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Liverpool boss Arne Slot acknowledged that Sunday's 3–2 loss to Manchester United encapsulated the two recurring themes of the Reds' season: disputed officiating and a series of "stupid" errors from his own players.
United surged into an early two-goal advantage, with their second coming amid controversy as Benjamin Šeško appeared to use his hand before bundling the ball past Liverpool goalkeeper Freddie Woodman.
When asked if he believed the goal should have been ruled out for handball, Slot eagerly seized the opportunity to criticize the call, though he conceded that his team's careless play was ultimately what allowed the contentious moment to occur in the first place.
Every World of Arne Slot's Postgame Rant
"If there was contact — which I believe there was — because if you understand ball sports at all, you know that when a ball has a certain trajectory and that trajectory suddenly changes, something must have touched it," Slot argued.
"But if the touch is minimal, then football needs to have a serious conversation about whether that's sufficient to disallow a goal. However, the rule states that if there was contact, the goal should have been ruled out.
"I don't think it surprises anyone this season that whenever there's a VAR review or a decision that could go either way, it ends up going against us.
"That has been the story all season, every single time. I remember at home against Paris Saint-Germain, we were awarded a penalty for a soft foul on [Alexis] Mac Allister, but VAR stepped in and overturned it. Then a week later, I watched PSG play Bayern Munich, where they got that same kind of soft touch and the penalty stood.
"Last week I saw my goalkeeper lying injured on the pitch and the referee let play continue. Today I see a United player off the field and the referee halts play just as we try to push forward.
"That has defined our entire season. But the second goal — we didn't concede that because of a handball, we conceded it because we gave the ball away in a reckless position and then lost several key duels afterward.
"We have to look at ourselves first — that much is absolutely clear — but it's equally clear that decisions have gone against us in virtually every single match.
"When we faced United earlier this season, one of my players ended up needing five stitches on the ground, and the referee didn't stop play — and we conceded. This is a consistent pattern throughout the season, but there's also a pattern of us conceding needless goals when we're the better side, with one or two players switching off at the wrong moment.
"We have more control over that, so I should be focusing far more on those lapses than on the refereeing decisions that keep going against us. It's been the same story all season long."
Pressure Continues to Rise on Slot
The prevailing sentiment emerging from Anfield is that Slot's job as manager remains secure. Liverpool are intent on not overreacting to a difficult campaign and are keeping last season's Premier League title triumph firmly in perspective.
That position is said to be unwavering, yet it is not one shared by all sections of the fanbase. Suffering back-to-back defeats to United is hardly the way to win over disenchanted Liverpool supporters who have questioned whether Slot can turn the situation around.
Fortunately for Slot, Liverpool's place in next season's Champions League is all but secured at this point — six points ahead with just three matches remaining — but the Dutchman will need to quickly devise a plan to address the glaring weaknesses that have undermined his side this campaign.
Few would dispute that Liverpool have been on the wrong end of several contentious decisions, but equally, no supporter would disagree with Slot's own admission that far too many on-pitch errors have blighted the season.
Slot has vowed to improve next season, eager to avoid putting those above him in the uncomfortable position of having to reassess his future at the club.