Liverpool have been knocked out of the Champions League after a 2-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield. The loss in the second leg of their quarter-final tie against the current holders sealed their fate. PSG’s aggregate lead reached 4-0 after Ousmane Dembele scored twice in the second half.
Slot’s Post-Match Thoughts
Arne Slot addressed reporters after the game. He gave credit to the players for their hard work and to the fans for their support. Slot noted the team’s progression compared to the previous week.
Slot lamented Liverpool’s inability to convert chances, describing it as an ongoing issue throughout the season. He also mentioned a bad injury and another VAR intervention that went against them. Despite the defeat, Slot expressed disappointment but also optimism about the team’s future.
“I think we made a lot of progression compared to last week. I have to give a lot of credit to the players, how hard they worked. I have to give a lot of credit to our fans, how they helped us tonight to execute our game plan,” Slot said. “Unfortunately it’s one of the many examples of this season where we weren’t able to score from the many chances we had.”
VAR Controversy and Injury Concerns
Slot addressed the decision to overturn a penalty awarded to Liverpool in the second half. He suggested Liverpool had been fortunate in the previous week’s match and their luck had run out. He referenced earlier penalties conceded this season, citing Brentford away and Leeds away as examples where contact was minimal.
“I think probably last week we had too much luck and we ran out of luck today,” Slot stated. “Today, in my opinion, I’ve conceded a few of these penalties this season and I could name them all for you – starting with Brentford away and Leeds away, where yes, there is contact but you would never give a penalty for this.”
There was also concern about Hugo Ekitike’s injury. The extent of the injury is currently unknown. Joe Gomez was substituted after being brought on at half-time. Gomez indicated he was not convinced he could keep sprinting and felt it was better to avoid any risk.
Looking Ahead
Despite the defeat, Slot remains positive about the future. He believes the team has shown they can compete with the champions of Europe in their own stadium. He highlighted their dominance against Paris Saint-Germain and the number of chances they created.
“But the future looks very bright for this team, for this club because we’ve shown that we can compete with the champions of Europe in our stadium, to be the dominant team – not many teams can be dominant against Paris Saint-Germain and generate so many chances as we did,” Slot concluded. “But yeah, chances is one thing, scoring is a second.”