Arne Slot admitted 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 straight win which was sealed when Mohamed Salah scored a late penalty.
“I don’t think anyone, myself included, would have predicted this (start),” Slott told Sky Sports after watching Liverpool win for the 14th time in a 15-game unbeaten run.
“I knew (predecessor) Jurgen (Klopp) left the team in a good position. However, against all the teams we’ve played… we’re not the only ones (fighting for the title). I saw Arsenal yesterday (5-2 win at West Ham) and City will be back.”
Mo Salah scores from the spot for Liverpool! ⚡🔴 pic.twitter.com/RmF3AQm4bD
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 1, 2024
Liverpool v Manchester City: The Reds had energy
City are chasing a fifth consecutive title and would have finished top in each of the last seven seasons, but Klopp’s side overshadowed them in 2019/20.
Slott, who took over in the summer after Klopp’s nine-year reign ended, led Liverpool to a surprise victory against opponents suffering a fourth straight league defeat.
“The amount of chances we missed put us in a good position at the end,” said Slott, who saw Salah join the wasteful culprits when he smashed a shot over the target in a one-on-one.
“But maybe it’s nice for games like this. It should be so. It would have been better if we scored the second goal earlier.
“We have some quality on the field as well” 💪
Liverpool manager Arne Slott reacts to his teams crucial win over Manchester City ✅ pic.twitter.com/Vl3bADFImA
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 1, 2024
“Ideally, I would have loved to have seen the second half be the same as the first half. But the quality of the other team… if you want to beat 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 you can beat City. We always press high but they are so good at concentration so you have to work really hard.
“Our players had energy. Apart from our players, the crowd was also fantastic today.”
Liverpool matches
Liverpool face two away games next week, against Newcastle on Wednesday (7.30pm GMT) and Everton on Saturday (12.30pm).
“We’re a consistent team and it’s hard to beat us,” Slot said. “But we also have to make the effort. We have injuries. We had to take Trent (Alexander-Arnold) off.
“It would be a risk (to keep him). These are the challenges we face at the moment, but every team has to face these challenges in a season. Next week is another big week.”
