Liverpool’s 2–1 defeat to Manchester United on Sunday afternoon condemned Arne Slot’s side to their fourth successive loss across all competitions, the club’s worst run of form since the dark days of Brendan Rodgers’s tenure more than a decade ago.
Yet, it’s been 72 years since Liverpool lost five straight games.
Back in September 1953, Don Welsh’s Reds, who were still wearing white shorts at the time, were beaten 2–1 by Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. England’s future World Cup winning manager Alf Ramsey opened the scoring for Spurs that day with a goal which captured the misfortune of a side in the midst of a losing streak.
Lining up a free-kick from all of 45 yards, Ramsey would later freely admit that he was simply trying to pick out a teammate with a long punt forward. Liverpool goalkeeper Russell Crossley was similarly surprised to find the ball sail over his head, brushing his finger tips before nestling in the net behind him.
Liverpool’s Longest-Ever Losing Streaks
Stats via LFC History.
Sonny Walters added a more conventional second for Spurs before Bill Jones pulled one back for the visitors. Liverpool had ample opportunity to claw themselves level and equalise but—just as in the tight defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers four days earlier—their luck wasn’t in.
Slot bemoaned the footballing fates himself after watching Cody Gakpo hit the post three times against United. “If you would have told me we are 1–0 down against a United team that played in the style they did, and you would have told me that we would create eight, nine, 10 open chances, then I would have said to you that I don’t think that is possible,” the Dutch boss sighed.
“But from all the chances we got, we only scored one goal. We missed far too many chances to win a game of football.”
What Next For Liverpool?
Welsh’s Liverpool stopped the rot with a draw at home to Wolves before going on to beat Burnley. However, they would end the season at the foot of the First Division table, tumbling down to England’s second tier after 49 consecutive top-flight campaigns. As bad as it may seem for Slot’s champions, relegation still appears far-fetched even if the losing run does stretch to five.
Liverpool will be attempting to break their current sequence of setbacks at the home of Bundesliga entertainers Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League on Wednesday evening.
Hugo Ekitiké’s former employers have been Europe’s team to watch this season, with their matches averaging a dizzying 5.4 goals. Frankfurt’s two Champions League outings showed how they can embody both meanings of the word “devastating.” After thumping Sporting CP 5–1, Eintracht found themselves on the other end of that scoreline against Atlético Madrid.
Given Liverpool’s current run of form, either outcome isn’t entirely out of the question.
Liverpool’s Next Five Fixtures
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as When Did Liverpool Last Lose Five Games in a Row?.
