Arne Slot admitted Liverpool were "really lucky" to beat Paris Saint-Germain but alluded to Michael Jordan's philosophy that hard work pays off.
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Reds were second-best to PSG in ParisManaged to eke out a 1-0 winSlot says his team earned their luckFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
The Reds had only two shots throughout the match, compared to PSG’s 27, and spent most of the game chasing the ball, with the French giants controlling 71 per cent of possession. Despite PSG’s dominance, goalkeeper Alisson Becker delivered a heroic performance, making a series of crucial saves to keep Liverpool in the contest. Ultimately, it was Harvey Elliott who proved to be the difference-maker, scoring with his first touch after coming on as a substitute, securing a crucial away win for the Premier League leaders.
AdvertisementAFPWHAT SLOT SAID
Slot had no qualms in admitting that luck played a significant role in Liverpool’s victory but pointed to the philosophy of NBA legend Jordan, who famously stated that hard work paves the way for luck.
"We weren't a little bit lucky [against PSG], we were really lucky – but as Michael Jordan said once: 'The harder you work, the more luck you have'," said Slot.
"This is the biggest compliment you have to give the players, they worked incredibly hard. That also has to do with the players being – if you were 45 minutes with the other team having the ball a lot and having to defend so much – mentally and physically so strong to come up with the second-half performance of not giving away as many open chances as we did in the first half. And, even scoring a goal on the counter-attack shows you how mentally and physically strong these players are."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
With title challengers Arsenal and Manchester City both dealing with injury setbacks to key players, Liverpool have taken advantage by opening up a commanding 13-point lead at the top of the Premier League. However, Slot responded to these claims by emphasising that every title-winning team experiences moments where they win games despite not playing at their best.
"If you want to win something you need to have once in a while a game where you don't play your best football and you are lucky – which is maybe not luck if you work as hard as we do – to get away with a result," added Slot.
"There are almost no teams that play 38 games [in the league] or in the Champions League that play only good football. Real Madrid are the best example of that, they also find a way to win a game if the other team are better than them. Our full focus is now on Southampton, the first of three finals to be played in the upcoming week."
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?
Slot will be absent from the touchline for Liverpool’s upcoming domestic fixture against the Saints, serving the final match of his two-game suspension. However, he will return to the dugout just in time for the crucial Champions League second-leg showdown against PSG at Anfield on Tuesday. With a slender 1-0 advantage, Liverpool will need another resilient performance to book their place in the quarter-finals.
