Manager blames loss on his side’s difficulties finding the net in open play
Arne Slot is disappointed that his side fell to a loss at bottom-of-the-table Wolves, in one of their easiest fixtures as they pursue a top-five finish that could yet save the Dutchman’s job.
Liverpool are fifth in the table, three points behind Aston Villa and Manchester United and three ahead of Chelsea, all three of whom have a game in hand.
Chelsea could yet overtake the Reds and occupy the fifth spot if they win their game in hand against Aston Villa on Wednesday.
“It’s another setback [to our Champions League hopes] and we didn’t help ourselves with this result, not at all,” said Slot. “But there are still nine games to play. We are coming closer and closer to the end.
“We’ve dropped points in a game where it’s absolutely not necessary. If you look at the run of play, I’m not saying we played great, but if we play this game in this fashion 10 times we don’t lose 10 times.
“It’s far from sure that we win every time, therefore we are not good enough. If we don’t have to rely on a deflected shot, we have to play better and do better. But we’ve had enough chances to win the game.”
Wolves took the lead in the 72nd minute through Rodrigo Gomes and although Mohamed Salah equalised, Andre’s late goal sucker-punched Slot’s side and condemned them to a ninth league defeat of the season.
Slot chalked up the loss to his side’s difficulties finding the net in open play.
“Recently, we are picking up points because we score many times from set-pieces, but what didn’t change in the last five, six seven games is that we struggle and find it very hard to score from open play chances that we do create,” Slot said.
“The end result is we scored one and they scored two and another one in injury time so it sums up our season.
“We have had far more possession than the other team, we have created more in open play in general than the other team, but have struggled to score from open play. Recently we have scored a lot from set-pieces. Again we had a lot of set-pieces, but in the first half were very poorly taken.
“I don’t think we played a very good first half, the second half was better, still not great, but better. We created more, and then just before injury time we were twice very close from chances to make it 2-1.
“Mo [Salah] was dribbling and had to the left and right two players open, but the ball was intercepted by their defender and there was the Virgil [van Dijk] header, and the one we conceded wasn’t even a chance.
“That has happened to us so many times this season. That it happened in injury time may be a coincidence, although it has happened so many times. We hardly gave away a chance today, we gave away one chance and conceded two.”
