Arne Slot attributed Liverpool's dramatic 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday to his players being "tired" after their midweek Champions League victory over Marseille. The loss, sealed by Amine Adli's stoppage-time goal, ended Liverpool's 13-match unbeaten run and put more pressure on Slot.

The Reds found themselves in a 2-0 hole after quick goals from Evanilson and Alex Jimenez in the first half. Joe Gomez sustained an injury in a collision with Alisson Becker while trying to prevent the first goal, further complicating matters for Liverpool. According to reports, Slot and Alisson were visibly frustrated when the team did not stop play to allow a substitution for Gomez, and Bournemouth capitalized on this temporary numerical advantage to score their second goal.

Despite the setbacks, Liverpool mounted a comeback, with Virgil van Dijk scoring before halftime and Dominik Szoboszlai equalizing in the second half. However, Adli's late goal secured the win for Bournemouth.

Slot, speaking to BBC's Match of the Day, acknowledged the cruel nature of the defeat, especially after fighting back from a 2-0 deficit. He felt his team had control for most of the first half, except for a brief period where they conceded twice. Slot also stated, "It is fair to say that in the last 10 minutes it was more open, but I could see that my players were tired because we only had two days in between each game".

The Liverpool manager had opted for a 4-2-2-2 formation against Bournemouth. While the change in system initially seemed promising, Liverpool lacked a presence in the penalty area, particularly with Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah leading the line as a two-man strike partnership. Some observers felt that Liverpool missed the box threat offered by Ekitike or the injured Alexander Isak.

The result leaves Liverpool's top-four ambitions in jeopardy, as Manchester United and Chelsea could overtake them. Moreover, the Reds are now winless in their last five Premier League games.

Adding to the disappointment, the loss has seemingly created some division within the team, as captain Virgil van Dijk appeared to disagree with Slot's assessment of the game. Van Dijk, in a post-match interview, expressed his disappointment with the late goal and the team's inability to manage the game effectively.

Despite Slot's fatigue claims, Liverpool face a quick turnaround with a Champions League game against Qarabag looming on Wednesday.