Liverpool boss Arne Slot did not enjoy the last week, and his team threw away a fortunate point when they lost 2-1 to Chelsea in stoppage time at Stamford Bridge.
The Reds lost to Crystal Palace in the Premier League last weekend before falling at Galatasaray in the UEFA Champions League, and their reward was a tough trip to Chelsea.
MORE — Chelsea vs Liverpool recap | Player ratings
The Blues took a first-half lead through a Moises Caicedo piledriver but got a workman’s goal from Cody Gakpo to provide a 1-1 score line going into the final 25 minutes or so.
It wouldn’t last. And despite multiple injuries to Chelsea’s back line it was the Blues who found a way to win it through 18-year-old Estevao Willian.
Slot was asked about making changes at fullback as Conor Bradley and Milos Kerkez were subbed off, as well as Ibrahima Konate coming off at the hour mark despite the lack of a recognized center back to replace him.
How will he feel about the result? Read on...
Arne Slot reaction — What did Liverpool manager say about disappointment at Chelsea?
What happened today? “Two very good teams on the pitch today. First half, the only chance they have if you can look at it as a chance, goes into the top corner. We created three open chances — Milos, Dom, Alex with the header — but I thought the game was even. It wasn’t a surprise that we scored 1-1. In the last 15 minutes it was an end-to-end game. We had chances to win. They had chances to win. In the end we conceded.”
What’s changed lately in the small margins in these close games? “The opposition we face. Last season we lost against Chelsea as well. Going away to Stamford Bridge is always difficult. But in my opinion we were very close to a result. Small margins as I said in Galatasaray. We concede in extra time of extra time of extra time at Crystal Palace. And this time just regular extra time.”
Fullback a problem for you right now? “Most of the times I have to change the fullbacks as being on yellow. Conor Bradley was on yellow card. Made a second foul. Players were asking for yellow again so you wonder if it’s smart to keep him on the pitch. We decided not to and we needed Florian to come into the game. Milos was more and more tired and now for the third game in a week, which he’s not used to as he played at Bournemouth. It got more and more difficult to keep going and their winners are a threat.”
Ibrahima Konate injured or tired? “It was a fitness thing. He felt his quad a little bit. Alarm bells go off with me but if the game would’ve went on like this I would’ve made this change maybe a bit later. It wasn’t a coincidence that when Ryan [Gravenberch] started to play there we got more and more into the game and created more problems.”
Why couldn’t you find the winner? “We missed some chances. After 1-1 we were the dominant team. In the end it was end-to-end and both teams arrived in the final box. We just have to work harder, do better, to not rely on these margins. But as I said, Chelsea away, Palace away, these are teams that ask a lot of questions.”
How to fix this now? “It’s always challenging because the players go to the national team. You prefer to have them with you in moments like this. It’s not one game that we won easily and there’s not one game that we lost easily. Players do everything to get a result in a league that is not the easiest one.”
