Liverpool boss Arne Slot finds himself under mounting pressure once more after he and his underperforming squad were booed off the pitch following a disappointing 1-1 draw with Tottenham. The Dutchman secured the Premier League title in his maiden campaign after succeeding the iconic Jurgen Klopp.

However, his second season has proved dismal thus far, with his costly assembled side – which was rebuilt following expenditure exceeding £400m in the summer – now languishing in fifth, after another wretched display against struggling Spurs. A 90th-minute leveller from ex-Everton forward Richarlison negated Dominik Szoboszlai’s early free-kick at Anfield.

Slot now approaches Wednesday’s vital Champions League return fixture at home to Galatasaray, trailing 1-0 from the opening leg, aware his side must prevail to rescue their campaign and possibly his position.

Here’s all the latest developments from Anfield…

The Liverpool head coach has addressed the jeers from home fans at the final whistle on Sunday.

He said: “I think it’s understandable for fans to be frustrated because it happened already so many times that they’ve seen the home team not picking up the points that they’re expecting to, us conceding goals in the last minute.

“Now it’s up to us to bring that frustration to Wednesday and come up with a big performance. Because that we are all frustrated, that’s completely clear.

“And it’s now up to me and the players to take that frustration into Wednesday evening and show the fans the performance and the results they deserve, because they’ve been supportive throughout the whole season to us. Then if it happens so many times that they are frustrated in the end of a game or after the final whistle, that makes complete sense to me.”

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Slot lavished praise on teenage sensation Rio Ngumoha following his outstanding display on his first Premier League start, despite controversially substituting the 17-year-old forward.

Liverpool struggled to score from open play, but Ngumoha remained a constant threat. During his 64 minutes on the pitch, the former Chelsea prospect successfully completed all seven of his dribbles and recorded seven touches inside Tottenham’s penalty box.

Ngumoha was given a start ahead of the likes of Mohamed Salah and Hugo Ekitike, but was then taken off when Slot decided to make a triple substitution just after the hour mark, with Ekitke, Curtis Jones and Salah coming on for Jeremie Frimpong, Ngumoha and Florian Wirtz.

Slot said: “Rio is doing that well it makes sense to play him. It is a mix of playing the ones that are fit and using the quality that these players can bring.”

Ex-Liverpool star left baffled by three Arne Slot decisions

Jermaine Pennant criticised Slot’s decisions during the draw, particularly his substitutions. The former winger posted on X: “Someone please help me, help me understand.

“Help me understand why 1) [Hugo] Ekitike doesn’t start, 2 [he] takes Rio off leave, [Cody] Gakpo on, and 3) [He] takes [Jeremie] Frimpong off and then leaves Szoboszlai at RB..”

In response to a fan, he added: “But if we [can see it], and I’m guessing most of the fans would agree, how can the man in charge not see this. There has to be s*** going on behind the scenes that we have no clue about, cos this is blasphemy.”

Regarding the match, Slot said: “In the large parts of the game that we were the better team, I think that is a moment where you have to score the second. I think we had moments to do so quite a lot and in the part of the game where it was more equal – the last 15 to 20 minutes – on both sides, it was waiting for one of the two teams to score.

“They created the chances all in a similar way, the four or five moments they had: long ball, picking up the second ball and then try to be a threat in moments like that. We also picked up a lot of those second balls where we were able to counter attack them.

“But from all these counter-attacks – all these four versus three, three versus two – all these moments that I felt with the quality players we have that we should be able to either get a bigger chance or when we have it, to score it, we didn’t and then in the last minute we conceded the equaliser and then there’s not a lot of time left to makeup for it.”

Former Arsenal star Paul Merson suggests Slot could be facing the sack if he fails to secure Champions League qualification.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Merson claimed: “If he [Slot] won the FA Cup, but didn’t finish in Champions League positions it wouldn’t make any difference at all. I think Liverpool have got to get in the Champions League with the [financial] fair play rule.

“The more you get into the Champions League, the better quality player you can bring in. I think they need to get a centre half and they’ll be right back up there again next year.

“They’ve just been off it this year, it’s been weird really, and it is hard when you’ve won the league like they have. They’ve been in a fight the last two or three years as well, new players come in.”

The former England midfielder added: “Again, they’re playing for Liverpool, one of the biggest clubs in the world. It’s taken them time to handle it, and they’re top-quality players, but the club’s just a huge football club. He will have to get in the top four, I would have thought, otherwise he might be [the next] Tottenham manager.”