Liverpool’s Worst Starts to a Premier League Season and Heaviest Anfield Defeats

Liverpool started the 2025/26 season with seven consecutive wins. They relied on a number of late goals, but even so, it was a fantastic start to the defence of their Premier League title. Back in late September, they were top of the Premier League. Additionally, they had wins in the Champions League and the EFL Cup under their belt. But then the wheels came off. In spectacular fashion.

They lost six of their next seven games. They then seemed to be on the right track as they beat Aston Villa 2-0 and backed that up with a thoroughly deserved 1-0 Champions League triumph over Real Madrid. However, after starting November with two good wins, the month has turned sour, with consecutive 3-0 defeats.

Losing 3-0 at the Etihad can almost be explained, even if the comprehensive nature of the win for Man City would be a concern. However, a 3-0 loss at Anfield to Nottingham Forest, a team that came into the game in the bottom three, is unforgivable. Arne Slot’s men have now lost three of their last five games by a 3-0 scoreline. They are clearly in big trouble. But how does this compare to the dark days they have experienced before?

Liverpool’s Worst Starts to a PL Season

Liverpool won their opening five league games this term. And yet seven games later, they have added just three more points. What one classifies as the “start” of the season is obviously subjective. However, the current haul of 12 games the Reds have played is just under a third of the campaign. Therefore, we feel it serves as a good cut-off point.

After 12 matches, the Anfield side are down in 12th place. Everton’s superb win at Old Trafford on Monday night means the Toffees are above the Reds. That has not been the case at this stage of the season since the 2015/16 campaign. Back then, Everton again had the upper hand, with the Merseyside rivals locked on 17 points, one fewer than they have now.

In the end, Liverpool did finish above the Toffees. However, they were down in eighth after all 38 games and will be desperate to do better this time around. Their supporters should keep the faith, however. As recently as 2022/23, they had just 16 points at this stage of the campaign. Yet they managed to finish fifth that season. Fifth is not what Liverpool hoped for, but right now, many of their fans would probably take it!

1990s: Reds Start New Era Badly

The first season of the Premier League was 1992/93, and Liverpool started it badly. They won just one of their first six games. After 12 matches, they had put just 13 points on the board. They went on to finish sixth.

12 months on, they could only manage 16 points from their first dozen fixtures. They actually began very well, with three straight wins and four victories from their first five games. However, they then lost four in a row and went on to finish down in eighth.

1997/98 was also not a vintage year for the Reds as they earned just 19 points from the first 12 games. Under Roy Evans, they went on to finish third that year. However, the PL was generally more competitive back then, with Arsenal winning the league with just 78 points. Moreover, 63 was enough to see Chelsea finish fourth.

The following year, Liverpool began the season well enough. After four games, they had 10 points but then only picked up another six from the next eight games, again posting 16 points from 12 matches to sit eighth. They went on to finish seventh. The season after that, they had 18 points at this stage of the campaign.

Better in the 21st Century

Liverpool have generally done better in the 21st century. However, this may simply be a function of the gap between the bigger clubs and the rest getting larger during this period. 2003/04 was a rare bad start by the club, though. Indeed, after 12 fixtures, they had only accrued 17 points. However, they picked up from there and went on to finish fourth, again a cause for optimism. Similarly, in 2006/07, they had 17 points and finished third in the end.

In 2010/11, they managed a mere 16 points from 12 games and would end the campaign in sixth. Two years on, they could only muster 15 points and ended in seventh. However, their worst start in modern PL history would come in 2014/15. Two wins in their first three games promised much. However, nine matches later, they had only put eight more points on the board. They lost six of their first 12 games and ended the campaign in sixth under Brendon Rodgers.

A year later, they did little better, 17 points from 12, actually leading to a poor eighth-placed finish. That was their first campaign without Steven Gerrard. However, in brighter news for the Reds, in October 2015, they appointed Jurgen Klopp as their new boss.

Worst Starts Summary

The table below shows all PL seasons where the Reds have had 18 points or fewer after 12 games.

So, as bad as the start to 2025/26 may seem, historically it is only jointly the 10th-worst Liverpool have made. However, on the downside for the Reds, in none of the seasons above did they challenge for the title.

Moreover, four of these poor starts took place in the first eight years of the Premier League. As said, the competition was undoubtedly closer then. Generally, fewer points were needed to win the title. Conversely, more were needed to avoid relegation. Consequently, we can argue that Liverpool’s 18-point haul from the first 12 games of 2025/26 is actually worse than the bare points would suggest.

Worst Defeats at Anfield

Liverpool’s worst result of the season (so far!) came last time out. They were beaten 3-0 by Forest, a side previously in the relegation zone. The visitors thoroughly deserved the win, too. That was the Reds’ second loss by that margin this term, although the first was with a weakened XI in the EFL Cup.

But just how bad is the Premier League defeat to Sean Dyche’s Forest in terms of Liverpool’s worst at home?

• Worst Premier League defeats at Anfield – 3-0 loss against West Ham (2015) and 4-1 defeats against Man City (2021) and Chelsea (2005)
• Biggest league defeat at Anfield – Reds lost 6-0 to Sunderland in the old First Division in 1930
• Worst FA Cup loss at Anfield – Derby County beat the Reds 5-1 in 1898
• Biggest Champions League loss at Anfield – lost 5-2 to Real Madrid in 2023