Robertson: "Last season is over, Liverpool can't rely on the past"
Andy Robertson said Liverpool now need to respond after slipping to seventh place following their fifth defeat in six Premier League games.
Liverpool full-back Andy Robertson said the Reds "can't rely on the past" after their fifth consecutive home defeat continued their faltering Premier League title defence. Jürgen Klopp's side went down 1-0 to Chelsea at Anfield on Thursday – the club losing five successive home games in all competitions for the first time in their history.
Liverpool struggling at Anfield
Liverpool are also without a win in their past seven games at Anfield in the league, with the Reds earning just 10 points from 11 Premier League matches in 2021 – only West Brom (nine), Newcastle United (seven) and Southampton (four) picking up fewer points.
The Reds broke numerous records in their title-winning 2019-20 Premier League campaign, including 18 consecutive wins and 24 straight home wins but Robertson said the current team was well short of those levels and needed to improve. "Last season is over with, it is done," the defender told Sky Sports, with Liverpool languishing in seventh position and four points adrift of the top four in the race for Champions League qualification. We have nowhere near been good enough to what Liverpool team should be. We are dropping further and it is not good enough. Games are running out and we need to put the pressure on the teams below us. People will think we are down and out and we need to get the results to show them we are not. At the moment we are not doing that. We can't rely on the past."
Mount cheers massive win
Meanwhile, the result lifts Chelsea into the top four and extended their unbeaten run to 11 games in all competitions – including 10 under new manager Thomas Tüchel. Mason Mount, who netted the decisive goal in the 42nd minute, labelled the result a "massive win" for the resurgent Blues. "[It's a] massive win," he told Sky Sports. "Every game now is a big win, we need to get as many three points as we can. We have the team to do it, we want to keep going. Where the season is at the moment it is very tight in the top four, we are in and around and we want to keep pushing. We have been on a good run recently, we have been keeping clean sheets but not scoring enough. It was very good to score tonight."
Chelsea face fifth-placed Everton on Monday in a crucial clash in the race for top four and Champions League qualification.