Arne Slot, the Liverpool manager, has hailed his side’s impressive Champions League victory over RB Leipzig as a historic achievement, claiming it’s a sign of the team’s growth and maturity.
The Reds made history by becoming the first team to win their first six away games of a season, and the first to win 11 of their opening 12 matches in all competitions. The 1-0 win in Leipzig was a testament to the team’s resilience and teamwork, with Darwin Nunez’s 27th-minute goal ultimately proving the decider.
Slot, who has been at the helm for just a few months, was effusive in his praise for his players, saying they should be proud of their achievement. “I think I said before that we should be proud because so many great teams have worn this shirt, so many great players have been at this club,” he said. “To achieve something that was not achieved before is almost impossible at a big club like this. To achieve it is always nice, but as I said about other records, records are nice but other things are nicer than records and you know what I mean by that – trophies.”
Liverpool’s victory was not without its nervous moments, with RB Leipzig creating several chances in the first 25 minutes. However, the Reds’ goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher made several vital saves to keep the deficit at just one goal. Slot praised his team’s performance, saying they had “total dominance” for much of the game, but were relieved to have held on for the win.
The Liverpool boss also hinted that he will be rotating his squad in the coming weeks to keep players fresh, including omitting Mohamed Salah just after the hour mark. “We have some injuries, we have to take good care of the players,” he said. “The players have played a lot and Mo is one of them. Sunday is a big game coming up. I need to use as many players as I can for these tough months.”
