Arne Slot ‘relieved’ as Liverpool secure much-needed win

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot was relieved after his team secured a much-needed win against West Ham United. The Reds registered a 2-0 win at the London Stadium on Sunday. 

The Premier League reigning champions have lost nine of their last 12 games in all competitions and thus the pressure was mounting on Slot regarding his place. The club had also suffered a humiliating 4-1 loss against PSG Eindhoven in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Liverpool has suffered seven losses in the ongoing Premier League and they would hope that this win will help them turn a corner.

Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo scored for the visitors to give them all three points.

Asked what he felt at the full-time whistle, Slot said: “Relief, although I said immediately to my colleagues that it might be handball so I wasn’t surprised it took a while [to be confirmed]. I was happy when the referee pointed for the kick-off that it was 2-0.

“In terms of results, it is of course very good, but there were also a few things similar than recent games of ours and a few things that were different.

“The things similar were we couldn’t score our first chances, but the good thing was for the first time in many, many, many games, the first chance of the opponent didn’t go in as well. The best thing it was their only chance and it was after 90 minutes.

“It’s happened so many times to us that the first chance the opponent has, it goes in. Then you get a completely different game as we saw so many times now. Not conceding a set-piece and actually scoring from one as it came from a long throw, it took a while, but these are things that are so important if you want to win a game of football.

“People might say we had more control and didn’t concede as much but it makes quite a difference when you don’t go 1-0 down after five minutes and have to chase the game, at 0-0 you are controlling the game and at 1-0 you are in control even more.”

Liverpool will next host Sunderland at Anfield on Wednesday.