Liverpool manager, Arne Slot, downplayed the significance of his side’s 3-2 defeat at Fulham, suggesting that people would create narratives around the loss but stressing it was merely a poor day for his team.
The defeat ended their 26-match unbeaten run in the Premier League, with Fulham scoring three goals in a quick-fire 14 minutes during the first half, capitalizing on defensive errors by Curtis Jones, Andrew Robertson, and Virgil van Dijk.
Liverpool had briefly led the match, but their defensive mistakes allowed Fulham to turn the game around before the break, putting the Reds two goals behind for the first time in a league match since their Merseyside derby loss to Everton in April of the previous year.
Despite a late goal from Luis Diaz, Liverpool couldn’t find an equalizer.
Slot addressed questions about his team’s performance, acknowledging that while Fulham are a strong side, their own errors made it difficult to secure a positive result.
He pointed out that Liverpool had been defensively consistent up to that point, conceding just 27 goals in 30 matches before the loss, and emphasized that mistakes like those made against Fulham were rare.
“The second half was much better, but you can’t win if you concede three goals like that,” Slot said. “We were creating chances, but it’s tough to score three goals in an away game, especially against a good team like Fulham.”
When questioned about the possibility of complacency, Slot compared Liverpool’s efforts to those of Manchester City, who dominated the league in recent years.
“We’re not at the top because we win by three or four goals,” he explained. “It takes a lot of effort for us to win games, combined with quality. Man City was often 3-0 up by half-time, and that’s not how it is for us.”
Slot also discussed Virgil van Dijk’s performance, after the captain struggled in both the Everton and Fulham games.
He acknowledged Van Dijk’s difficulties but reminded everyone that even the most consistent players can have tough moments.
“You have to give credit to the players that play well against him,” Slot said. “Virgil is not the first to find it difficult against players like Beto, but he still does many things well. Even for him, playing 50-60 games a season, there will be moments where he could have done better.”
