Arne Slot voiced his discontent despite Liverpool’s stunning 6-3 triumph over Tottenham.
The rampant Reds seemed in firm control in North London, commanding an astonishing 5-1 lead before Spurs managed to notch two late consolations through Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke, making the score less humiliating for Ange Postecoglou’s side. Yet despite extending their lead at the top of the Premier League to four points with a game in hand, Slot was not fully satisfied as he referenced his team’s dip in intensity after the hour mark.
He told BBC’s Match of the Day: “For 60 minutes we did everything we had to do, we were comfortable and good with the ball. The main thing is we worked very, very hard. But then the same players with the same quality thought that 10 or 15 minutes of not working as hard was good enough. Tottenham have enough quality to score goals if you give them chances. You have to be on top of your game for the whole game and we didn’t do that.”
Chelsea’s draw away at Everton now means relentless Liverpool now have some breathing space at the league summit. But Slot simply won’t stand for any complacency as he told Sky Sports: “It tells you we are a very good team. Still three games to go until halfway but if you go here and play the game we did then it shows we are a hard team to beat. If it was easy to win the league then every team would do it.
“The first 50-55 minutes is what you want, apart from the goal we conceded. 3-1 up and then it ended up being 5-1. We thought it was enough but Tottenham have far too much quality and they’re able to create and score. Against every team, there’s an opportunity. If they go for man for man which they did for the first goal, then it needs one player to outplay the other and then you have an extra man. They have a very good idea about football.
“If you give them too much space then they will hurt you. I like what Ange does. He is at a club where they don’t win that much in the last 15 to 20 years. They should be one of the best players in the world otherwise you don’t play for Liverpool. Mo [Salah] got two goals and two assists. He played a very good game. With Trent, the focus might be on the great cross for the first goal but playing against Son is not easy but he did very well.”