Amine Adli's last-gasp goal handed Liverpool their seventh Premier League defeat of the season. Consequently, they remain in fourth place, 14 points behind leaders Arsenal. Slot's side even risks dropping out of the Champions League qualification spots if Man Utd and Chelsea secure victories tonight.

Despite stating, "The only ones to blame are ourselves" for the result at Vitality Stadium, the Dutch coach also highlighted external challenges during the post-match press conference. "This result probably sums up our season," Slot shared. "There's always a problem at every turn, always strange situations leading to conceded goals. We can only blame ourselves."

"Honestly, Bournemouth could have scored their third goal earlier," the 47-year-old coach continued. "Some of my players ran out of energy, and I cannot criticize them for that. Just two days ago, we had to play an away match in a European cup competition. We are the only team playing in the Champions League with only two days of rest between two matches, and we had to play away consecutively against one of the league's most high-intensity opponents."

Coach Slot looking dejected leaving Vitality Stadium after Liverpool's loss to Bournemouth in the 23rd round of the Premier League on 24/1. Photo: Sky Sports

In addition to lamenting the congested schedule and a depleted squad, Slot and captain Virgil van Dijk both cited the strong winds after the defeat. The Dutch center-back had a forgettable match despite contributing one goal. He misjudged a ball, leading to Evanilson's opening goal, made a positional error that nullified the offside trap for the second goal, and was ultimately impacted by teammate Curtis Jones in the chaotic situation that led to Adli's decisive goal.

Speaking to Sky Sports, the 34-year-old player stated: "The first conceded goal was a very difficult situation to judge in extremely unpredictable windy conditions. I take full responsibility, even though it was not an easy ball to deal with." Regarding the final goal, the Dutch center-back felt he was impeded from behind, believing the referee and VAR should have intervened.

Echoing the weather concerns, Slot defended his player concerning the first conceded goal. "It's unfair to place all the blame on Virgil," the coach, born in 1978, commented. "You could see how the wind affected the entire match; he wasn't the only one struggling."

Liverpool's challenges extended beyond the scoreline. In an attempt to prevent the opponent's opening goal, Joe Gomez sustained an injury after colliding with teammate and goalkeeper Alisson Becker. When Gomez was injured, Liverpool were forced to play with 10 players for 9 minutes as they did not intentionally kick the ball out for a substitution, which allowed Bournemouth to double their lead.

Van Dijk explained: "We decided to keep the ball because we had possession, but unfortunately, we conceded. Losing is never a pleasant feeling, especially as a Liverpool player."

Coach Slot elaborated further: "The second conceded goal came when we were a player down. Gomez wanted to try and continue playing but couldn't. I shouted for them to kick the ball out, but at that moment, the team was comfortable in possession. When we lost the ball, everything turned around. However, even when we were a player down, the way we conceded wasn't necessarily due to being short-handed, but because their winger surprised our full-back."

Mohamed Salah and his teammates clearly showed their disappointment during the loss to Bournemouth. Photo: Reuters

Gomez officially joined Slot's already extensive injury list, which includes Conor Bradley, Federico Chiesa, Alexander Isak, Ibrahima Konate, Giovanni Leoni, and Stefan Bajcetic. While stating he did not want to make excuses, the Liverpool manager had to admit that the spectre of injuries was the reason they could not replicate last season's success.

"That's not an excuse; a club like Liverpool is accustomed to playing three matches a week. But the problem is that we have to play with such a limited number of players. As you can see, I didn't start Hugo Ekitike not because I dislike him, but because I only have one fit number nine for the coming months. With this intensity, I am forced to manage his playing minutes."

Liverpool's next match is on 28/1, when they host Qarabag FK in the final Champions League group stage fixture, where they currently sit fourth with 15 points and are highly likely to secure a direct spot in the round of 16.

By Ha Phuong