6 hours ago
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Arne Slot claimed Liverpool’s underwhelming performance in the second half of Saturday’s Merseyside derby was due to fatigue following a draining seven-day period in which the Reds played three games.
Liverpool started emphatically against Everton and, like in the midweek win over Atletico Madrid, established a two-goal lead in the first half. This time, Ryan Gravenberch and Hugo Ekitike were on target as Slot’s side tore Everton apart in the early stages.
However, that dominance diminished as the game continued, with Everton the better side in the second period. Idrissa Gueye pulled one back in the 58th minute to set up a tense ending, but Liverpool managed to keep the Toffees at bay and held on to collect another important three points.
It ends a busy week that saw Liverpool face Burnley, Atletico, and Everton, and Slot felt the intense schedule was to blame for his team’s sluggish second-half showing.
“I don't only think that we were affected by that game, but also affected by the Burnley game, playing three games in seven days, played late in the evening in Champions League, early kick-off on Saturday, and then you have to play a derby. So we always knew how difficult this game was going to be,” the Dutchman told BeIN Sports.
“So [I’m] really happy that when we were not at our fittest we played so well, scored two goals, and that in the end was enough to get the result we wanted.
“The second half, I think we could all see… our mentality was still great, but we weren't as fresh as we were the first time.”
Liverpool has been dependent on late goals to secure victories in recent weeks, but that wasn’t the case against Everton, with Gravenberch and Ekitike on target before the 30-minute mark.
Yet, Slot was still pleased by the Reds' spirited finish to the game at Anfield.
"We didn't need a goal, but we still needed mentality in the last part of the game," claimed the 47-year-old.
"That's again what we showed sometimes, you need to show the mentality by scoring a goal. So to push, and now we had to defend more than we normally do in the last 10 minutes when we need a goal, but in the end, I don't think there was a big chance for them.
"Actually, we were on the break, we could have scored, or we should have had more opportunities to score the third.
"So, looking at all the circumstances, playing a derby game where they had more than a week rest, we only had 62 hours - I think this might even be our best performance this week if you take everything into account."
The victory means Liverpool maintains its 100 percent winning run after five games and, regardless of what happens in the results elsewhere this weekend, the Reds will hold on to top spot in the table.
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