Arne Slot admitted his side were 'outplayed' by Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final defeat but hit back at claims the Magpies were hungrier to win than his players
21:51, 16 Mar 2025
Arne Slot
Arne Slot admitted his Liverpool team were 'outplayed'
Liverpool boss Arne Slot gave a damming verdict on the Carabao Cup final defeat against Newcastle United.
The Reds were beaten 2-1 by Newcastle at Wembley on Sunday, in a scoreline that flattered the Reds, who were second best throughout the contest before they were given a faint hope of a comeback after Federico Chiesa’s injury-time goal.
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Following the defeat, which has compounded a woeful week for the Reds after they were dumped out of the Champions League round of 16 by PSG at Anfield on Tuesday, Slot admitted that Eddie Howe got the better of the contest.
“The game was slow, not intense,” Slot said. “The game went exactly the way they wanted, with a lot of duels and a lot through the air and if we play 10 games of football through the air, they win nine times … that is what led to the first goal and the second.
“We were outplayed in their style, that is true. They won more duels. It was a disappointing result, a disappointing performance, completely different to how I felt after the PSG game.”
However, the Dutchman shut down any consideration that Newcastle’s players wanted to win the game more, with the Magpies waiting 70 years to win a domestic cup.
Arne Slot
Slot gave a damning verdict on his team's performance at Wembley
Slot replied: “I don’t think there was more hunger from them. It is 70 years since they last won a trophy but that is for the fans.
“The players have 15 years to play football and they want to win every single trophy they play for and that is what we want.”
Liverpool entered the week aiming to end the season with three trophies, but are now only left counting down the days until they can confirm the Premier League title. Slot was keen to remind fans of their huge lead at the top of the league despite two damaging defeats in the last few days.
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He said: “I want to make it clear that the week started really well by beating Southampton, which extended our lead to 12 points.
“We are in one of the biggest clubs in the world but it is not the first time they have lost two games in a row especially if one is when you face the best team in Europe at the moment and the other is a strong Premier League team.”