Arne Slot sends blunt message about area for Liverpool to improve - 'We're the only team'

Liverpool held on to beat Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday with Ryan Gravenberch and Florian Wirtz scoring, but set-pieces proved a familiar thorn in the side

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot.(Image: Simon Stacpoole/Offside via Getty Images)

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot says his team simply has to improve from set-pieces this season after it made its own life difficult by conceding early in the second half against Wolves.

Santiago Bueno poked home from a corner kick after Ibrahima Konate had been outmuscled, with Liverpool then hanging on in the second period. Goals from Ryan Gravenberch and Florian Wirtz had put the Reds firmly in the ascendancy heading into the half-time break.

"I think scoring goals in the Premier League is not easy, I mean in open play," Slot said in his post-match press conference. "I see this in almost every single game I watch because the amount of set-piece goals scored gets more and more and more.

"Unfortunately, we're maybe the only team that hardly ever scores from a set-piece and, even worse, we constantly concede.

"But then, I think I said two, three or four weeks ago, we have to make sure that when things go against us — [it] could be a set-piece, could be other things — we still need to find a way to win the game.

"In the last two games, we conceded a set-piece but we were able to win and that hasn't happened that many times this season. That's, again, progress for me, but it's obvious there are more things for us to improve and this is definitely one of them.

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot.(Image: Oli SCARFF / AFP via Getty Images)

"Although, we had a great set-piece — the first one after half-time. It was completely told to the players at half-time — not by me, by someone else — and it was an open chance for Florian.

"But unfortunately it went the wrong side of the post. I think we have been unlucky in multiple situations in our set-pieces; it is 18 games now and we need to improve."

That goal for Wolves cut the deficit in half and completely changed the course of the second half. Liverpool created very little but managed not to concede again.

While Wolverhampton was on top and pushing to an extent for an equalizer, Alisson Becker was not hugely tested. The Brazilian could have been busier against a more potent attacking force, however.

"I think if you go 2-0 up at half-time, you're expecting a different second half than we had to face," Slot continued. "But in football a goal can massively change momentum.

"That's why I was so, so, so annoyed when the goal at [Manchester] City was disallowed because we were struggling in that game — probably just as much as Wolves were struggling today — but then a goal can make a lot of difference.

"That's what you saw today — not that after the 2-1 we didn't have ball possession anymore, but it was much more of an equal game."