Arne Slot walks down the steps with his runners-up medal following Liverpool's Carabao Cup final defeat against Newcastle United
Arne Slot walks down the steps with his runners-up medal following Liverpool's Carabao Cup final defeat against Newcastle United
Arne Slot has admitted that he was left 'frustrated' following Liverpool's Carabao Cup final defeat because Newcastle United 'deserved' to triumph at Wembley.
Newcastle won their first major domestic trophy in 70 years following a 2-1 victory against the holders and league leaders under the arch last month. Newcastle, who were without key players such as Sven Botman, Lewis Hall and Anthony Gordon, limited Liverpool to just two measly shots on target and even won 17 more duels, which showed how much the Magpies wanted it.
Slot recognised that - the Liverpool boss was among those who sportingly waited to shake the hand of every Newcastle player as they climbed the steps to lift the trophy - and the Dutchman was full of praise for Eddie Howe's side nearly two-and-a-half weeks on. In his first pre-match press conference since the Wembley defeat, Slot repeatedly referred to Newcastle as a 'very good' team and the 46-year-old even declared that the black-and-whites were 'so ready for it and played such a great game'.
Although Slot acknowledged that Liverpool 'looked tired' in the final - just a few days after suffering a bruising penalty shootout defeat against PSG - the Reds boss felt he 'did not give enough credit to Newcastle because they made it so difficult for us because of the game plan'.
“I was a bit more frustrated about the final because I think we deserved to lose that one and that is the first time I think we deserved to lose a football game," he told reporters. "We were not tough in terms of defending, we were not good with the ball so there were not many things to like about the final.”