Match Report: Liverpool vs PSV Eindhoven (26.11.25) L4-1

It is Liverpool’s worst run in form since 1998. Tonight is a critical match for us and we welcome PSV Eindhoven, a classic European side. I have followed these Dutch masters since Bobby Robson’s days there as manager. We are pretty much out of the premiership race but it’s all still to play for in Europe and we have to keep our heads up high and give something back to the LFC fans to cheer on for this season.

It doesn’t start well for Liverpool. After only four minutes, our captain, Virgil Van Dijk, makes a blatant handball from a PSV corner, despite his claims that he was being impeded. Ivan Perisic easily converts the spot kick into the bottom right corner. Not the best of beginnings tot he fixture for us and symptomatic of our woeful season’s terrible form.

Th be fair to Liverpool after the goal they start showing some grit, in particular in midfield they are showing commitment in challenges and moving forward with impetus. Cody Gakpo gets the ball down the right and has a good shot on target parried by the keeper only for it to fall directly into the path of Dominik Szoboszlai, who has an open goal direct in front of him to lot it straight into to bring the score level.

Shortly afterards Van Dijk goes into the book after a foul and it is not a good night for our captain so far. PSV manage to net the ball through Ismael Saibari but it is given offside luckily for the home side. There is a really nasty challenge on Hugo Ektike as he moves forward on goal but the ref doesn’t even award a free kick.

It is nice of the Liverpool fans to still be singing about their eternal number 20, Diogo Jota, after 20 minutes passing at Anfield. We certainly do lack Jota’s finishing and input to the team this season. What a tragedy! To be fair to the players, it is no wonder that morale is low in the changing room after such a loss. It is more than just kicking. a ball around a playing field. Even the Liverpool players are all human, after all.

PSV are holding back a little and not pressing the ball much so Liverpool have a lot of possession at the back. Salah has a good opportunity but it falls short, worth with a PSV defender coming to the rescue at the last moment. Ekitike also goes close with a lovely run down the right hand side. At the resulting corner, Van Dijk meets it with his head and hits the crossbar with his effort. Gakpo is getting a lot of space to play in down the left wing. He is having a good game against his compatriots tonight. Van Dijk has another header on goal from a cross in open play and claims a handball but it is not given. Our defender captain is trying to make up for his earlier defensive errors by scoring a goal tonight and is driving forward at every opportunity. It’s all Liverpool attack and Ekitike forces the keeper into a save with a decent shot inside the box. He looks sharp too. In fact, we are playing quite well, the best I’ve seen us do in quite a while.

Towards the end of the first half, PSV start to come into the game a little more with them launching a few forward moves. We reach the half-tie whistle and it remains 1-1. Liverpool have comfortably looked the better side and it was only really a freak goal that upset an otherwise very positive display so far. I expect us to keep up the pace and to prove too much for PSV in the second half.

Liverpool attack the Kop End for the second half, their traditional preference and usually means that they won the pre-match captain’s coin toss ro decide which end they will play at.

Against the run of play, PSV make a good break forward and an incisive ball is delivered through by Mauro Júnior through perfectly to Guus Til for him to knock in. Til is a former Arne Slot player from our manager’s time at Feyenoord. We still have a lot of work left to do tonight. PSV are a bogey side for Arne Slot and his record against them is not great. More trouble for LFC as our star player of the night, Hugo Ekitiké, gets himself injured and has to go off. He is replaced by Alexander Isak. Isak moves out to the left hand side and Gakpo moves into the centre of the park.

Szoboszlai has a really good strike on goal that the keeper is lucky to stop. He is starting to demonstrate his class and get more involved in the game. Salah bends it nicely into Cody Gakpo at the far post who is unable to convert but Liverpool get a corner. Ivan Persesic who has had a good game so far, also gets injured and has to go off. Couhaib Driouech replaces him. Goalscorer Guus Til is also substituted.

There are twenty minutes left and Liverpool are still chasing the game. Their attacks need to start to bear fruit if we are to score any points tonight. My attempts at trying to shed a positive light on our aspirations are like polishing a turd as just after I finish typing we concede yet another silly goal with a weak defence that is just shaky as hell. Couhaib Driouech is the scorer. 3-1 down and I think that serious question marks about Slot’s capacity as manager will start to be asked very soon if this bad run continues. It really is an embarrassing period for our side who did well last season. Klopp vs Slot, I certainly know who I felt more comfortable with at the helm.

Federico Chiesa replaces Ibrahima Konaté to try and change the dynamics but I fear that it is too little, too late. Chiesa goes down suspiciously in the box and I feel that the fall did deserve a penalty but the ref is having none of it. Chiesa has a good strike on target. I don’t see why Slot doesn’t start with Chiesa more often as he does look at least as though he wants to play the game with pride and a bit of passion. Too many players are just looking like weak journeymen this season. We cannot carry passengers.

Right at he end it gets even worse for us. Sergiño Dest breaks forward brilliantly and sends in the substitute, Couhaib Driouech, to score his second goal of the night. Again our defence is totally shocking. It finishes 3-0 and we have lost by three straight goals yet again. I thought that we were doing OK after equalizing in the first half and cannot comprehend how we have let it slip to suffer this appalling result. 4-1 is the final result and we slip out of the automatic qualifying positions in the Champions LEague table.

There are three fixtures left in the first round of the Champions League. There are certainly no guarantees we will qualify after tonight’s poor result. Our season could be more or less over by Christmas. It is unacceptable at Liverpool Football Club and reminiscent of a typical null and void easily forgettable trophy-less season during our 30 years of hurt. I for one, had far too many of those lean years and thought that our club had finally turned the corner and got back on top with winning ways. I was certainly very optimistic with Arne Slot after an amazing start but now I’m really doubting him. I hate writing negative words about my belovèd Liverpool Football Club. It hurts. It is getting increasingly more and more difficult to see the positive side of what we are currently doing on the pitch though. I have faith that it will get better but just want it to happen asap.

I’m sure that the board will be patient with Arne Slot and jot do anything radical. At the end of the day we aren’t a Chelsea or Man United with an impatient poisoned chalice in the dugout position of manager. He will be given time to turn it around and make his imprint. Nine defeats in twelve for us. It is the worst run since January 1953, during the pre-Shankly era, before our rise to prominence. Come on Liverpool, pull your finger out and sort it soon. #ynwa