Liverpool crumbled to another shocking defeat as they were sensationally beaten 4-1 by PSV at Anfield.
A trio of second-half goals - two of them scored by Couhaib Driouech - left Arne Slot's out-of-form side stunned as they capitulated to yet another three-goal defeat.
Coming off the back of consecutive 3-0 defeats, the result will amplify the noise surrounding Slot's Liverpool. They are in the bottom half of the Premier League table and now have work to do in Europe. Their astonishing slide shows no signs of stopping.
There was an alarming start, a seventh goal conceded without reply, when Ivan Perisic scored from the penalty spot. Virgil van Dijk's vocal complaints about that early handball call going against him appeared unwarranted given the positioning of his arm.
Dominik Szoboszlai, playing in midfield with Curtis Jones at right-back, did slot in a quickfire equaliser after Cody Gakpo's shot was parried into his path and Van Dijk came close to making amends with a header against the crossbar as Liverpool regrouped.
But Slot's side were undone by their own defensive mistakes in the second half, the Eredivisie leaders punishing them in style. Guus Til nipped in ahead of Milos Kerkez to restore PSV's lead and Ibrahima Konate's error allowed them to double the advantage.
Driouech put the ball into the net after Ricardo Pepi's effort came back off the post and he then added a second to make it four in all as supporters streamed out. The defeat makes it nine in 12 matches now, their worst run in over 70 years. Liverpool are in disarray.
Slot was asked afterwards whether he still feels the support from above him at the club following this latest big defeat.
Speaking in the press conference, he said: "I have been feeling safe. I have a lot of support from above. It would be nice if I could turn it around and produce a victory. But [the noise] is part and parcel of being a coach if you are not doing well."
Asked for more detail about any reassurances that he is being given by sporting director Richard Hughes and others, Slot added: "Not in the sense that they tell me every single minute that they support me, they support me, they support me.
"They are helpful to me, to the team. We do have those conversations. They don't call me every second to say they still trust me. When we do have those conversations, I feel the trust. I haven't spoken to them after this game yet; we will see."
Virgil van Dijk decided to tackle Wayne Rooney's criticism from a position of strength after a clean sheet and victory over Real Madrid but three consecutive three-goal defeats have put his form firmly back in the spotlight and he was culpable once more.
The difficulty for Van Dijk is that he is a natural leader. He embraces that responsibility and feels comfortable directing his teammates around the pitch, offering words of encouragement and the odd rebuke. That all looks different when his own form dips.
The handball for the penalty came after he had busied himself complaining to the referee about the award of a corner - complaints that continued upon the award of the spot-kick. He was booked soon after for lunging in, his tackle arriving far too late.
Much of the scrutiny has been on Mohamed Salah's decline but the reality is that both of Liverpool's bankers - the totems of this team for many years - have been well below their best. The challenge for Van Dijk is to deal with the side's struggles - and his own.
Van Dijk's fellow centre-back Ibrahima Konate is hardly helping his defensive partner. His failure to deal with a simple ball forwards allowed PSV to get in behind in the build-up to the third goal, just the latest costly mistake by a player who is struggling badly.
Had Liverpool been able to get the deal for Marc Guehi done in the summer transfer window, Konate would be out of the team already. Slot seems to have little faith in Joe Gomez, while Giovanni Leoni is out for the season. But this problem needs sorting.
Konate's poor form is more than a blip; it is undermining them on a regular basis. Is it confidence or just being too casual? Whatever the issue, Slot cannot rely on a player who should be in his prime and with little time between games it is tough to correct.
The left-back has made a sluggish start to his Liverpool career, losing his place to Andrew Robertson before the international break. The Scotland international's exertions for his country presented another opportunity but Kerkez has failed to seize it.
He was troubled from the outset by Sergino Dest and Guus Til. Perhaps most worryingly, he could be seen remonstrating with Van Dijk not long before being caught out for PSV's second goal. His own teammates turned around in horror to see he had been beaten.
The continued support of the Anfield crowd is essential if the former Bournemouth player is to flourish in Liverpool red but the real concern is that Kerkez still has a lot of work to do to convince his colleagues that he is cut out to succeed at this football club.
There will be more sympathy for Curtis Jones in the other full-back position even if he did give the ball away inexplicably inside his own area in the second half. Slot is making do at right-back while Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong are both unavailable.
But whoever operates at right-back will find themselves targeted and isolated while it is Salah playing in front of them. The winger does very little defensive work, something that was seen as a stylistic success when he was delivering in front of goal.
Now his output has dipped, it is an opportunity for every opponent. For the second PSV goal, Mauro Junior was allowed to wander past Salah without so much as a challenge, building the move from which the Dutch side restored their lead and turned the game.
Alexander Isak came off the bench for the final half an hour but could not change the flow of the game. The expensive acquisition from Newcastle has made 10 appearances for Liverpool and his only goal has come against Southampton in the Carabao Cup.
Isak did fire off one snap-shot on the angle but the sharpness is lacking and he cannot yet be trusted to provide the sort of pressing that Slot wants to see of his striker. The Liverpool boss highlighted that as an issue after Hugo Ekitike had a back spasm.
When discussing the second-half dip, Slot said: "That had a bit to do with Hugo Ekitike, who straight after half-time felt his back. That is why the press was not aggressive enough. If the press is not aggressive enough, they have players who can outplay you."
Isak is still waiting for his big moment in front of goal to ignite his Liverpool career. But the reason why Ekitike has become a fan favourite so quickly is not just down to him finding the net, it is the energy he brings. For now, that is still lacking from Isak's game.
