Liverpool manager Arne Slot said the leaders need to get back to doing the basics right after a 3-2 defeat at Fulham on Sunday ended a 26-game unbeaten Premier League run.

The Reds remain well on course for a record-equalling 20th English top-flight title as they lead Arsenal by 11 points with seven games to go.

But defeat at Craven Cottage was their third in four games after exiting the Champions League to Paris Saint-Germain and losing the League Cup final to Newcastle.

Fulham struck three times in 14 first-half minutes through Ryan Sessegnon, Alex Iwobi and Rodrigo Muniz thanks to series of defensive errors after Alexis Mac Allister’s stunning strike put Liverpool in front.

Luis Diaz pulled a goal back as a spirited second-half display from Liverpool fell short of a comeback.

“It wasn’t 45 minutes of disaster but the errors we made weren’t something that we’re used to,” Slot said. “It’s disappointed us all, the players and the fans.

“In the second half we made chances and could have made up for it, but we lacked time. In the last 25 minutes it was clear that we could score a third.”

Liverpool’s exit from Europe does at least mean they have a full week to prepare for each of their remaining Premier League games.

After showing signs of fatigue in recent weeks, Slot is hoping a quieter schedule will help get his side back to the levels they showed earlier in the season.

“We have a whole week until West Ham (on April 13). Everyone needs to be aware that the only way we win is through a constant effort and 90 minutes of hard work,” he added.

Even the normally unflappable Virgil van Dijk was at fault in the Liverpool defence as he was outmuscled by Muniz for Fulham’s third goal.

“A very poor first half in terms of the goals we conceded,” said the Liverpool captain.

“It was so unnecessary and then you’re fighting a very tough battle. A very poor half as a collective.

“We tried everything in the second half but when you ship three goals in the first half it’s very difficult.”

Victory is a major boost to Fulham’s ambitions of European football next season.

The Cottagers move up to eighth and within striking distance of the top five, which will almost certainly secure a place in next season’s Champions League.

“It was a great three points for us, I believe we deserved it,” manager Marco Silva said.

“Our first half was at a good level and after a good goal from Mac Allister, we had to be strong, be clever, make some tactical fouls and the reaction was great.”

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says its operatives have intercepted cocaine hidden inside the walls of several suitcases.

NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a post on Sunday, attaching the videos of the seized contraband on X.

He decried a situation whereby the smugglers went to extreme lengths, factory-fitting the hard drugs within the luggage with surgical precision.

“Narco-trend update: Strewing the walls of suitcases, in factory fitting precision, with cocaine, must have taken lot of efforts and resources but at the end #ndlea_nigeria officers still uncovered all as revealed in these videos that captured the latest seizure by #ndlea,” the statement read.

According to the video released by the agency, officers were slicing through suitcase linings to remove the hidden cocaine.

Alex Otti, governor of Abia state, says he has no intention of running for the senate after his “eight-year” stint.

Otti spoke at a reception held in his honour by the Anambra Development Unions Association, Aba branch.

He dismissed reports suggesting he was eyeing a senate seat, describing them as “unfounded” and “misleading”.

“When I finish my eight years here, I will retire. I am not going to Abuja,” the governor said.

He also urged critics to refrain from spreading what he termed “falsehoods”, adding that the political space should be opened up for younger Nigerians.

“We are no longer that young. Society is changing, and the young ones are rising. It’s time we give them the opportunity,” he said.

The governor also spoke about plans to revisit the 2011 disengagement of 154 civil servants, most of whom were teachers.

He said he had directed the head of service to conduct an urgent review of the matter and propose possible remedies.

Otti said those below the age of 65 might be re-engaged on a contract basis, particularly to address the shortage of teachers in the state.

He faulted the disengagement, which was reportedly based on state of origin, describing it as “unjust” and “illegal”.

“For those outside the age bracket, we’ll find fair compensation mechanisms,” the governor said.

Otti reiterated his administration’s commitment to justice, inclusion, and “correcting the wrongs of past administrations”.