Arne Slot hailed the calm his players have shown after what we called “mental challenges” as Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to 13 points with a 2-0 victory over Newcastle at Anfield.
Goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister secured the win for Slot’s team against a Newcastle side who struggled in the absence of striker Alexander Isak.
Arsenal’s goalless stalemate against Nottingham Forest meant the Reds extended their lead in the table by two points with ten games remaining.
The Liverpool boss watched the game from the stands as he served the first of a two-game touchline ban after receiving a red card at the full-time whistle in the 2-2 draw with Everton.
And while he saw areas for improvement, Slot was pleased with his players’ showing.
“Maybe it was because it was our fifth game in 15 days, I saw a few times us struggling with the ball a little bit,” admitted Slot.
“But the players’ work rate after so many games, it was incredible. Not only from the ones that started but from the ones that came in.
“So again, it was not only a very good team performance but a very good squad performance.”
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The Dutch manager was also keen to highlight how he believes his players have handled the growing pressure that comes with being league leaders for so long.
“After Everton, after Villa and the Wolves game, people started to doubt some things about our game,” Slot said. “But we reacted so well against City and all of a sudden everyone was so positive again.
“For all the mental challenges we’ve had, the players just kept calm and did the things that they have to do and that is making it as hard as possible for the other team to play against us.
“Most of the time our quality then makes the difference.”
The Liverpool boss refused to get drawn into talk about the lifting the title, insisting there is “a long way to go” and that his team is “not focussed on the long-term”.
But Slot was quick to praise the work of Szoboszlai, adding that the Hungarian “runs for two players.”
“That deserves even more credit than scoring a goal. But it’s nice that he starts to score goals because in the end that’s what you need to do as an attacking midfielder that wears the Liverpool shirt.”