Arne Slot
Image Credits: Getty Images
Arne Slot has revealed what the performance of Liverpool players proved ahead of the club’s game against Southampton this weekend.
After a stressful European trip to Paris in midweek, the Reds turn their attention to the Premier League where they host bottom-of-the-table Southampton.
Liverpool secured a huge one-goal lead in the first leg of their round of 16 Champions League tie against Paris Saint-Germain.
Although the Reds went home with full points, the statistics tell a story that defies the final scoreline. PSG launched an extraordinary 28 attempts on the Liverpool goal compared to the visitors’ mere two shots throughout the 90 minutes.
The French champions enjoyed 65 percent possession and pinned Liverpool back from the opening whistle, creating chance after chance in what appeared to be a relentless siege of the English side’s penalty area.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who joined PSG from Napoli for £59 million in January, thought he had opened the scoring on 20 minutes when he curled a beautiful shot beyond Alisson into the far corner, only for it to be disallowed for a marginal offside decision after VAR review.
The evening became a personal showcase for Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker, who produced what many have described as the performance of his life, making nine crucial saves to keep the scoreline level.
In the end, Harvey Elliott’s goal off Liverpool’s first shot on target made the difference.
Slot has already spoken much about the result, even admitting that Liverpool were extremely lucky in the game.
The Liverpool manager has once again made reference to the game as he tries to point out the positive the Reds can take into their weekend game against Southampton and the rest of the season.
Speaking in his Liverpool vs Southampton programme notes, Slot noted that he was proud of his side’s character against PSG, admitting that the Reds’ hard work underlines their desire to give their all for the team.
“I was so pleased with the character that we displayed against PSG. A team which demonstrated why it is one of the best in Europe by making us dig incredibly deep as a result,” he wrote.
“It may not have been our most deserved win of the season, to say the least, but it did underline once again how much our players are willing to give”
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