Liverpool's manager Arne Slot was left infuriated as Manchester United secured a victory at Anfield in October, a result that epitomised a dramatic decline for the reigning champions. The season, which began with high hopes after a title win, quickly descended into turmoil following the tragic death of forward Diogo Jota.
The Tragic Death of Diogo Jota
On 3 July 2025, Liverpool forward Diogo Jota was killed in a car accident along with his brother, André Silva, while travelling from Portugal to England. Jota had been returning after a minor lung operation, following medical advice to use car and ferry transport. The tragedy occurred just 11 days after teammates attended his wedding to the mother of his three children, deeply affecting everyone at the club. The summer had already been marred by a separate incident where a car drove into crowds during the title celebrations in Liverpool, injuring 134 people. Manager Arne Slot had to prepare for the new season against a highly emotional backdrop.
United Victory Confirms On-Pitch Crisis
Despite the emotional toll, Liverpool started the season with seven consecutive wins, including a victory over Arsenal, often clinching matches in added time. During this run, the club broke the British transfer record to sign Alexander Isak from Newcastle for £125 million, part of a summer spending spree that also brought Florian Wirtz (£116m), Hugo Ekitiké (£69m), Milos Kerkez (£40m), and Jeremie Frimpong (£29.5m). However, a late winner by Crystal Palace in the league was followed by a similar defeat to Chelsea and a 1-0 loss at Galatasaray in the Champions League. The crisis deepened when Manchester United visited Anfield and Harry Maguire headed home a Bruno Fernandes cross in the 84th minute, giving United their first away win in the fixture since January 2016. The title defence was crumbling.
Three Three-Goal Defeats in a Row
On the last weekend before the November international break, Liverpool travelled to Manchester City. Trailing 1-0, they thought they had equalised through Virgil van Dijk, but the goal was controversially disallowed. Van Dijk then deflected Nico González's shot into his own net for 2-0, and Jérémy Doku made it 3-0. Two weeks later, Nottingham Forest, then second from bottom, arrived at Anfield and also won 3-0. Four days after that, PSV Eindhoven came to Merseyside and won 4-1. Liverpool were in disarray.
Salah's 'Thrown Under the Bus' Outburst
Slot reacted to the run of defeats by leaving out Mohamed Salah, the double footballer of the year the previous season. The rot was stopped with a 2-0 win at West Ham, where Salah spent the entire game on the bench. He was omitted again against Sunderland, coming on at half-time in a 1-1 draw. When he was left out entirely at Leeds, watching from the bench as Liverpool threw away leads in a 3-3 draw, Salah launched an astonishing verbal attack on the manager in the mixed zone. "I can't believe I'm sitting on the bench for 90 minutes," Salah said. "The third time on the bench, I think for the first time in my career. I'm very, very disappointed. I have done so much for this club down the years and especially last season. Now I'm sitting on the bench and I don't know why. It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus." Relations were patched up, but it was announced on 24 March that Salah would leave at the end of the season.
Isak Finally Clicks with Wirtz ... But Breaks Leg
Isak had forced his way out of Newcastle by not training and missed pre-season. After his move, he struggled for fitness and often came off the bench. By the time Liverpool went to Tottenham on 20 December, he had one league goal and had yet to play a full game. Coming on at half-time with the game goalless, he broke the deadlock by converting a through ball from Wirtz, but was caught by Micky van de Ven, whose challenge broke Isak's left leg. The £100m+ duo had finally combined for a goal, but rather than a sign of good things to come, it epitomised a cursed season. The 2-1 win at Spurs was the sixth game in a 13-match unbeaten run, but Liverpool were rarely convincing for more than 45 minutes.
City and PSG Demolish Lingering Trophy Hopes
The title long since written off, Liverpool were doing just enough to scrape into Champions League places, reaching the quarter-finals of that competition and the FA Cup. But on 4 April, Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick in the FA Cup, his third making it 4-0 and leading to Liverpool effectively giving up with half an hour to go. Paris Saint-Germain then won 2-0 home and away, utterly dominant in Paris on 8 April and more effective in an even match at Anfield six days later, a game that saw Ekitiké's promising debut season ended by an achilles tendon rupture. There would be no second trophy for Slot as Liverpool manager.
