Arne Slot says Aston Villa loss was 'damaging' to Liverpool's UEFA Champions League qualification hopes - 'We crumbled'

The Reds fell behind at the end of the first half to a superb Morgan Rogers strike before Virgil van Dijk’s header got them back on level terms in the 52nd minute.

However, Ollie Watkins scored twice, and John McGinn added a fourth before Van Dijk’s stoppage-time consolation, heaping more pain on the already under-pressure Liverpool manager.

Slot believed that his side fell apart after falling 2-1 behind.

"We've conceded far too many goals - but I think we've also scored not enough goals," he told Sky Sports.

"We were fully in the game, fully able maybe to get a result, but I agree that after it went 2-1, we crumbled."

The win means Aston Villa are guaranteed a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League, taking some of the pressure off their UEFA Europa League final against Freiburg on Wednesday - live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.

However, Liverpool’s hopes of qualifying for Europe’s elite competition have suffered a blow.

Slot’s side are four points clear of Bournemouth in sixth ahead of their final game of the season, but the in-form Cherries do have a game in hand - Andoni Iraola's team face Manchester City at home and Nottingham Forest away in their final two fixtures.

Brighton & Hove Albion, who take on Leeds United and Manchester United, could also leapfrog The Reds into fifth place, but they would have to win both of their remaining fixtures and hope Liverpool lose on the final day.

Slot conceded that the result against Villa had damaged his side’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.

"It's damaging because we needed either a win or maybe, maybe, maybe two draws would have been enough as well," he said. "But now we know one thing for sure - we need a win next week if we have to do it ourselves.

"The other teams of course need to pick up points as well for us to need a win. That's really damaging that we were not able to get a result, let alone a win here today.”

Liverpool will go head-to-head with Brentford at Anfield on the final day of the 2025/26 campaign.

It has been a difficult season for The Reds, who relinquished their Premier League title despite a busy summer in the transfer market that saw them sign the likes of Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike, and Florian Wirtz.

Slot said he knows what he needs to do to improve the team ahead of next term.

"I can understand at this moment in time [the fans] don't have confidence or a lot of feeling that things can be much better next season, but I think they are underestimating what a transfer window can do, what a new start can do," he added.

"I think we know quite well what to improve. One of the things we have to improve is very, very obvious, and I would have preferred not to talk about it here, but you're actually almost forcing me to.

"My opinion - and nobody has to agree with me - is that, even today, for large parts of the game we were close to a result, but when you are the better team, you need to generate more chances and score them, and we cannot concede as many set pieces as we have conceded this season.

"I don't think the difference is so big, only doing the right thing in a few situations can have a massive upward possibility."

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