Arne Slot handed another devastating blow as Liverpool defender is hit with suspension after Leeds draw

Liverpool threw away a two-goal cushion and then conceded a 96th-minute equaliser on Saturday night as their difficult season continued. The Reds could have been in the top four if they had won the game but instead they are down in eighth and trouble is brewing at the club. In addition to having wing-back Jeremie Frimpong and centre-back Giovanni Leoni out injured, right-back Conor Bradley picked up his fifth yellow card of the season in the draw at Leeds. That means he will serve a one-match ban, ruling him out of the trip to Brighton. The 22-year-old will, however, be available to face Inter Milan on Tuesday in the Champions League. In the meantime, the Reds may continue to deploy Joe Gomez at right-back, while midfielders Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai can also play there if required.

Before the game, pressure was on Slot to turn Liverpool's poor form around. And just when it looked like they were turning the corner against Leeds, Daniel Farke's side roared back to claim a point. After the match, the Dutchman could not quite believe what he had witnessed. 

He told BBC Match of the Day: "There's a sense of disbelief. I think we played quite well or very well during large parts of the game and we went 2-0 up. I don't think we had any problems and I don't think we conceded a chance until the moment we made a foul, which is not even a chance. It's then 2-1 and not many moments later they made it 2-2 with the first chance they had. Then we go up and you think you've done enough to win the game, but then a set piece leads to the 3-3."

The former Feyenoord boss also pointed out that they were once again found out defensively from a set piece for Tanaka's goal. 

"It's not about me. It's about us, it's about the fans. The players have worked so hard and to concede from a set-piece again - the 10th or 11th this season. If you concede so many like this, you cannot be higher up the table than we are," he added. "To go away with a 3-3, I don't think that's what we deserved. We conceded without the other team even having a chance. It's so difficult to play a game of football if you don't even concede a chance and it goes in. We can only look at ourselves because we are the ones that are doing it. That's the situation we are in."

Looking for smarter football bets? Get expert previews, data-driven predictions & winning insights with GOAL Tips on Telegram. Join our growing community now!

Shortly after the Leeds game, Mohamed Salah put the cat amongst the pigeons when he accused Liverpool of "throwing him under the bus" and that he no longer had a relationship with Slot. The 33-year-old, who has been an unused substitute in two of the Reds' last three games, suggested it was wrong that he was not playing after earning his right with his past displays and that the current situation was unacceptable.

He told reporters, "I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame. I said many times before that I had a good relationship with the manager, and all of a sudden we don't have any relationship. I don't know why but it seems to me, how I see it, that someone doesn't want me in the club. It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That is how I am feeling. I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame. This club, I will always support it. My kids will always support it. I love the club so much and I always will. It [the situation] is not acceptable to me, to be fair. I don't get it. It's like I'm being thrown more under the bus. I don't think I'm the problem. I have done so much for this club. I don't have to go every day fighting for my position because I earned it. I am not bigger than anyone but I earned my position."

So much is at stake for Liverpool right now. Slot's position as manager could be hanging in the balance, Salah has dropped a huge bombshell on the club and they face some tough games in the Champions League and Premier League in the coming week. If results don't improve, the Reds may be looking for a new coach.