Liverpool manager Arne Slot was keen to point out an assist from Florian Wirtz but was left underwhelmed by his team’s performance in their 2-1 victory over Spurs.
The Anfield side’s evening should have been a lot more comfortable, having had a man superiority for almost an hour and a two-man superiority for the final minutes. However, they still required backs-to-the-wall defending late on as Tottenham pushed for an equaliser.
Having gone 2-0 up, Slot watched as Spurs hit back via Richarlison, and his team then shrank under the pressure.
“I thought it would mean it would be easier, but in reality it wasn’t,” he said, according to Sky Sports.
“I thought against nine we would be able to keep them away from goal, but it looked like we were down to nine and they had 11.
“We are picking up points and that’s the main thing.”
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While Spurs manager Thomas Frank will now have to ask why his team was so ill-disciplined, Slot was not without his own behaviour problems after he subbed Jeremie Frimpong, despite the former Bayern Leverkusen player having already been a substitute himself.
Asked why he did that, Slot said he could not trust the player to not get sent off after losing his head.
“Jeremie has no [injury] problem,” Slot explained. “I didn’t want to go down to 10 men for 30 seconds. I adapted to that. I knew there wasn’t long to play.”
Slot also has a fresh injury concern after Alexander Isak was sliced down by Micky van de Ven as he scored the opening goal. The Swede, who has now scored two Premier League goals for Liverpool, was forced to leave the field after the goal.
“I don’t have any news about him,” Slot said of Isak. “If a player scores and then gets injured and doesn’t try to come back, that’s usually not a good thing. But I can’t say any more than that. Let’s hope he’s back with us soon.
“It’s a good thing he scored, assisted by Florian Wirtz.”
“The second [red card] I haven’t seen. I don’t know what happened, why he got the second yellow.
“The first one, I don’t think he had any intention to do it, but it was from behind, the height on the calf. I think these fouls are a red card. I’ve seen a few times this season against us when it wasn’t.”
FAQ
- What was the final score of the match between Liverpool and Spurs?
- Liverpool won 2-1 against Spurs.
- Who assisted Alexander Isak’s opening goal?
- Florian Wirtz provided the assist for Isak’s goal.
- What did Arne Slot say about the team’s performance?
- He expressed his disappointment, saying that despite being a man up, it was not easier and they struggled under pressure.
- Why was Jeremie Frimpong substituted?
- Arne Slot did not trust him to stay on the pitch after already being a substitute, fearing he might get sent off.
- What injury concern arose during the match?
- Alexander Isak was injured after scoring the opening goal and had to leave the field.
- Did Slot have any updates on Isak’s injury?
- No specific updates were provided, but Slot hoped he would return soon.