Liverpool left it late, but they got a dramatic game-winner in the 97th minute from Alexis Mac Allister. Arne Slot made the surprising admission that Liverpool didn’t deserve all three points after a bad first-half performance. The boss also discussed Rio Ngumoha’s development and provided an injury update on Florian Wirtz.
A Draw Was Deserved
It’s not often you hear a team say that their team got more than they deserved before the game, but that is exactly what Slot did
“A draw would have been a more fair result,” he admitted. “This is a different press conference for me because we usually are so dominant in a lot of games and deserve to win, and do not. Today was the opposite. We had a poor first half. In the first half, the only part I liked was the defending in our box. We showed a different Liverpool in the second half. We tried to bring fresh wingers in, and that led to our first disallowed goal. Joe Gomez brought the long throw in. This is the first time we get a break. Maybe the luck is changing.
Mac Allister Makes Good
Alexis Mac Allister’s winner was his first EPL goal of the season, and it came at a perfect time, but Macalister admits he has mixed feelings about the goal.
"Mixed feelings, to be honest. I love scoring, and I love winning, so in that sense I think it's a really good day, he said. "But then on the other hand, I don't think we played very well, so there is plenty of things that we need to improve."But it's always nicer when you win."
Slot praised his play, however.
“Macca had a really strong start to the season, and then he dipped a little bit, as did the team. No,w in the last 7 to 8 games, we are seeing him return to levels he did last year.”
Rio’s Increasing Role
Rio Ngumoha only spent a little over 13 minutes on the pitch, but had a big impact. He took on players with much more experience, setting up some of the Reds’ best chances on the day.
“He is a special player,” Slot said of Ngumoha. “He is, and he already plays a big part for a 17-year-old. Tell me, wherever in the Premier League a 17-year-old has had as much playing time as him? If he wasn’t so gifted, he would not be playing in the Premier League, much less Liverpool”
Injury Update
Florian Wirtz was a late scratch just before the match with a back issue, but Slot does not believe the problem is serious.
“We don't think it is very serious, but he felt his back too much during the warm-up to start,” Slot said. “He wasn't able to be 100 per cent or even close to 100 per cent. I think after being in this league for six, seven or eight months, he now understands no matter how good you are on the ball, you need to be 100 per cent at this level.
"So, we decided not to play him. We hope and expect he will be able to be with us again next week, but you never know how things work out."
LFC Globe Verdict
I think it was refreshing that Slot was so open about Liverpool’s performance today. Did they deserve the 3 points today? No. Anybody who saw the first half could tell you that. Most coaches would have tried to cover it up. I also liked his thoughts on Ngumoha. Slot is not shy about putting the youngster on the pitch in big moments, and that playing time will only increase with experience.
