Liverpool boss Arne Slot found Turf Moor an unwelcoming place on Sunday, where hosts Burnley battened down the hatches and frustrated the Premier League champions until very late, a Mohamed Salah penalty winning the game 1-0 deep in stoppage time.
Liverpool remain perfect this Premier League season, and Slot’s reaction will be interesting — likely revolving around Scott Parker’s parked bus (Parkered bus?).
MORE — Burnley vs Liverpool recap, analysis
Burnley sat deep and only took counterattacking chances that were no-doubters. Meanwhile, Liverpool missed the mark time and again with shots, at one point boasting a 27-3 shots advantage but only testing Martin Dubravka on four of those occasions.
Alexander Isak wasn’t chosen for the 18, and the Reds attackers missed a huge chance to stake their claim to a consistent place in future XIs regardless of the Swede’s availability.
Arne Slot reaction — How did Liverpool boss respond to latest late heroics, win at Burnley?
Thoughts on the game: “Compliments to Burnley, how they played today — maybe not how they played but how they defended. it was difficult to find a gap. We were a few times close. If we would’ve scored, maybe it would’ve opened up but we didn’t and because of that we had to work. We were getting closer and closer and closer and in the final stages we got what we were hoping for.”
Did you worry breakthrough wasn’t coming? “If you play 95 minutes in their 18-yard box then there is a chance that the ball will eventually fall in the right way for you but it was difficult because they had 11 players there. We needed a little bit of luck or a moment of magic. We had the moment of luck where the arm went to the ball and fortunately it was inside the box.”
Can Mo Salah keep up his levels? “I hope for a long time. Mo last season and this season, and as long as he’s been at Liverpool,he’s been important for us. There were six or seven players playing for us that normally were part of our front three. Great moment for us and that Mo scored it because I think he missed the last two. A good moment for him to score an important goal.”
Any regrets not playing Isak? “That would be too simple. You make a choice for good arguments. He missed a month of team training. He’s now in his second or third week of training. We gave him a proper week of team training including yesterday and the upcoming two days and then we think he’s able to get more than 10-15 minutes in Wednesday’s game. We think that’s the way to build him up to give him a good base. ... If things go well in the next two days he will be involved in that game. Now he’s ready to play at least 45 minutes and let’s see if we’re going to use him on Wednesday or on Saturday against Everton.”
Were you prepared to settle for a point? “I settled really bad because after 90 minutes when I saw how much added time the fourth official gave I was shocked. Five minutes of added time in this game was unbelievable. So shocked and happy that Mo scored it.”
Perfect start continues: “Difficult games but all of them are in the Premier League, especially if you don’t score but again a clean sheet. And before that we conceded two from set pieces. From open play we only conceded one shot today. That’s good. We will get better and better but in the meantime we have 12 points.”
Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah reaction
Mo Salah
Tough game? “We tried our best to get the ball between the lines. It’s tough to win but I’m glad at the end we managed to win.”
A struggle to break down Burnley: “We have a few new players in the starting lineup and it takes time to get them comfortable to our game. Of course Alex [Isak] also came last week. We will try to find a balance so everyone can do their best.”
Virgil van Dijk
A challenging 90 minutes: “We obviously try to break teams down. We have to be patient and ready whenever we lose the ball to defend the counter. I think we did that well. We kept looking for the goal. Not many clear-cut chances but at the end of the day it was a penalty and Mo slotted it perfectly.”
Maintained cool through the end: “Mo’s a world-class player and we know that he can deliver and step up in these moments. Today it was definitely key to not get frustrated. In the end a well-deserved win but it could’ve been a draw. We take the points and move onto Wednesday.”
