Liverpool are going through one of the most delicate moments of their recent history in the Premier League. After losing for the fourth consecutive time, this time to Brentford (3-2), Arne Slot's side face the risk of a fifth consecutive league defeat, something that has never happened in the club's history.
Against the backdrop of record spending of almost £450 million during the summer, the Dutch coach has yet to build a cohesive team capable of sustaining the challenge for the top spots. The Reds, the current title holders, are instead stuck in seventh place.
Despite the general concern, Slot remains confident that players such as Salah will soon regain scoring form.
"The last thing I worry about is Mo starting to score goals again. Because that's what he's done his whole life," the manager said at a press conference.
The four consecutive defeats recorded between September and October 2025 equal Liverpool's worst runs since the creation of the Premier League: those of February 2021 and September 1993. In neither of these did the team suffer a fifth defeat, so the next match will be key to avoiding an unprecedented negative record.
In contrast to the relative dominance of England's six top clubs today, these periods of difficulty were more common in the 1990s, when competition between the big teams was much more balanced than it is today. In fact, among the members of the "Big Six", no team has been exempt from prolonged crises.
Manchester City suffered the worst of all with eight consecutive defeats between August and October 1995, in one of the most difficult periods in their history prior to the arrival of major investment.
Tottenham went through a run of seven defeats in early 1994, while Chelsea accumulated six consecutive defeats in 1993, reflecting the unpredictability of those early years of the Premier League.
Arsenal and Liverpool share the record of losing four consecutive games on three and two occasions respectively, although the Gunners did so in the 1992 and 1995 campaigns, when the club was still in the process of transforming itself into the Wenger era.
Manchester United, meanwhile, suffered four consecutive defeats in 2022 under Erik ten Hag.
In terms of winless streaks, there is also a significant gap between eras.
Manchester City went 15 games without a win in 1995, while Chelsea went 12 games without picking up three points between December 1992 and February 1993.
In Liverpool's case, their worst run was 11 games without a win between November 2002 and January 2003, while Tottenham and Arsenal also suffered runs of ten and eight games respectively during their most unstable years.
These statistics show how even the most powerful clubs in the country are not immune to the ups and downs and changing cycles of football. However, the difference today lies in the level of expectation, with multi-million pound investments amplifying any stumble.
For Slot and his Liverpool side, the pressure is immense. A fifth consecutive league defeat would not only be a severe blow to morale but would also place his name on a blacklist of historical records that the club has avoided for more than three decades.