It’s official, this is now Liverpool’s worst run under Arne Slot.

The defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in Wednesday's Carabao Cup semi-final means the Reds’ sequence of games without victory under the Dutchman extends to a record-breaking… two.

Okay, maybe not quite time to panic yet - and with Accrington Stanley next in the FA Cup, there’s every chance that number won’t extend to three games - but a draw against Manchester United and defeat at Tottenham was certainly a significant downturn compared to Liverpool’s prior matches.

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There were evident frustrations too. Virgil van Dijk had stern words with defensive team-mates in both games, there was an increase in unforced errors, while a lack of control was an obvious problem. Alexis Mac Allister acknowledged the team couldn’t dominate United as it had in previous matches, and Conor Bradley said the Reds could have been better on the ball at Spurs.

That United and Tottenham pressed well and were confident in possession shouldn’t be overlooked, but in both matches there was a sense that Liverpool just weren’t quite at the races.

The stats would back up that feeling, with a slight decrease in shots, big chances created, expected goals and touches in the opposition box against United and Spurs, although nothing that will overly worry Slot.

But there was one notable absence from the last two performances compared to the three that preceded it when Liverpool easily saw off Tottenham, Leicester City and West Ham United over the Christmas period, scoring 14 across the three games.

Those comfortable wins were underpinned by an attacking threat from midfield. Dominik Szoboszlai scored and assisted when Liverpool battered Spurs 6-3 last month, with Curtis Jones netted on Boxing Day against Leicester and set up Mohamed Salah's goal at West Ham three days later.

In contrast, Jones, playing as the most advanced midfielder in the Carabao Cup game against Tottenham, didn’t manage a single shot or create a chance for others. He also produced just three passes into the final third - a tally beaten by Wataru Endo, who played mainly at center-back during his hour on the pitch.

Against United it was a similar story. An expected assist of 0.02, no shots or successful dribbles and just four passes into the final third. As for Szoboszlai, he missed that match and the trip to Tottenham through illness.

While it’s far too simplistic to lay the blame at the feet of Jones, or simply state that without Liverpool’s attacking midfielder providing a goal threat the team will struggle, but there’s also no denying that results and team performance dropped without a lack of penetration just behind the front three.

Both Jones and Szobszlai, who have mainly played in that role for Liverpool under Slot, have been excellent this season, and he’ll need the pair firing from midfield for difficult upcoming games against Nottingham Forest, Brentford and Lille.

Two matches without a win really is nothing to be alarmed about - that it has taken until the new year for Slot to suffer that fate for the first time as Liverpool boss is an achievement in itself, but the ex-Feyenoord manager will be aware of how quickly bad runs can set in and the need to get his midfield back to its best.