Liverpool head coach Arne Slot stated he believes his group’s nervy efficiency towards Wolverhampton Wanderers was partly fueled by the frustration of Wednesday night time’s dramatic Merseyside derby draw with Everton.
Liverpool edged Wolves 2-1 at Anfield, with first-half targets from Mohamed Salah and Luis Díaz sufficient to earn the hosts the three factors regardless of Matheus Cunha‘s very good strike after the break.
Vítor Pereira’s facet had been the higher group within the second half and Slot believes the lingering frustration from midweek — when James Tarkowski scored a 98th minute equaliser at Goodison Park — might have contributed to his group’s subpar show.
“Clearly it was reduction on the finish particularly after what occurred on Wednesday,” Slot stated. “These final eight minutes the place we conceded a purpose, you’re so pissed off as a result of you understand that second can have affect for the subsequent recreation and the video games which might be developing.
“You noticed right this moment that after us conceding the 2-1 that for the primary time this season we had been a bit ‘ooh.’ After conceding the final minute towards Everton that was in our heads a bit.”
He added: “It’s so tough to win a recreation of soccer — folks say: ‘You’ve got Mo Salah what are you speaking about?’ No, it’s so tough to win each three days so that’s the reason this win is a vital one going into an enormous week the place we hope we are able to present the identical mentality however play higher.”
Slot additionally confirmed that his choice to take off Ibrahima Konaté at half-time was as a result of his issues concerning the defender selecting up a second yellow card, with Wolves boss Pereira saying in his post-match information convention that Konaté ought to have been dismissed earlier than the break.
“Sure, I took him off due to that [that he could get a second yellow card],” Slot stated. “I noticed him getting his first yellow — that for me was a gentle yellow. If he had gotten his second one for a shoulder push, that may have once more been a gentle yellow so he would have been despatched off for 2 gentle yellows.
“I feel the referee felt the identical, that is why he did not [book him again]. However I’ve watched soccer so many instances in my life and I do know {that a} participant [gets a yellow] and the referee is then below stress. So each subsequent foul will lead once more to perhaps a referee considering that perhaps he ought to give it. I feel again to a few days in the past.
“However for Ibou, it’s so tough to play 45 minutes of soccer towards a robust Wolves group so I needed to take him off as a result of you’ll be able to’t play soccer understanding in your head you’ll be able to’t make a foul towards such good gamers as Wolves have.”
