Arne Slot has admitted he was surprised Crystal Palace fought back to earn a point against Arsenal, which in turn made his side’s job slightly easier.
The Liverpool squad gathered at the AXA Training Centre on Wednesday to watch Arsenal’s dramatic 2-2 draw with Oliver Glasner’s side. Despite leading twice, the Gunners were unable to seal victory, meaning Liverpool’s Premier League title celebrations remain on hold.
Jakub Kiwior and Leandro Trossard put Arsenal ahead during the first half, but Eberechi Eze quickly equalized before Jean-Philippe Mateta’s stunning strike secured Palace a share of the points — handing Arsenal their 13th draw of the season.
Liverpool now need just a single point against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday to end Manchester City’s dominance and reclaim the Premier League crown. Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the game, Slot was asked how it felt to watch the Arsenal game with the team.
“A surprise” admitted the Dutchman. “Because Arsenal was in such a good place in the Champions League, I wasn’t expecting Palace to get their point. But credits to Palace they played a very good game.
“It tells you again what I’ve said many times recently and over the course of the season that its not only hard for us to win a game of football, its hard for everyone because there is so much quality in and around this league.”
(Image: Getty Images)
When asked if he thought at any point during the game that he almost had his hands on the trophy, Slot responded: “No because its not very common to win something but let alone that you win it if you are not playing. So it wasn’t on my mind at all, maybe for a few minutes when I think Palace got a big chance. But still my focus is so much on Tottenham and prepare the team for that
“That Wednesday evening, I was just sitting there watching a game of football and not thinking that it could be done Wednesday evening. Which it wasn’t and I always said we have to probably do it ourselves and that the first chance we have is on Sunday.”
The 46-year-old also downplayed the significance of Sunday’s game during his pre-match press conference: “That’s a big responsibility because we are aware of the fact that the last time this club won the league was in Covid times. So everybody is looking forward Sunday but we know there’s a still a job to be done and that’s at least one point. That’s what we know and what hopefully the fans know when they come the stadium, that they support us in the best possible way they can.”
