Liverpool 0-3 Nottingham Forest: Why Arne Slot's future is in doubt after Premier League loss extinguishes title hopes

Liverpool’s defeat against Nottingham Forest on Saturday was their worst loss of the season so far, Reds expert David Lynch has insisted.

Many fans had expected the club to improve their performances following the November international break, but the team’s 3-0 home loss against Forest has all but ended their hopes of retaining the Premier League title.

The victors came into the clash in 19th place, while boss Sean Dyche was their third manager of the campaign, so the nature of Saturday’s defeat came as a surprise to supporters.

Speaking to Sports Mole, Lynch expressed his view that questions about Slot must be asked, saying: “It feels like the nadir, the low point of the season. Perhaps I should say it's the low point so far because we'll see if there are more low points to come.

“As much as Nottingham Forest have improved under Sean Dyche, they were still 19th in the league coming to Anfield, which is a place they've been better at. We’re at the point at which you would like to think some of the signings would have settled down.

“It's the worst result so far, the worst performance so far and a real moment for Liverpool to reflect. They have got to turn the corner now because it can't get any worse than this, as otherwise I think serious questions will be asked.”

Liverpool are 12th in the Premier League with just 18 points, and they are below rivals like Everton and Manchester United, a scenario that would have been unthinkable at the start of the season.

What went wrong for Liverpool against Nottingham Forest?

Liverpool conceded the opening goal against Forest from a set piece, and it was the ninth time they have conceded from a dead-ball situation in the league, excluding penalties.

The Reds defended the six-yard box zonally, but they opted to defend the rest of the penalty area by man marking Forest’s players, though goalscorer Murillo still managed to find space in the box.

Lynch criticised individuals for their role in the opener, but he also reserved much of the criticism for the coaching staff, telling Sports Mole: "In open play there's a little bit of a physicality issue, and I do think that's an issue with this side with set pieces.

"Cody Gakpo is possibly the best example of someone who is a waste of their height, so that is a little bit of an issue, but with the set pieces being consistently this bad, you have to think that there is a coaching issue there.

"Now, Liverpool could probably point at the one that they conceded against Forrest and say they were unlucky with where the ball lands because it just drops to Murillo, but Szoboszlai is his marker at the start and he never gets on the right side of him."

The Merseysiders had seven outfield players that were six foot or above on the pitch when Murillo scored, so the fact he found it so easy in the box is a concern.

Aaron Briggs: Is the Liverpool set-piece coach under pressure?

Questions have been raised about the future of set-piece coach Aaron Briggs, who has failed to improve the team’s performances in both boxes.

The coach was promoted from within the team's setup despite the club having advertised for the position prior to the beginning of 2025-26.

Lynch reluctantly argued that Briggs’ position must also come under scrutiny, when he told Sports Mole: “They took the decision to go down a different route with Aaron Briggs as the set-piece coach rather than going to an external candidate.

"That decision at the moment has proven to be a failure - that sounds incredibly harsh, but the manager himself is constantly bringing it up to us as journalists as an area of weakness. He's not happy at all with what's going on, but they also brought in a set-piece analyst over the summer.

"Aaron Briggs is under massive pressure because there are failures there at the moment and they're being massively exposed. Those weaknesses are having a really profound effect on results and confidence. It has to be fixed."

Arsenal have risen to the top of the Premier League having prioritised set pieces, whereas Liverpool appear to have been left behind by the rest of the division.

> Click here to listen to the full discussion on Liverpool's 3-0 loss against Nottingham Forest