‘It’s mad’: Rio Ferdinand starts laughing after hearing what Arne Slot did during Liverpool’s 1-0 win vs PSG

While Arne Slot is an excellent tactician, one trait he shares with all other great managers is that he is also a gambler and that was on display during Liverpool’s 1-0 win against Paris Saint-Germain.

Slot took the bold decision of substituting Mohamed Salah off in place of Harvey Elliott — a call that initially raised eyebrows before the Englishman went on to score the winner in the 87th minute.

Salah’s performance against PSG was slated but what makes the in-form winger cut from a different cloth is he has a habit of coming up clutch with goals and assists in games where things are not going his way.

However, Arne Slot rolled the dice and Harvey Elliott rewarded his manager for his bravery by putting the ball into the back of the net past Gianluigi Donnarumma.

If Liverpool go on to win the Champions League this season, Slot’s decision to take Salah off and bring Elliott on against the Parisians will be eternally heralded.

Arne Slot lauded Alisson’s heroics against PSG but ultimately, it was the boyhood Reds fan who saved the day for his side.

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Rio Ferdinand laughs as Arne Slot’s Harvey Elliott decision does the trick for Liverpool vs PSG

Salah would have been frustrated after Slot hooked him off and that too for a youngster in Elliott.

But after the Englishman netted the all-important winner, the 32-year-old also would have had no choice but to applaud the Liverpool boss’ proactive substitition.

Rio Ferdinand felt Salah had an underwhelming game against PSG as well.

The pundit said on Rio Ferdinand Presents: “Disappointing tonight. I thought Mendes played the best I’ve seen a full-back play [against] him. But you are still sitting there and still thinking, ‘He’s not playing well, he’s quiet.’ But Mo Salah will do what Mo Salah does and he’ll have a quiet game and score. So you’re always on your edge of the seat waiting for it.”

But after being told that Elliott scored within just 47 seconds after replacing Salah, Rio Ferdinand laughed for a few seconds and gave Arne Slot the credit he deserves for taking the bold decision of taking the Egyptian off.

“It was wild, it’s mad but he’s done this all season. Not quite so like in your face like that where he comes on, first touch, goal but you’re taking off your top goalscorer who’s got you out of any hole you’ve been in this season. You bring on a kid who’s been injured a lot of the time, big talent, unquestionable. He goes and scores.”

Two other genius decisions Arne Slot made during PSG vs Liverpool

Tactically, Luis Enrique seemingly stunned Arne Slot as his PSG side were as fluid as one can be — with Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Bradley Barcola constantly interchanging between themselves during the game.

At times, even defensive midfielder Joao Neves made runs in behind the Reds defence as the hosts were causing pure chaos that the visitors could not deal with whatsoever for a majority of the game.

But Arne Slot made three incredible substitutions against PSG that effectively won Liverpool the contest.

• Taking Salah off for Elliott
• Taking Diogo Jota off for Darwin Nunez
• Taking Ryan Gravenberch off for Wataru Endo

Nunez came on for Jota and instantly caused problems with his typically fearless approach to games, eventually assisting Elliott’s winner.

Furthermore, Gravenberch came off for Endo, which was another astute change as the Japanese international won several tackles and anchored Liverpool’s back four in a way that the former Bayern Munich midfielder struggled to throughout the game.

Rio Ferdinand and the millions of other observers watching Liverpool eventually beat PSG all perhaps ultimately had to give Arne Slot the credit he deserves as he continues to cement his status as a top manager.

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