Everything Arne Slot said after Liverpool win on Florian Wirtz performance and Mohamed Salah call

Liverpool won its first Premier League game in a month by beating West Ham United at the London Stadium this weekend, moving the Reds back into the top half of the table and closer to the Champions League places.

Up next is a visit of Sunderland and then a trip to Leeds, with Arne Slot facing a difficult decision over Mohamed Salah, who was taken out of the team here. This is what the Liverpool head coach had to say after his side won 2-0 with goals from Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo.

Reaction to Liverpool's second goal: "A relief, although I said immediately to my colleagues that it might be a handball. So I wasn't surprised that it took a while before he said it is a goal. I haven't seen it back but I assume it wasn't. But I was doubting that a little. So, happy but more when the referee pointed towards the kick-off that it was 2-0."

Response by his team: "In terms of results, it's, of course, very good. But there were also a few things similar to other games of ours and a few things that were different. So, the things that were similar were that, again, we couldn't score our first chances.

"The good thing was that today for the first time in many, many, many games [that] the first chance of the opponent didn't go in as well. The best thing was that it was their only chance and that was after 90 minutes. This happened so many times to us that the first chance the other team gets goes in and then you get a completely different game, as we've seen so many times.

"Not conceding a set-piece, actually maybe scoring from one – because it came from a long throw, it took a while – these are things that are so important if you want to win a game of football. Yes, people probably say, 'You had more control, you didn't concede as much.'

"But it's quite a difference if you go 1-0 down after five minutes and you have to chase the game, or you are at 0-0, you are controlling a game and after 1-0 you can control even more."

Support given to him by the away fans: "It says a lot about the club and about the fans that they were not only supportive of me but for our whole team. I think if you have such a run of form we are having and you have an away game and the away end is so full and supports the team from start to finish – including me, indeed – that's special.

"Not only after the 1-0, already at 0-0, from start to finish. It tells you that this club is always together, but maybe even more in difficult moments. Then they appreciate probably even more what you've done for the club. I think that's what makes a club special as well.

"To support someone when he's successful is much easier than to support someone or a team or an individual when things are as tough as they are now."

Isak scoring first Premier League goal: "That's also a bit unfair to him because normally as a No.9, I think in general a No.9 plays more minutes than I've played Alex until now – because of the obvious reasons. So even today I had to take him off after 65, I think.

"So yes, he's already played quite a lot of games but in terms of minutes not so much. And it's very important for us as a team that we went 1-0 up, but I think it was also important for him because I think it was his third chance, fourth of this game, and I don't think there was much more than 10 minutes in him to go. So to score just before you come off was important for us but also for him."

Wirtz's impressive performance: "Good, as the team played a very good game. Recently I've been asked a lot about individuals when they've played maybe not a game of their usual standards and I've pointed out the team every single time.

"Now after a very positive performance from Florian, I can acknowledge that, but I also want to emphasise on the performance that was much better than some others."

What he asked Wirtz to do: "Like I asked all of them, play to your own standards. We tried to create an extra midfielder and he was very important for us to find every time the extra midfielder.

"He was good when he made a dribble, he was really good in his one-touch balls, I even remember a moment when he played the ball diagonally in the 18-yard box to Cody Gakpo, which then didn't lead to a shot so no xG value. We had many of those moments and he was part of many of those moments, I think. A good game.

"The performance staff were constantly telling me, 'He needs to go out, he needs to go out' because he's been out for one-and-a-half, two weeks and he only trained once, so to a certain extent maybe it was a bit of risk to keep him in the team, but some situations ask for an exception and I think today was one of them."

Milos Kerkez's substitution and performance: "It was cramp. The only moment when [Jarrod] Bowen had a chance was when he [Kerkez] was out but that was nothing to do with the full-back that was in. That was the only chance they had and, as a result of that, the only chance Bowen had. A good performance, a good defensive performance from him.

"I think he was attacking-wise a threat a few times in the first half and another time when it didn't lead to a shot on target, but the cut-back cross from him when we overloaded the box. These were all moments where if we are in a better moment of form these moments will lead to more goals.

"Good, but it also maybe tells you something I have emphasized a lot of times, some players need to adapt to the Premier League – and I have emphasized a lot of times the fact some players need to adapt to three games a week.

"Maybe it is not a surprise that Milos has cramp in the end for two reasons: he is not completely used to that and, second of all, because he puts so much effort in every single time he plays."

On Salah being left on the bench: "I got this question already a lot. It's every time we play a game when I don't play Florian Wirtz, when I don't play Alexander Isak, when I don't play Hugo Ekitike, when I don't play Mo Salah.

"It's about that, which is normal because they're all outstanding players and Mo has had an unbelievable career here at this club – and will have a very good future at this club because he's such a special player.

"Four games in 10 days with only 14 to 15 outfield players available for us, then you have to decide once in a while to make a certain line-up and you try to pick the best line-up for every single game.

"Today, with the way they set up, with a full-back that is constantly very high and a winger that is constantly inside, I thought this could help the team. Like I said, he has been so important for this club and will be important for this club in the future."