Arne Slot makes Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak 'connection' admission after Liverpool loss

Alexander Isak and Mohamed Salah both missed chances as Liverpool suffered a late 2-1 defeat at Chelsea to miss the chance to go back top of the Premier League

Arne Slot says Alexander Isak and Mohamed Salah will develop a partnership at Liverpool the more time they spend together on the pitch. Isak, who joined for £125m on transfer deadline day, was making just his second Premier League start for the Reds since his British-record switch from Newcastle Unitedas the champions fell to a 2-1 defeat at Chelsea on Saturday.

After Moises Caicedo had opened the scoring in the first half, Cody Gakpo equalised with his second goal of the campaign before substitute Estevao won it for the Londoners in the 95th minute as Liverpool suffered their third successive defeat in a week.

Salah and Isak struggled to build up an understanding but the latter came close toward the end of the first half from an excellent cross by the Egyptian.

OPINION

OPINION

And Slot says the high-profile frontmen will establish a rapport the longer they play in the same team.

“The more they play together the more they will connect," the Reds boss said. "In the second half, we were able to get our attacking players in much more promising positions than the first half.

"For me, it wasn’t a disconnect or time needed for the forwards to do better. I think what we had to do better in the build up.

"Last season we lost against Chelsea as well. Stamford Bridge is always difficult. We were very close to [getting] a result. Small margins.

"As I said at Galatasaray, we had a one-vs-one then they get a penalty. We concede in extra, extra time against Crystal Palace. And then today, they score a goal that could go at either end.”

“After we scored 1-1 it went our way and I think I was waiting for us to score the second. Decision making could've been better, the last 10-15 minutes was end-to-end.

"We arrived in their 18-yard box with [Andy] Robertson, we couldn't control the ball but again it's fine margins like it's been for as long as I've been here.

"Last week, same as this week, two difficult away games, the fine margins haven't been in our favour.”

Slot added: “It's another disappointing loss, that’s clear. Another game similar to the Palace game although the playing style of both teams was completely different.

"In the first half, we played not our best football but we were able to create three big chances.

"They only had one and they scored it, which was completely different to the Palace game where they created a lot of chances in the first half.

"The second half, like against Palace, I liked. We created more than enough chances to score more than one goal, last week and today, and when we did there was a period of the game where I thought we were going to win it.”

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