Liverpool moved nine points clear at the top of the Premier League table on Saturday, having picked up three points against AFC Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium thanks to a brace from Mohamed Salah.
Arne Slot carried out his usual media duties post-match, telling reporters in his press conference that “it was a close call for us to win this game” against a team that has “done so well in the league.”
In the buildup to Saturday’s clash on the South Coast, Slot revealed that he expected an enthralling physical battle – and he confirmed post-match that the reason Bournemouth have done so well this season is “not by luck, but because they’re intense. They have quality and that’s why we knew it was always going to be very hard and if you want to win here maybe you need a bit of luck as well because the margins are so small.”
“Our penalty was just not offside, and their goal to make it 1-1 was just offside. They hit the post twice, we had our chances as well, but it was a close call for us to win this game.”
The Dutchman confirmed that “almost every game” feels like a crucial one in the context of the title race, highlighting that the Reds have had “a few moments already this season where it felt that we’re just not on the right side [but] all the points we’ve got until now, I think we deserved them.”
Slot made his expectations from his players clear, explaining that they must “fight in every single game […] if you want to have any chance of a result in this league”
“What I want from them, and what they want from each other, is that they fight in every single game from the first until the last second to get the maximum result and that’s what the fans expect from them playing for this club. That’s what we try to do in every single game and it’s also necessary if you want to have any chance of a result in this league,” he told reporters.
Liverpool’s next match sees them host Tottenham, with the Reds trailing by one goal in that Carabao Cup semifinal. They’ll then head to Plymouth Argyle in the Emirates FA Cup on Sunday, before heading across Stanley Park to face Everton in the last-ever Premier League derby at Goodison Park on Wednesday, 12 February.