'Would like to ask': Slot makes joking birthday request to UEFA straight after Liverpool's late win over Atletico
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Liverpool continued their run of scoring late, late winners with another stoppage-time show against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.
For the third time in five matches this season, the Reds threw away a two-goal lead during an entertaining Champions League clash at Anfield.
However, just as they have done in those other two games – and indeed all of their fixtures so far in 2025/25 – Liverpool came back to score just before the final whistle.
It continues a remarkable run for Arne Slot and his team, with Liverpool seemingly never knowing when to lie down and accept a result.
For Slot, Wednesday night’s winner from Virgil van Dijk had extra special meaning, given it arrived on the evening of his 47th birthday.
But despite his slightly belated gift from Van Dijk, the Liverpool head coach asked UEFA if things could be different with the calendar next year.
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
Despite Liverpool throwing away another two-goal lead, Slot seemed pleased with his team’s overall performance on their return to the Champions League.
However, the Dutchman would clearly have preferred to spend his birthday away from work, and jokingly asked UEFA to grant this request when he turns 48 in 2026.
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“It’s the second year in a row I had to celebrate my birthday on a Champions League night – and the second time in a row the players gave me a nice present because we won them both,” Slot remarked in his post-match press conference.
“I would like to ask UEFA if next year I can celebrate my birthday with my friends and family!
“I think this is what the format is about, what UEFA probably wanted; to have already a first game in the group stage that could have been a quarter-final, semi-final [or] last-16 game.”
Rewind 12 months ago and things were quite different for Slot at Liverpool.
The former Feyenoord manager was only four games into his career at Anfield.
The Reds had just surprisingly been beaten at home by Nottingham Forest and the first question marks were starting to be raised over the new man in charge.
But Slot and Liverpool answered those in double-quick time, as they navigated a tricky opening game of the Champions League against AC Milan.
After going behind early to a Christian Pulisic strike, it had looked as though Liverpool could be heading for two defeats in a row.
But first-half goals from Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk turned the game around, before Dominik Szoboszlai sealed the three points with 20 minutes to play.
Slot may want a less exciting birthday next year, but with Champions League games now taking place on Thursday as well, he may not get it.