The Dutchman cut a frustrated figure after a night in west London that saw his side twice fight back through Milos Kerkez and Mohamed Salah, only for Brentford to seal victory thanks to goals from Dango Ouattara, Kevin Schade and Igor Thiago.

It marked the toughest spell of Slot’s tenure since replacing Jürgen Klopp, and he admitted Liverpool are being undone by opponents who have “found a very good strategy” to nullify their high-pressing approach.

“Yeah, I think it is up there,” Slot said when asked if this was his worst game as Liverpool manager. “Normally when we are one or two down, we fight back but tonight were far from our usual level. We didn’t do the basics right.”

The Liverpool boss highlighted his side’s vulnerability to direct play and set-pieces, a theme that has emerged in recent weeks. “Teams have a certain style against us,” he added. “It’s a good strategy. We haven’t found the answer yet. Going 1–0 down after five minutes doesn’t help.”

In contrast, Brentford manager Keith Andrews celebrated “one of the best nights” of his managerial career, praising his players’ resilience and fearlessness. “We’ve just beaten the Premier League champions,” he said. “It ranks pretty high. The structure, the desire, the reaction everything was spot on.”

Liverpool remain without a league win in over a month, and with Arsenal and Manchester City pulling away, Slot faces the first real crisis of his Anfield tenure. The champions’ once-feared intensity has turned into fragility and the Dutchman knows the clock is ticking to rediscover the formula that brought glory last season.