Slot: Liverpool need to face reality and 'fight really hard'

Arne Slot has vowed to keep on fighting as he said the only way for Liverpool to get out of their rut is to face the reality they are in.

Liverpool lost for the ninth time in the space of 12 games as they were beaten 4-1 at home by PSV in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Ivan Perisic put PSV ahead, only to see their lead cancelled out by Virgil van Dijk.

But Guus Til and Couhaib Driouech capped off a famous trip to Anfield for PSV, condemning the Reds to a third straight loss.

Liverpool have lost three consecutive games in all competitions by a margin of 3+ goals for the first time since December 1953, while their run of nine defeats in 12 matches is their worst since that same 1953-54 campaign.

"The emotions are very negative and disappointing," Slot told TNT Sports, with jeers having been directed at the Dutchman and his team at full-time.

"The way we conceded the 1-0. I want to be positive about the reaction of the players when we went 1-0 down. We came back into the game and had chances to go 2-1 up. I don't think anyone thought we would lose 4-1.

"After half-time, we conceded 2-1 quite early. We still had some good chances to go 2-2. 10 or 15 minutes before the end, we conceded another goal. Hard to take.

"After we conceded the first one, we saw a reaction I want to see. The mentality I saw afterwards was what I was hoping it to be. Even after 2-1, we kept trying to make it 2-1. End result is 4-1 and that's a big loss.

"I liked how we reacted in transition in the first half.

"The only way to go is to go through now. We need to face where we're at and fight really hard.

"The feeling I have is that after 45 minutes, you don't expect to be 1-1, you expect to be up. The reaction of the players is what you expect from a Liverpool player."

Van Dijk conceded the penalty for PSV's opener when he inexplicably raised his arm while trying to defend a corner, only to give away a handball.

Liverpool's captain, though, felt he was fouled.

"He got a little push," Slot explained. "It unbalanced him and that's why he raised his arm and made the handball."

Slot also confirmed that striker Hugo Ekitike sustained an injury.

"Especially at the start of the second half, I constantly felt, 'What's wrong with Hugo?' It felt as if he couldn't move as he did [in] the first half," Slot said.

"So, that's why our press was, I think, also a little bit off.

"And he just told me that in the first five to 10 minutes of the first half he already felt his back too much. That's also why he had to go out."

Liverpool will look to arrest their slump when they take on West Ham in the Premier League on Sunday.