Slot Admits Relief As Misfiring Liverpool End Bad Run At West Ham

Liverpool manager Arne Slot expressed his relief following his side’s 2-0 victory at West Ham United on Sunday, which ended a dismal run of form. He was particularly thankful that their ongoing struggles to convert chances did not come back to haunt them.

Liverpool had suffered nine defeats in their last 12 matches across all competitions, a first for the club since 1954. The win was secured thanks to record signing Alexander Isak’s inaugural Premier League goal, along with a late strike from Cody Gakpo.

This victory alleviated some pressure on Slot, who guided Liverpool to their 20th English league title last season. However, he cautioned that similar issues persisted, noting that both Isak and fellow summer signing Florian Wirtz missed clear opportunities when the score was still 0-0.

“There were a few similarities to our previous games and some differences,” Slot told reporters. “Once again, we failed to convert our early chances. However, the positive today was that, for the first time in many games, the opponent’s first chance didn’t result in a goal.”

Wirtz had a challenging start to his Liverpool career but performed well on Sunday, stepping in for an unused Mohamed Salah, who began a Premier League match on the bench for the first time under Slot.

Slot also defended Isak, whose disrupted pre-season due to his protracted transfer from Newcastle United has limited his match fitness. “The focus on Isak’s lack of goals is a bit unfair, as generally a number 9 plays more minutes than Alex has had until now due to the obvious reasons,” he said.