Jose Mourinho's future as Chelsea football manager looks increasingly insecure after a 3-1 home loss to Liverpool.
Brazil midfielder Philippe Coutinho scored twice at Stamford Bridge as the champions lost a sixth Premier League game in 11 outings.
Chelsea's third home league reverse of the season left them in 15th place in the table with 11 points from 11 games - the worst ever start to a season by the reigning Premier League champions.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp celebrates after Christian Benteke's goal Photo: AFP
They are already 14 points behind Manchester City who needed a last-gasp Yaya Toure penalty to beat Norwich City 2-1 and retain top spot on goal difference from Arsenal who won 3-0 at Swansea.
Toure's spot kick spared the blushes of City keeper Joe Hart who fumbled a routine catch to gift Norwich a late equaliser.
All Arsenal's goals came after the break as they made it five league wins in succession - Olivier Giroud, Laurent Koscielny and Joel Campbell all on target.
Leicester City are up to third thanks to a 3-2 victory at West Bromwich Albion where they trailed, with Jamie Vardy scoring for the eighth league match in a row.
Manchester United dropped to fourth after a 0-0 stalemate at Crystal Palace, their second successive goalless league draw.
Chelsea, labouring in the Champions League, out of the League Cup and as good as finished in the title race, are in free fall and Liverpool's fans, celebrating a first league win for new manager Juergen Klopp, taunted Mourinho with chants of "You're getting sacked in the morning".
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho protests during his side's 3-1 home loss to Liverpool Photo: AFP
Former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin summed up the mood, saying: "The questions over Mourinho will be a cacophony now.
"It's not just the defeat but the manner of it. They were absolutely outplayed," he added on BBC radio.
Fifth-placed West Ham United lost 2-0 at Watford, their first away loss of the season, while Newcastle United stayed in the bottom three after a 0-0 draw at home to Stoke City.
- Reuters
