'Hard to take' - Cody Gakpo reacts to Liverpool's defeat to Chelsea and insists Reds 'played a little better' than Enzo Maresca's side

The hosts broke the deadlock in the 14th minute after a screamer from Moises Caicedo. Gakpo pulled one back for the Reds in the 63th minute after an assist from Alexander Isak, but his efforts were in vain as substitute Estevao's dramatic winner in the fifth minute of stoppage time further compounded Arne Slot's misery.

The defeat at Stamford Bridge on Saturday was Liverpool's third successive defeat across all competitions. After recording five wins from their opening five league games, they slipped to defeat against a resilient Crystal Palace side last weekend. Further chinks in their armour were exposed in the drab defeat to Turkish giants Galatasaray in the Champions League earlier this week. The result on Saturday will have officially rung alarm bells at Anfield, with Arsenal knocking the defending champions off their perch in the Premier League standings. 

The scorer for Slot's side reflected on the loss to Chelsea after the game. "It's difficult [to take]. I think obviously we play against a really good team," he told Sky Sports. "First half they scored an amazing goal but I think it was level. Second half we fight really hard for the equaliser and we played a little better than them but they were dangerous on counter. To concede last minute is hard to take."

He shared his thoughts on the reigning champions' concerning form. "I don't want to say low on confidence. I understand what you mean," Gakpo stated. "In this time the things don't fall our way. Maybe five games ago they did fall our way. This is part of football. we have to take it on our chests and keep on fighting. we have to keep pushing.

"When you play at a club this big it's normal when you lose three games in a row that it's not good enough. We know that as players. We are very much aware of the situation. We know what to do, which is going back to the winning ways."

Slot's troops will be desperate to turn things around after the upcoming international break. They couldn't have hoped for a better game to get out of their rut. Indeed, they will take on Manchester United at Anfield on October 19, with the Merseyside outfit enjoying a fantastic recent record against their rivals.