Liverpool cruised to a 6-0 win over Qarabag to finish third on the Champions League table. The win came at a cost, however, as Jeremie Frimpong was lost to a muscle injury. Arne Slot spoke about the victory, but also once again lamented the number of games, saying that too many minutes have led to injuries for his players.
Team News
Slot confirmed that Jeremie Frimpong suffered a muscle injury that forced him off in the fourth minute. He is doubtful for this weekend’s matchup with Newcastle. He is hopeful Ibrahima Konaté can return for the match, but admits Joe Gomez will be tight.
“This season shows that if you have to play too many games, you can get injuries,” he said. It hits us harder if we have injuries than the clubs we are in competition with. Jeremie is a great example of that. Apparently, I have played him too much for this (injury) to happen again.”
A Pleasing Performance
Even with the Frimpong injury, Slot says he is pleased with the way the Reds played. In fact, Liverpool outshot Qarabag 38-5 and 12-1 on goal.
"I'm very pleased with the performance. We know we can still improve – and need to improve – in both boxes, but it was a very good performance. It's always important to get the early goals to get the crowd on our side. We know we can do even better, but we're pleased. Usually there are 7-8 minutes per game where we are not the best team on the pitch and we usually end up conceding a goal. Tonight, there wasn’t a single minute we were not the better team.”
Mac Allister Shines
With his near hat trick, Alexis Mac Alister was UEFA and LFC Globe’s Player of the Match.
“I love getting in the box, and I love scoring goals,” he said. “I know I don’t do it very often, but I really like it, and I think with the change at half-time, I went a little bit higher on the pitch, and that allowed me to get in the box a little bit more. My second goal was a little bit lucky but good, and then I’m still thinking about the third one! It could have been a hat-trick, my first one, but the important thing is that it was a good performance, a good result, and now it’s time to rest.”
LFC Globe Verdict
Liverpool did not have to worry about defending today, as they had a majority of attacking players on the pitch out of necessity. It looked as if the players were having fun out on the pitch. Getting the Top-8 finish means they don’t have to play in the Champions League until March, so the Reds should be able to focus on the EPL.
