Arne Slot warned his players against complacency after Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the Premier League with a 6-3 win at Tottenham.
The Reds produced one of their best attacking displays of the season away to North London, with Luis Diaz, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah all on target.
But after racing into a 5-1 lead, a drop in intensity led to brief hope of a Spurs comeback as they clawed their way back to 5-3, before Diaz’s second sealed victory.
The win saw the Reds capitalize on Chelsea’s dropped points as they drew 0-0 with Everton, but Slott insists his side must keep their foot on the gas if they are to retain their title honours.
“Until 60 to 65 minutes, I really, really, really liked what I saw,” said the Dutch coach.
“But then you also saw that as much quality as the players have, if they think they don’t need to run any more in this league, especially against Tottenham, they immediately start creating and they scored two goals. I was glad when the sixth came in.
“Maybe it’s human when you’re 5-1 up. You think: “OK”. But Tottenham always go on and have the ability to create.
“You have to be on top of your game every second of the game and if you’re not 100% then it hurts you.”
Slot Machine: “Hard To Stay On Top”
Liverpool will be top of the table at Christmas thanks to their flawless display against a weak Spurs side. Slot said: “It means something.
“You know as well as I do how hard it is to stay on top. You have to be on top of your game every minute. It’s not easy to show up every three or four days.
“I didn’t expect Chelsea to drop points today. It can happen in any game and that’s what makes the league so special.”
Slot: “Top player Salah never stops working”
Salah became the fourth highest goalscorer in Liverpool’s history with his brace and Slott spoke of his admiration for the Egyptian forward’s determination.
“Besides being a good football player, he’s a very nice person,” Slott said. “He’s always there to help his teammates, always down to earth.
“He understands what it takes to be at that level every three days. This is what impresses me. that as a top player, he understands how hard he has to work for the quality he shows.”
