Arne Slot says he is not feeling any extra pressure after Liverpool slipped to a 2-1 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, a result that marked the club’s 10th league loss of the season for the first time since 2015–16.

Brighton & Hove Albion were the better side throughout at the Amex Stadium, handing the reigning champions just one point from their last nine available.

Despite remaining in fifth place, Liverpool are now under growing pressure in the table as rivals close the gap and the race for European qualification tightens.

“There is always pressure at Liverpool — on me, on the players. That is completely normal,” Slot told TNT Sports.

“We have qualified for the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and the Champions League, but in the league we need to make sure that in the end, we qualify for the Champions League.”

Arne Slot admitted that while he was disappointed with defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion, he still viewed the away trip as a difficult fixture given the quality of their opponents.

“As much as I dislike us losing here, Brighton & Hove Albion away will always be a tough one as long as they keep signing so many good players,” he said.

However, Slot pointed to other results where he felt Liverpool should have done better, notably last week’s match against Tottenham Hotspur, describing those dropped points as more “unacceptable”.

“Even away at Brighton & Hove Albion, a club like Liverpool should be able to get a result,” he added.

The Liverpool boss also acknowledged his side’s struggles following European fixtures, despite midweek success over Galatasaray in the UEFA Champions League.

“It is clear we have dropped a lot of points after playing in Europe. I have tried to explain it already, but we also have to give credit to Brighton. In the second half, they were the better team,” he said.

Slot further highlighted Liverpool’s injury problems, with Mohamed Salah and Alisson Becker both missing before kick-off, while Hugo Ekitike was forced off early in the match.

“Him going off and not being able to help the team is just bad luck,” Slot said. “It is not like he will be out for three months, but it was bad enough that he couldn’t continue. It was a blow for him and a blow for us.”