Liverpool Boss Arne Slot Makes Feelings Clear on Premier League Title Race After Manchester City Crisis
Liverpool’s head coach Arne Slot now has a genuine opportunity to contend for the Premier League title in his debut season on Merseyside, following favorable results over the weekend.
Liverpool claimed a 2-0 victory over Aston Villa on Saturday, which allowed them to move five points clear at the top of the Premier League standings, capitalising on Manchester City’s recent slip-up.
Darwin Nunez and Mo Salah both found the net through counterattacks, securing the win on what was otherwise a tense day for the Reds.
Saturday’s match performance was far less dominant than the 4-0 victory Liverpool enjoyed over Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Wednesday. Nonetheless, Slot’s squad earned three valuable points while Pep Guardiola’s City side failed to collect any, falling 2-1 to Brighton.
Slot’s record now stands at nine wins from his first 11 Premier League games. With both City and Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal experiencing a dip in form, Liverpool have seized the chance to create a lead in the title chase.
Notably, Liverpool have held onto the top spot despite recent challenging fixtures against Chelsea, Arsenal, Brighton, and Villa. After the match, Slot emphasized the narrow margins that often define Premier League success, highlighting the importance of each result.
“We are really happy that most of our players have stayed fit through this tough run,” Slot said. “We have to wait and see how Trent is doing.”
“If I look at the games that are ahead, they are tough. It will be a tough season in general. Margins are small, we have a margin, but it is small. Many challenges to come for us.”
Alexander-Arnold was forced to leave the game in the first half due to an injury, with Conor Bradley stepping in as his replacement. His availability for the upcoming international break remains uncertain.
On a positive note, Slot’s team can rely on the red-hot form of Salah to keep them competitive. The Egyptian forward has now scored in four consecutive league matches and has contributed to 18 goals across all competitions.
“I think he has the best numbers from all our attackers,” Slot said of his dynamic forward. “All our attackers have great numbers, but Mo stands out in that aspect.”
Both Salah and Nunez’s goals came from Aston Villa corner. That was unsurprising to Slot: “The set pieces are for someone else. It is not the first time Liverpool score from breaks like that because we have players who are so fast.”
“They threatened us mainly with their set-pieces which is a big strength for them. They were waiting and waiting for us to lose our patience and then to hurt us on the counter-attack,” he continued.
“The funny thing is we had so much possession and scored our goals from counter-attacks. It was an even game when it comes to chances, but we dominated the ball more than they did.”
In other news, “He’s so Good”: Alexis Mac Allister Now Thinks Liverpool Have “a Legend” in Their Squad After 2-0 Aston Villa Win
