Are Liverpool cracking up?! Reds' nerves beginning to show as Premier League title race becomes an endurance test for Arne Slot's star players

Some big calls may have gone against them at Goodison, but there can be no denying that Liverpool lost their cool after the 2-2 draw at Everton. Slot, his assistant Sipke Hulshoff and midfielder Curtis Jones were all sent off after the full-time whistle, and the manager admitted ahead of the Wolves game that his emotions had got the better of him following James Tarkowski's controversial injury-time equaliser.

The hope was that Liverpool would quickly put their derby disappointment behind them on Sunday and they were perfectly placed to do just that, after opening up a 2-0 lead by the break, thanks to a fortunate goal for Luis Diaz and the now-customary Mohamed Salah penalty. However, what followed was extremely worrying.

Liverpool were absolutely atrocious after the restart against Wolves, restricted to just 46.8 percent possession and only three touches in the opposition box.

Alisson Becker had already made one crucial save from Marshall Munetsi when Matheus Cunha deservedly halved the visitors' deficit with a wonderfully well-taken goal from just outside the area. Had it not been for an outstanding last-ditch tackle from Jarell Quansah, who had to be brought on before Ibrahima Konate got himself sent off, Wolves would have claimed the share of the spoils that their performance warranted.

Liverpool were, thus, incredibly fortunate to take all three points and, rather tellingly, Slot admitted that the derby had still been playing on his players' minds.

"Clearly it was a relief at the end, especially after what happened on Wednesday," the Dutchman told reporters. "Those last eight minutes, and especially the last minute where we conceded a goal, you are so frustrated because you know that moment can also have [an] impact for the next game or for the next games that are coming up.

"And I think you saw today after us conceding the 2-1 that maybe for the first time this season we were a bit, 'Ooh...' after conceding in the last minute against Everton. I think that was in our heads a bit and that's also why we, as a team, were so furious on Wednesday."

It was put to Slot after the game that some of his players looked tired. Remember, Liverpool should have been rewarded with a couple of free midweeks after progressing directly to the last 16 of the Champions League by topping the league phase. However, they're now in the midst of a run of five games in 15 days because of the rescheduled derby and Wednesday's trip to Aston Villa being brought forward because of the Reds' participation in next month's Carabao Cup final.

Slot, though, was very keen and quick to shoot down the idea that a hectic schedule is now catching up with his title-chasing team, who are not exerting anything like the same control over games as they were during the first half of the season.

"I never judge a situation [based] on 20 minutes," he said, alluding to his side's struggles in the closing stages of the Wolves win. "On Wednesday evening [against Everton], I saw a team fighting until the last second – pressing, working, being so, so, so fit.

"These players are not tired, not at all. They are able to play every three days in the highest intensity, but you have to take the mental part of the game into the occasion as well. All the events that happened on Wednesday evening, it's not only working hard, what did it do to us mentally as well, these last eight minutes of injury time? I can even tell you what it did to me mentally, let alone what it did to these players that had to run so much."

It's a fair point, but not one that is unlikely to soothe the supporters' concerns. They know only too well that mental tiredness can be even more detrimental than physical fatigue to a title challenge.

Injuries obviously played a major role in Liverpool's campaign unravelling last season but, as Jurgen Klopp admitted, a couple of negative results at Old Trafford also had a much bigger impact than they should have done, as they devastated the players psychologically. The fear, then, is that Slot's Liverpool are also starting to feel the strain, and it was worrying to see them looking so deflated when the full-time whistle blew against Wolves.

"When the boys came into the dressing room, I felt like they were a bit down maybe, a bit like it wasn't our best performance," Slot admitted. "That probably tells you also how well we've played during the season – that we weren't even that happy with this win.

"But I said to them, 'This win is maybe even a bigger accomplishment than outplaying Tottenham here [and winning] 4-0 because in a season where you want to achieve something – no matter what you want to achieve – you need to play good football, that's the basis of success, but if you don't have the mentality to win difficult games then you will never achieve something'.

"That's why I was so disappointed for the players and so frustrated when I was in the dressing room after the game when we played Everton. The boys did so well, fought so hard and deserved, in my opinion, to go away from there with 2-1, not in terms of football but in terms of mentality. We didn't win that one, but we did today."

Slot's strategy is, of course, 100% correct. It's imperative that he puts things in perspective while also keeping the spirits up. At this stage of the season, winning really is the only thing that matters. There are no additional points dished out for aesthetically-pleasing performances. However, it's clear that Liverpool will need to play much, much better if they're to avoid giving Arsenal any more hope and encouragement.

After two terrible performances against bottom-half teams, the Reds must now face three teams fighting for Champions League football - Aston Villa (ninth), Manchester City (fourth) and Newcastle United (seventh) - in the space of a week. Even if Liverpool were to simply draw the first of those games, at Villa Park, their lead over Arsenal, who next host West Ham on Saturday, would almost certainly be down to five points by the time they play at the Etihad on Sunday.

"Wednesday will be very difficult, Villa Park, it's one of the best atmospheres in the Premier League, they are in a very good situation with good players and new additions who can hurt you," captain Virgil van Dijk said. "But we will keep going and hope the other team will slip up. That is probably the mentality. We have to keep winning, keep putting three points on the board, no matter what. Find a way, and I think that was also the mentality the season we won it: kept going, kept going and we found a way.

"We are all human beings and I totally understand anxiety or nervousness can kick in, but we have to just keep going and we need the fans in the best shape of their lives and they need us to be in the best shape of our lives as well."

Of course, Liverpool do, at least, have some margin for error; Arsenal do not. This was also meant to be their year - not Liverpool's - and that brings with it a different kind of pressure, as Mikel Arteta has just one FA Cup success to show for his time in charge at the Emirates. Injuries have also seriously blunted the Gunners' attack and it's worth remembering that they still have to travel to Anfield before the season is out.

However, there's no getting away from the fact that the title is there for the taking for Liverpool - particularly if they can get through these next two away games unscathed - and the players are clearly aware of the enormity of the opportunity in front of them. Nerves are only natural in such circumstances, and while Slot denied that anxiety played too big a role in Liverpool's error-strewn second half against Wolves, it was impossible to come to any other conclusion.

The Reds know full well that their bottle is going to be repeatedly and constantly called into question if they drop even just a couple of points in the next few games. After all, they won on Sunday and yet the pressure has been somehow ramped up, so how Liverpool deal with the mounting tension this week will define the remainder of their campaign.

They'll need cool heads on the pitch, on the sidelines and in the stands. As Van Dijk warned, "There will be a lot of twists and turns. If you're not ready for it, it will be a difficult couple of months for you!"

Bottom line: the title race isn't over at all. In reality, it's only really just got going.