Slot says Merseyside derby winner a rare ‘joy’ in tough season

Slot says Merseyside derby winner a rare ‘joy’ in tough season

Arne Slot has said Liverpool’s late winner in the Merseyside Derby against Everton was a rare moment of joy in a challenging campaign.

Virgil van Dijk headed home deep into stoppage time to secure Liverpool a 2-1 win at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday.

The win was a big result for Liverpool, who moved seven points clear of Chelsea in the race for Champions League qualification. The champions have struggled to match last season’s performances with the full focus now on a top-five finish.

Slot has admitted the season has not been good enough, but wanted the Reds to enjoy the ‘joy’ of a dramatic derby winner.

“Yeah, I don’t think we’ve had a lot of big moments yet this season – and when we had these big moments, because we scored earlier in extra time of extra time, but then we were able to concede afterwards. So, we haven’t felt a lot of joy this season, yet. I completely agree with Virgil this season has not been of our standards,” he said.

“Going out in the quarter-final of the FA Cup and the Champions League against, from open play, the two best teams in the world, with two great managers, with unlimited resources, that can happen, let’s put it that way.

“But in the league, of course, we are far from where we want to be but we have to accept that situation because we’ve dropped so many points after playing in Europe.

“That’s why it’s also nice now, after a game in Europe, not to concede in the last minute but to score, after a game in Europe, the winner in extra time from a set-piece, which you maybe would expect them to score from, but we did.”