Arne Slot from Liverpool. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Arne Slot has paid tribute to his supporters after Liverpool’s last-gasp win over West Ham United.
The Reds thrashed the Hammers 5-0 at the London Stadium on Sunday evening thanks to goals from Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah.
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The latter has been widely praised after a masterclass performance that also saw him provide excellent assists.
Salah now leads the way in the Premier League for both goals (17) and assists (13) this season, three ahead of any other player in each category.
However, it is not Salah who is grateful to Slot for this latest victory.
Instead, it is a Liverpool defense, which included an excellent substitute performance from Jarell Quansah, who replaced the injured Joe Gomez in the 37th minute, who kept his eighth clean sheet of the season, with no team keeping more.
“(Clean sheets) are one of the reasons why you earn a lot. If you have to score two, three or four goals every time it’s difficult, we’re doing it at the moment but it’s not sustainable for a longer period of time. Sometimes you need a win by keeping a clean sheet and scoring one or two,” Slot said of a Liverpool defense that has conceded just 17 goals in 18 Premier League games this season (via BBC Sports).
“In the end, we didn’t need our clean sheet but it’s always good for the confidence of the defense and the goalkeepers.
“If a player sprints and then asks to come off, we know it’s a hamstring and it won’t take a day or two to fix. The positive thing was that Joe (Gomez’s) replacement, Jarrell Quansah, had an incredible game. This shows the importance of the staff.”
Arne Slot admits Liverpool’s luck in thrashing West Ham
Of course, on another day, West Ham could have complicated this game, hitting the woodwork three times.
Also, Liverpool’s 6-3 win over Spurs is still fresh in the mind, conceding two quick goals after leading 5-1.
Sunday’s shutout ended a run of five games without a head in domestic play, with Liverpool now accustomed to blowing teams away with their attacking prowess.
So even with a strong defensive display, Slot knows his side got a little lucky.
“Yes (many goals), but also many chances. It was 3-0 at half-time, but soon after we could have scored three,” added the Dutchman.
“On the other hand, it was good that not all the chances that had gone in, they had two or three, one hit the post and the other the crossbar. Against Leicester, they had a chance and scored. We were a bit unlucky not to score in the first few minutes, but we were also lucky that at 1-0, Kudus hit the post.”
