in just 52 days, but he certainly hasn’t made a compelling argument for Liverpool to push the boat out financially to keep him beyond this season. The sense of injustice over Virgil van Dijk’s disallowed header was understandable. Yes, Andy Robertson was standing in an offside position, but he ducked out of the way and Gianluigi Donnarumma was never saving it.   The explanation from VAR Michael Oliver that Robertson was “deemed to be making an obvious action directly in front of the goalkeeper” was baffling. Advertisement “For me, it was a wrong decision that this goal was not allowed, ” Slot said. “But I will not say because of that we lost the game. Even at 1-1, if City kept on playing like they did, then we would have struggled as well. But I constantly felt that if we could keep it to 1-0 down to half-time, we could maybe adjust a few things, which was definitely necessary. ” The manner in which Liverpool conceded the second goal just before the break was another case of failing to do the basics right, with a lack of organisation and awareness. Why were they so slow to close down after a corner had been taken short? It was a bad day for Slot in more ways than one, with Guardiola comprehensively winning the tactical battle. Getting extra bodies into central areas enabled City to boss the midfield. Liverpool only won 42 per cent of duels in the first half and just 35 per cent in the second half. “We were constantly coming up two players short in the middle, ” Slot said. “It’s easy for players to win their duels if the game plan and tactics are working.   It was difficult for some of our players to make the right decisions. It wasn’t about my players not wanting to make duels; we had to run a lot because they were so much better on the ball than us. Our players were then sometimes too late. I would look to the game plan first and foremost of us and them, and not blame my players at all. ” So isolated up front, Hugo Ekitike had just 11 touches before being taken off in the second half. Cody Gakpo, who replaced him, squandered Liverpool’s best chance before the outstanding Jeremy Doku made it 3-0 after darting away from Konate. Liverpool were blunt as an attacking force as Mohamed Salah failed to register either a goal or assist against City for the first time in 10 league starts dating back to 2020. Dominik Szoboszlai forced their only attempt on target and why Federico Chiesa wasn’t brought on until the closing stages was a mystery. They were crying out for an injection of dynamism and a focal point. Playing Florian Wirtz as a false nine after Ekitike was subbed never looked like working. It’s back to the drawing board for Slot. The away form is alarming. Those wins over Villa and Real Madrid only provided some temporary respite from the array of issues dogging the champions. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle James Pearce joins the Athletic after 14 years working for the Liverpool Echo. The dad-of-two has spent the past decade covering the fortunes of Liverpool FC across the globe to give fans the inside track on the Reds from the dressing room to the boardroom. Follow James on Twitter @James Pearce LFC