Arne Slot says time has allowed him to view the dramatic draw with Everton on Wednesday’s Merseyside derby with more positivity and that the team’s performance gives him confidence in his side’s title chase for the rest of the season.
Liverpool were winning 2-1 at Goodison Park entering the eighth minute of stoppage time and were set to go nine points clear of Arsenal when Everton central defender James Tarkowski lashed home a volley that sparked bedlam in the stadium.
'I'm hoping to do differently next time'
After the final whistle, Slot was sent off by Michael Oliver immediately after shaking the referee’s hand while his midfielder Curtis Jones and Everton’s Abdoulaye Doucoure also saw red after a fracas.
“I think what happened was that the extra-time, the additional five minutes that ended up being eight, happened a lot and the emotions got the better of me,” said Slot about his dismissal. “If I look back at it, I would love to do it differently. I'm hoping to do differently next time as well.
“It felt immediately after the referee blew his whistle that we lost two points. But during the whole 98 minutes, I didn't feel constantly that we were the ones that were going to win the game.
"It felt like an equal game and a draw would have maybe been a fair result. But with us leading after 97 minutes, we were close to winning the game, so it felt as if we dropped two points.
"But I think we won a lot [on] Wednesday as well and what I mean with that is if I look at the togetherness of the team, together with the fans, how much they fought together to get the result over the line.”
'They were mentally strong under difficult circumstances'
As he prepares for Sunday’s visit of Wolverhampton Wanderers, Slot added that he felt his players “showed a different side of themselves” on Wednesday.
“They were mentally so, so strong during a game that was played in maybe the most difficult circumstances for them as well,” he said.
“To stay strong together, to fight so hard, to be mentally so strong, that gives me a lot, a lot, a lot of confidence for the upcoming 14 games. I already knew how well they can play but the togetherness they showed during 98 minutes shows me that we are a very, very difficult team to beat.”
This weekend, Slot's side will face a Wolves team who have improved their form since Vitor Pereira was appointed on 19 December, winning 10 points from their last eight matches under the Portuguese, more than the nine from the 16 matches under his predecessor Gary O’Neil.
“The new manager that came in has done a very good job, got some positive results in,” said Slot.
"So, it's going to be a challenge again on Sunday but that is normal [in the] last part of the season in the best league of the world. You can't expect to go out there and have an easy win. It's always going to be a tough one but the players have shown all season they're ready for tough games.”
