Arne Slot press conference: Every word after Liverpool 2-2 Arsenal

See every word Slot had to say after full-time below.

On what he made of the reaction Trent Alexander-Arnold received…

I said to everyone that asked me that question that it is a privilege to live in Europe, where everybody can have his own opinion and everybody can express his own opinion. That is something we saw today as well. A few of them were not happy with him. I think all of them are not happy with him leaving the club. But a few of them showed it in a way that they booed him. And a few of them clapped.

The only thing I can say about it is that I owe it to the players and to the club and to the staff – for everyone who worked so hard for us to win a game of football – to try to do that. And if we are, after 70 minutes, 2-2 and Conor [Bradley] can’t continue and I have a world-class full-back on the bench, I bring him in. And I think it’s a big compliment for him because you can understand how mixed the emotions were in his head probably as well; that you bring in a performance like that tells you why I think, why everybody thinks, he is a world-class full-back. Because with him we were quite close to winning this game, and that’s what I owe to the players in the dressing room that work so hard every single day: to make decisions to try to win the game.

On whether he ‘feels sorry for him on a personal level’…

It is definitely difficult for him because I think he said himself how difficult it was to leave this football club. And that is something that is important for us to hear as well, because we have to make it as difficult as possible. And fortunately for us many stay, like Virgil [van Dijk] and Mo [Salah]. Trent made the decision to go. But it is the way you want to look at it; I don’t know, I haven’t asked him but maybe he is positively surprised how the reactions were today. I don’t know because I haven’t spoken to him, but it was clear they were mixed reactions so it wasn’t all negative. And as it went onwards, the moment he had to take a free-kick everybody was cheering for him to score – and he was close. So I am not even sure if he has negative feelings about today. Maybe, maybe – but again, I haven’t spoken to him – it’s not even as negative as you think it is.

On if Alexander-Arnold’s introduction off the bench was a ‘distraction’ to Liverpool’s performance…

I’m glad you asked this question because that was the positive thing about it. I think the moment he entered the pitch, three or four minutes later – also after we have made the substitution to bring an extra attacker in, even though we were not in the best part of our game but we did bring Diogo Jota in to play up front together with Darwin Nunez – and from that moment on we took the game because immediately it was a yellow card and as a result the red card [for Merino]. So, I didn’t feel any distraction. That was something I have to give him credit for but also the team. I think the last 15 to 20 minutes were the best 15 to 20 minutes of the second half – but that wasn’t that difficult after the first 20.

On the supporters’ reactions…

I think if you clap it is not as loud as if you boo, but I didn’t count the amount of people booing and the ones that clapped for him. Like I said, they have the right to express their opinion. I think the first thing they did is give credit to Steven Gerrard one more time for the player he has been for this club. Then they sung for Conor Bradley, who deserved that completely because he played great [for] 60 or 70 minutes long – although he had to block the cross for the 2-1, but I will tell him [that] this week. He played really well and then afterwards, if you tell me 60/40, 50/50, 40/60, I don’t know – but what I do know is clapping is not as loud as booing.

On whether something similar against Crystal Palace on the final day could ‘take the edge off’ the title-winning celebrations…

I don’t think there is any possibility whatever can happen that can ‘take the edge’ off us winning this 20th league title. I was here two weeks ago and there is nothing... maybe there can happen a few things – but those things would be much worse than what we are talking about – that could take the edge off us winning the league title, but then we’d have to think of things I don’t want to think about.

On whether he would give consideration to leaving Alexander-Arnold out of the final two matchday squads…

The thing I consider is I want to win a game of football and if we think we can win this one with Trent, I owe it to his teammates and to the fans, because they hired me to win as many games of football as possible. If I think there is a better chance of winning it with Trent, I will. If I think – which I don’t – that it is a distraction or whatever can happen for us not to play a good game of football, then I might, might, might make another decision. But I think Trent showed today why I brought him in because he was very close with a few fantastic crosses for us to win the game.

On the match overall…

Unfortunately, we had 15 to 20 minutes where we played with the same intensity [to last week at Chelsea]. It is not completely bad, but I miss a little bit – and the first 15 or 20 minutes of the second half were similar to what we saw last week, where we played really good with the ball, came into so many promising positions but in the final third we were not that decisive. And defending last week, the few goals we conceded, were – let’s put it positively – not so good. That I saw in the first 15 minutes after half-time, but the first half was great.

I think all over this is why people like the Premier League so much: two great teams that are competing with each other and a fantastic game of football. Both teams showing so much quality. Four goals, 2-2, both teams could have won it in the end. This is what makes the Premier League so special and this is also what we have to try as managers, not only to win games but also make sure the fans like what they see.

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