Arne Slot urged his players to keep their foot on the accelerator after Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to four points with a wild 6-3 victory against Tottenham.
Although the manager felt his team produced their best attacking performance in an away game, he was not happy with how a drop in intensity at 5-1 gave Spurs brief hope of a comeback.
The score was pulled back to 5-3 and Liverpool, who ended up capitalising on Chelsea’s draw with Everton earlier in the day, saw that they must maintain their focus if they are to win the league.
“Until 60 to 65 minutes, I really, really, really enjoyed what I saw,” Slot said. “But then you also saw that no matter how much quality players have, if they think they don’t have to run any more in this league, especially against Tottenham, they immediately start to create and they scored two goals. I was happy when the sixth one went in.
“Maybe it is human when you are 5-1 up. You think: ‘OK’. But Tottenham always keep on going and they have the ability to create. You have to be on top of your game every second of the game and if you’re not 100% then it hurts you.”
Liverpool will be top on Christmas Day after destroying a feeble Spurs defence with doubles from Luis Díaz and Mohamed Salah, plus strikes from Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister. “It means something,” Slot said.
“You know as well as I know how hard it is to stay at the top. You have to be on top of your game for every minute. It is not easy to show up every three or four days. I didn’t expect Chelsea to drop points today. It can happen in any game and that’s what makes the league so special.”
Salah, who also collected two assists, became the fourth-highest goalscorer in Liverpool’s history. “Apart from him being a good footballer, he is very likable as a person,” Slot said. “He is always there to help his teammates, always down to earth. He understands what it takes to be at this level every three days. That’s what impresses me; that as a top player, he understands how hard he has to work for the quality he shows.”
The Egypt forward, who said that Liverpool must improve defensively, is out of contract at the end of the season and he offered no update on his future. “Wherever I am going to end my career I am happy about it,” Salah said.
The outlook was less positive for Spurs, who remained 11th after two wins in their past seven games. The captain, Son Heung-min, said it was painful to concede six but Ange Postecoglou vowed to stick with his gung-ho style. The Spurs manager pointed to injuries and said his team lacked energy.
“I think I’ve been really, really patient the last 18 months, sitting up here answering the same questions over and over again,” he said.
“If people want me to change my approach, it’s not going to change. We’re doing it because we think it will help us be successful. I get the idea that people think that I should just flip the switch and change and somehow that would miraculously make us a different team. But it is what it is.”
Postecoglou was asked whether he was under growing pressure because of Spurs’ position in the table. “I’m not happy with where we are in the table,” he said. “I’m not sure what pressure is. I think I’m getting judged on that. I don’t think people are throwing platitudes at me.”
The Australian considered whether Spurs could use the January transfer window to increase the size of their squad. “If the right players are there I guess we can bring players in,” he said. “It’s about making sure it’s something that’s going to help us continue to build what we’re doing.”
