Arne Slot has acknowledged that he did not expect such a dazzling start to his Liverpool career after seeing his side move nine points clear at the top of the Premier League with a 2-0 home win over Manchester City.
Cody Gakpo’s strike as part of a dominant first-half display put the Reds on course for a sixth consecutive victory that was sealed when Mohamed Salah scored a late penalty.
“I don’t think anyone, including me, would have predicted this [start],” Slot told Sky Sports after watching Liverpool win for a 14th time on a 15-game unbeaten run.
“I knew [predecessor] Jurgen [Klopp] left the team in a good place. But still, against all the teams we have played… we’re not the only ones [competing for the title]. I saw Arsenal [win 5-2 at West Ham] yesterday and City will come back.”
Mo Salah scores from the spot for Liverpool! ⚡🔴 pic.twitter.com/RmF3AQm4bD
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 1, 2024
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Liverpool vs Man City: Reds ‘had energy’
City are seeking a fifth consecutive title and would have finished top in each of the last seven seasons but for Klopp’s side eclipsing them in 2019/20.
Slot, who took over during the summer after Klopp’s nine-year reign ended, guided Liverpool to an unsurprising triumph against opponents who suffered a fourth straight league defeat.
“The amount of chances we missed made it tight at the end,” said Slot, who saw Salah join the wasteful culprits when he smashed a shot over the target in a one-on-one.
“But maybe that’s nice for matches like this. It should be like this. It would have been nicer to score the second goal earlier.
“We have some quality on the pitch as well” 💪
Liverpool boss Arne Slot reacts to his sides crucial win over Man City ✅ pic.twitter.com/Vl3bADFImA
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 1, 2024
“Ideally, I would have loved to have seen the second half being the same as the first half. But the quality of the other team… if you want to win against City, you have to be perfect in every part of the game.
“We came close to perfection; we weren’t perfect but we came close to perfection. That’s the only way to beat City. We always press high but they’re so good at build-up, so you have to work very hard.
“Our players had energy. Apart from our players, the crowd was fantastic today as well.”
Liverpool fixtures
Liverpool face two away games next week, visiting Newcastle on Wednesday (7.30pm GMT) and Everton on Saturday (12.30pm).
“We’re a compatible team and it’s difficult to beat us,” said Slot. “But also we have to put the effort in. We have injuries. We had to take Trent [Alexander-Arnold] off.
“It would have been a risk [to keep him on]. These are the challenges we face at the moment, but every team has to face these challenges over a season. Next week is another big week.”
