Arne Sot says his team “dug deep” for an important win, spoke about Mo Salah’s record assist and praised the club’s response when he met with the media after Liverpool’s 1-0 away win to Sunderland.
Digging Deep
When Liverpool suffered a devastating defeat to Manchester City at Anfield, they needed a win in the worst way. The Reds somehow found a way to get it despite an apparent long-term injury to Wataru Endo.
“Very important. I think we dug deep, after only two days of rest,” Slot said. “Then going to a difficult away game. We showed again how well we can play on the ball. We created so many opportunities today. … The character we have shown throughout the whole game was very good, and that is why we leave this place with a 1-0 win.”
A Perfect Win?
Slot has demanded perfection from his club down the stretch in order to qualify for the Champions League. Did the victory live up to the boss’ expectations?
“Yeah, but we've shown that response so many times already this season and now it's not the consistency and the results because it's not a coincidence that we win here tonight,” Slot said. “Or that we’ve won our games, because we're usually the better team on the pitch. It's more surprising to see that from all the times that we were the better team we didn't make wins. But actually, today you could again see the reason why. If you create so many chances and also moments where we could have four versus three situations or three versus two situations then that should with the quality we have - and that will, by the way - lead to us scoring much more chances and much more goals.”
Liverpool’s Assist King
Aside from Liverpool’s win, fans can also celebrate Mo Salah tying Steven Gerrard with 91 EPL assists for the club’s top honours in the category.
“He has so many records for this club,” Slot said. “But to have this one combined with such a great player — both were unbelievable players for this club. Unfortunately for Steven, I expect Mo to go above him. I don’t expect, but I hope he goes above him.”
LFC Globe Verdict
Liverpool got a big win at Sunderland. Now, as Slot says, they seek consistency. Other times when the Reds have secured a big win, they have dropped points soon after. The Endo injury will force the Reds to shuffle the lineup again. Slot says this team has character. Well, it continues to be tested in multiple ways. If they can pull off Champions League qualification, it will be something to celebrate, considering all the obstacles the Reds have had to overcome.
Consistency: The Final Hurdle? Arne Slot admitted that while the Reds "dug deep" today, consistency has been the missing ingredient this season. With Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk breaking records, the quality is there, but can this team string together a 5-game winning run to lock down a Champions League spot? Or will the Wataru Endo injury force another tactical reset? Let us know if you think Top 4 is safe in the comments below.
