Slot hits back at Everton time-wasting claims
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Arne Slot has hit back at various criticism on Liverpool’s win over Everton.
Saturday’s 247th Merseyside derby at Anfield saw David Moyes described the only three minutes of time added on at the end of the second half as ‘very strange’.
Blues winger Jack Grealish took issue with referee Darren England’s display which saw teammate Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall booked for attempting to a quick free kick.
The England international also inferred that the Premier League champions had attempted to slow the game down as they attempted to close out the 2-1 victory.
But ahead of the Reds’ Carabao Cup third round tie with Southampton, Slot rejected those suggestions and insisted he would actually have welcomed more added time.
He said: “A lot has been said about the added time against Everton but I would have loved to play 34 seconds more because we were in a five-v-two situation at that moment.
“Now that tells you, I think, all about the mentality we have, always wanting to score a goal.
“The three minutes were completely correct because there were only three moments where a substitution was made.
“There was no time-wasting because that’s not what we do and there was no treatment of injuries, one goal scored.
Then you come to three [minutes].
“Where in many other games when we need a goal, there’s a lot, a lot, a lot of time-wasting going on, I can tell you.”
Liverpool are planning wholesale changes against the Saints with Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Ryan Gravenberch among those who are set to be rested.
Ahead of the game, Anfield will pay tribute to the club’s former women’s team manager Matt Beard, who passed away at the age of 47 last weekend.
“It’s very important for us to pay tribute, for what he meant for this football club,” added Slot.
“This football club is not only the men’s team, it’s also the women’s team and he had an enormous impact on women’s football here with Liverpool.
“But apart from that, it’s also his family that’s going through such a hard time at the moment.
“He did great things for this football club, for the women’s team, back-to-back league titles, came back to [the] new women’s team when they were playing one division below, so that tells you probably how much he loved the club as well.
“The Melwood staff and everyone that worked with him liked him so much – and that’s probably even a more important legacy to leave behind than the trophies you win.”