Steven Gerrard tore into a ‘desperate’ Liverpool after Arne Slot‘s side fell to a dramatic 94th minute defeat against rock-bottom Wolves on Tuesday night.
The Reds have lost five games to goals scored in injury time this season, the most in a single campaign in Premier League history, and doing so at Molineux loosens the title-holders’ grip on the fifth and final Champions League place.
Liverpool will have just days before they face off with Rob Edwards’ side for a second time this week in FA Cup action, but in club legend Gerrard’s eyes, there is much work to do for the squad if they wish to enact revenge.
‘For 65 minutes, Liverpool were desperate tonight, really poor,’ he said on punditry duties for TNT Sports. ‘They didn’t play with the right tempo, the right quality.’
Gerrard also joined the chorus of voices calling for Slot to start talented young attacker Rio Ngumoha, adding that Slot had to play him ‘now’.
‘He’s doing more in a short cameo than (Cody) Gakpo in 65 minutes,’ Gerrard noted. ‘Wolves were very comfortable, they contained Liverpool really well.
Steven Gerrard tore into Liverpool after an unpromising performance saw them lose at Wolves
The Reds legend joined the chorus of voices calling to see more of talented teen Rio Ngumoha
‘It was a basic ball up to the target man, they’ve got a two on one there, that’s got to be dealt with. For the second goal, it’s a poor ball from the goalkeeper and there’s no reaction.
‘If they want to progress in the FA Cup they’ve got to defend a lot better. They say we weren’t good enough in the final third but they’ve got to defend the other way.’
Gakpo found himself back in the goals last weekend as the Merseyside club thrashed West Ham 5-2, but the £44million man has come in for criticism this season for inconsistent performances.
Gerrard also weighed in on a potential foul on captain Virgil van Dijk which came in the immediate build-up to Wolves’ opener.
Vying for the ball in the midfield, Tolu Arokodare appeared to push the Reds captain off balance to sneak away with the ball.
As he released it, Van Dijk seemed to give Arokodare a retaliatory-looking push back, while his team-mate Ibrahima Konate sought to contain Rodrigo Gomes.
But while some fans on social media were incensed, particularly in light of recent controversies about the threshold for pushing and shoving which Tottenham have been particularly keen to clarify, Gerrard was unconvinced.
‘I don’t think it’s a foul,’ he continued. ‘I think he’s got to be a lot stronger in that situation.
‘I also think Konate could have got him out of trouble, he went in with the wrong leg. He could’ve bailed Van Dijk out there but you’re clutching at straws to claim a foul there.
‘He will be slightly disappointed in himself when he watches that back.’
For his part, Van Dijk refused to be drawn on whether he thought the contact was a foul, but did concede that Liverpool had been ‘sloppy’.
‘It was slow, we were predictable, sloppy in possession and wrong decision-making,’ the captain said after the final whistle.
Having failed to win any points, Liverpool could be vulnerable should Chelsea beat Aston Villa, with the Blues’ superior goal tally meaning they would swipe the fifth spot should they claim the win at Villa Park.
With ties in the FA Cup and Champions League to come, the Reds will have to wait until next Sunday to recapture their Premier League form, with a good chance to do so when they welcome Tottenham to Anfield.