ReactionAston Villa 4-2 Liverpool: Arne Slot's post-match press conference

The Reds were beaten in their final away game of the Premier League season having gone 1-0 down on the stroke of half-time through a Morgan Rogers effort.

Virgil van Dijk equalised early in the second period but the hosts pulled away with two finishes from Ollie Watkins and a John McGinn curler.

Van Dijk's second headed goal of the game only reduced the deficit in stoppage time.

See what head coach Slot had to say to reporters afterwards below.

On the defeat and how 'damaging' it is...

Damaging because we needed either a win or maybe, maybe, maybe two draws would have been enough as well. But now we know one thing for sure – that we need a win next week if we have to do it ourselves. As we all know, other teams, of course, need to pick up points as well for us to need a win. So that's really damaging that we were not able to get a result, let alone a win here today. There were parts in the game where I felt a result could have gone our way. But I think what people are mainly focused on is the period after the 2-1 where we couldn't find any momentum anymore and we conceded two other goals. That was the most difficult period in the game.

On how 'frustrating it is that the same problems are happening time and time again'...

It's frustrating because as a manager you're also responsible for if things happen time and time again. You are hired to try to prevent that for the next time. We scored two set-pieces over here, so usually you think if you go to an away game or any game where you score two set-pieces, usually you're quite sure of a result – unless you concede three set-pieces, what we did.

So against [Manchester] United, against Chelsea, in this game again, we have a negative balance in set-pieces and that makes it really hard if you play against equal teams – which United, Chelsea and Villa are – to win a game of football, and again that was shown today. And the manner, of course, in which we conceded the 2-1, I think we've thought we've seen a lot this season – this one we haven't. But, of course, Dominik [Szoboszlai] has had and has a very good season and he doesn't do it on purpose and he's the first one who feels [bad] about it. But it happens and then afterwards we really, really, really struggled to find any momentum again.

• Match report: Aston Villa 4-2 Liverpool

On whether there should be optimism things can be turned around next season...

I can understand at this moment in time that they don't have a lot of confidence or a lot of feeling that things can be much better next season, but I think they are then underestimating what a window can do, what a new start can do. I think we know quite well what to improve; I think one of the things we also have to improve is also very, very, very obvious and I would have preferred not to talk about it here, but you're actually almost forcing me to.

If you miss nine players that can start a game of football and almost all of them are starters for us, or have been for large parts of the season starters for us, then if you add that to what you can improve in a window and add that to players that are playing for the second season in the Premier League – and I think we saw the adaptation to the Premier League for a few of them took some time, but that's now better and better – that will automatically lead to much more, but that's my opinion and no-one has to agree with me.

Even today, for large parts of the game we were close to a result but then when you are the better team you need to generate more chances, and if you have the chances you need to score them. We cannot concede as many set-pieces as we've conceded this season. I don't think the difference is so big, only doing in a few situations the right thing can already have a massive upwards possibility.

On whether Alexander Isak will be back for next week's final game of the season against Brentford...

Yes, there will definitely be a chance. He missed pre-season as we all know and then he broke his leg. We've tried to be as careful as we could with him, taking into account that our other No.9, Hugo Ekitike, is out for such a long time, so we needed him as a result of that even more. We've tried to be as careful as we could, but I don't think it can come to anyone as a surprise if you miss your pre-season, if you then break your leg, that minor injuries can occur if you have to start in Premier League games immediately in that intensity. It's just a bit of bad luck for him that in the moment of time when he comes back, Hugo gets injured and we need him more. I expect him to train with us this week, but I cannot give any guarantees.