Liverpool’s turbulent season plunged even deeper into crisis on Saturday as Nottingham Forest delivered a stunning 3–0 victory at Anfield, leaving captain Virgil van Dijk visibly frustrated and increasingly alarmed by the ease with which his side continue to concede goals. What should have been a response to recent setbacks instead became one of the most sobering afternoons of the Arne Slot era — and Van Dijk did not hold back in his assessment.

Liverpool now sit 11th in the Premier League table after suffering their sixth league defeat of the campaign, a statistic that only adds to the bleakness surrounding their current form. What will worry supporters most is not the result itself, but the manner of it: a passive, fractured performance, undone by basic defensive errors and a worrying fragility whenever they fall behind.

Speaking after the match, a deflated but defiant Van Dijk admitted that Liverpool’s issues go far deeper than a bad afternoon. “We concede too many easy goals,” he said, his tone reflecting the disbelief of many inside Anfield. “They scored from a set piece again. You can ask if he was in front of Alisson, but it counted — so we’re 1–0 down. We weren’t good in terms of battles, challenges, the fight… too rushed. It’s a very difficult situation at the moment.”

The early concession sent visible nerves rippling across the Liverpool team. Van Dijk acknowledged that hesitation crept in almost immediately — a dangerous habit for a side already low on confidence. “There was nervousness after we conceded,” he said. “Not before. But when you’re in a difficult moment, it happens. We tried to rush things. It’s human. But that doesn’t get you out of it.”

Goals from Murillo, Nicolo Savona, and Morgan Gibbs-White punished Liverpool’s disorganisation across all areas of the pitch. Forest, drilled and determined under Sean Dyche, looked sharper, hungrier, and more decisive than their hosts — traits that once defined Liverpool at Anfield.

While the season is not yet beyond repair, the optics are stark: Liverpool have won just one of their last six league matches, and the cracks are widening.

“We don’t get out of this by speaking about it,” Van Dijk warned. “It will take a lot of hard work.” And yet, even hard work feels insufficient without structural improvement. The defensive cohesion that once anchored Liverpool’s title-winning campaign has evaporated. The midfield still lacks balance. The attack, once ruthless, now struggles to impose itself.

Slot has insisted this is a transitional period — but fans are beginning to wonder whether the transition has become a downward spiral.

Van Dijk did not shy away from his own responsibility. The 34-year-old was candid, almost brutally so, about the collective failures of the side. “Football is a team,” he emphasised. “Everyone has to take responsibility. Everyone needs to look in the mirror.”

That comment felt deliberately pointed. For weeks, Liverpool’s problems have been dissected externally — injuries, tactical adjustments, form dips — but Saturday felt like the moment the dressing-room introspection truly began.

“I’ve been at this club so long now and we’ve been through adversity,” Van Dijk reflected. “We will bounce back — but it doesn’t happen overnight. I’m not a quitter. We will keep going.”

Many supporters headed for the exits early, the sight of red seats emptying long before the final whistle adding another layer of pain to an already grim day.

Asked about the early departures, Van Dijk responded diplomatically but firmly: “I can’t decide what supporters do if they leave early. The fans have been through thick and thin with us. They’ll be there with us when we come out of this — because we will come out of this.”

He paused, perhaps aware of how fragile belief feels at the moment. “Losing at home to Nottingham Forest is… very bad. That’s the least I can say.”

The questions are piling up:

Is Slot losing control of the dressing room?
Can Liverpool’s defensive unit recover?
Will January reinforcements be enough?
And perhaps most urgently: how long can Liverpool remain stuck before the season becomes irretrievable?

With fan confidence wavering and results worsening, the pressure is intensifying on both manager and players. Slot has insisted he has the tools to turn things around — but many supporters are no longer convinced. The football lacks intensity, the chemistry feels fractured, and the identity that defined Liverpool for nearly a decade appears to be slipping away.

What’s left is a team in search of answers — and a captain trying desperately to lead them there.

Van Dijk’s message was simple but sobering: “We have to keep going. We will come out of this.” But unless Liverpool act quickly — tactically, mentally, and perhaps in the transfer market — the darkness surrounding this season may continue to deepen.

For now, Anfield waits. And Liverpool look lost.