Another disastrous defeat exacerbated Liverpool’s considerable woes on Wednesday as they were beaten 4–1 by PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League.
Liverpool entered the clash having lost eight of their previous 11 fixtures and off the back of humiliation at the hands of Nottingham Forest over the weekend—they once again found themselves trailing early as Ivan Perišić scored from the penalty spot after Virgil van Dijk’s handball.
Dominik Szoboszlai’s equaliser saw the Reds shake off their sleepy start, but the cracks reappeared after the restart as Guus Til converted a sweeping move to pile yet more misery on the Reds.
For the third successive match, Liverpool proceeded to concede a third as Couhaib Driouech’s effort plunged the Reds further into crisis. The substitute doubled his tally in stoppage time to ensure the home side were booed off the pitch at the final whistle.
Liverpool Player Ratings vs. PSV (4-2-3-1)
GK: Giorgi Mamardashvili—5.1: Replaced Alisson, who was missing through illness, and was only called upon to pick the ball out of his own net during the first half. Helpless to prevent PSV’s three goals after the restart as he was left exposed by more woeful defending.
RB: Curtis Jones—5.7: Swapped roles with Dominik Szoboszlai following the Forest embarrassment and struggled to convince in an unfamiliar role. Nearly cost his side a goal early in the second half with a ridiculous misplaced pass inside his own box.
CB: Ibrahima Konaté—5.5: An enormous blunder allowed PSV to score their third as his stock continues to plummet uncontrollably. A transfer to Real Madrid? More like Real Oviedo at this point.
CB: Virgil van Dijk—6.7: Conceded the early spot kick following a needlessly raised arm at a PSV corner and was then booked for a late lunge shortly after the equaliser. Another desperate display from the skipper, who is doing little to silence his critics.
LB: Milos Kerkez—6.4: Continues to look erratic and unconvincing at the back, with his eagerness to dash frenetically around the pitch at all times once again leaving gaps on his flank. Simply nowhere near the levels he needs to reach.
DM: Ryan Gravenberch—6.4: Offered very little protection to Liverpool’s back four as questions over his credentials as an elite defensive midfielder are thrust into view.
DM: Alexis Mac Allister—6.8: Helped orchestrate plenty of attacks during the first half, but went missing after the break as the Reds collapsed in dramatic fashion.
AM: Dominik Szoboszlai—8.8: Deservedly scored as he continues to conduct himself impeccably amid Liverpool’s poor form. Another tireless and impressive performance as he once again outshone all his teammates.
RW: Mohamed Salah—6.8: Another alarmingly tame display which saw him continuously gift possession back to PSV as he attempted to make things happen. A shadow of his former self again.
ST: Hugo Ekitiké—6.8: Easily Liverpool’s most menacing threat during the first half as he buzzed around the penalty area with pace and purpose. Worryingly withdrawn due to injury around the hour mark.
LW: Cody Gakpo—7.4: Created the opener with his firm strike and was a lively force during the first half, but offered little to nothing after the restart and missed a great opportunity from close range.
Subs not used: Freddie Woodman (GK), Kornel Miściur (GK), Andy Robertson, Joe Gomez, Trey Nyoni. Wataru Endo Rio Ngumoha.
PSV Eindhoven (4-2-3-1)
Starting XI: Matěj Kovář; Sergiño Dest, Jerdy Schouten, Yarek Gasiorowski, Anass Salah-Eddine; Mauro Júnior, Joey Veerman; Dennis Man, Ismael Saibari, Ivan Perišić; Guus Til.
Subs used: Ricardo Pepi, Couhaib Driouech, Esmir Bajraktarević.
Player of the Match: Dominik Szoboszlai
Liverpool 1–4 PSV: How It Unfolded at Anfield
Within the blink of an eye, Liverpool had conceded the opening goal for the ninth time in their last 12 matches. A fifth-minute corner struck Van Dijk’s outstretched arm, with the Dutchman’s protestations for a foul falling on deaf ears. Perišić calmly sent Giorgi Mamardashvili in the wrong direction to exacerbate the nerves jangling across Anfield.
But concerns were eased just 10 minutes later as Liverpool’s player of the season to date, Szoboszlai, fired home the simplest of equalisers. PSV goalkeeper Matěj Kovář rebuffed Cody Gakpo’s drive directly into the Hungarian’s path, allowing him to pass into a vacant goal.
Yarek Gasiorowski’s offside effort fired Liverpool another warning sign, while the waving away of a strong penalty appeal following a challenge on Hugo Ekitiké further frustrated the home supporters during an action-packed opening 20 minutes.
The equaliser swung momentum in Liverpool’s favour and a flurry of chances came their way before the half-time whistle. Van Dijk was inches away from redemption as his header struck the underside of the crossbar, while the lively Ekitiké stung Kovář’s palms as the Reds desperately sought a much-needed second.
Full-time. #UCL pic.twitter.com/vO2Lal8TyM
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 26, 2025
That second didn’t arrive before the break and Liverpool were punished shortly after the restart as Til—formerly a student of Slot in the Netherlands—restored PSV’s advantage. The Dutch champions effortlessly sliced through the Reds, meeting little resistance en route to Mamardashvili’s goal, before Til fired in an excellent delivery from Anass Salah-Eddine.
Liverpool’s heads dropped after conceding yet another sloppy strike and seeing Gakpo miss a sitter, with hopes of a comeback then extinguished in the 73rd minute. A disastrous piece of defending from Ibrahima Konaté gifted PSV their third as substitute Driouech converted the rebound after Ricardo Pepi’s effort struck the woodwork.
The Reds desperately sought to reduce the deficit and saw another penalty appeal dismissed as Federico Chiesa hit the deck inside the area. The Italian proceeded to rattle a shot just wide of the PSV goal and substitute Alexander Isak forced Kovář into a low save, but those inside Anfield had already accepted Liverpool’s fate.
There was still time for things to get even worse for the Reds, Driouech adding a fourth in stoppage time to condemn Liverpool to a new low. The final whistle marked their ninth defeat from 12 matches across all competitions and signalled their worst run of form since the early 1950s.
More questions for Slot to answer as the pressure rises to unbearable levels.
Liverpool vs. PSV Half Time Stats
Liverpool vs. PSV Full Time Stats
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Liverpool Player Ratings vs. PSV Eindhoven: Unthinkable Result Heaps Unbearable Pressure on Slot.
