Arne Slot has said Liverpool ‘showed up’ to pass the ‘hardest’ test of his reign against Chelsea.
Liverpool moved back to the top of the Premier League with a hard-fought 2-1 win on Sunday, as goals from Mohamed Salah and Curtis Jones earned the points for the Reds.
Salah slammed in the first from the penalty spot after the impressive Jones was brought down by Levi Colwill, but Chelsea found an equaliser three minutes after the restart through Nicolas Jackson.
Jones, who saw a second penalty won overturned by VAR just before the break, found the winner as he ghosted into the area to convert from Salah’s right-wing cross.
Liverpool were not at their best and conceded the majority of possession to their visitors, though Slot was pleased with the fight his side showed. The Dutchman was delighted with an important three points ahead of a tough run of fixtures for the Merseysiders.
Slot says Chelsea ‘hardest’ test of his Liverpool tenure
“Many other games were hard but this might have been the hardest maybe because of the amount of quality players they have and the structure they have. We had to fight really hard to get this one over the line,” Slot said, speaking to MOTD.
“We defended so strong through the whole team. There was incredible work rate. The game became difficult for us because there were a few decisions in my opinion that didn’t go for us, the most crucial was when we thought we had the penalty before half time. To go 2-0 before half time would make a massive difference from 1-0. Then we conceded but we stepped up again and scored the second.
“The better the teams you face the more you need it [fight]. In the Premier League there are so many good teams so if you want to win at least you need to fight and then hopefully the individuals can make the difference.
“It helps if you play against a Chelsea, it is a big game and everyone feels it. We felt it and the fans felt it because they were there for us today.
“We showed up, that was the most important thing.”
