Arne Slot says Liverpool are not thinking about how early they could secure the Premier League title after going 12 points clear again with Wednesday’s Merseyside derby victory.
A day on from second-placed Arsenal bringing the gap down to nine by beating Fulham 2-1 at home, Liverpool replied by defeating Everton 1-0 at Anfield. They now face Fulham themselves at Craven Cottage on Sunday in the first of eight remaining games.
Asked how close he felt to clinching the title and about when it could happen if results went Liverpool’s way, boss Slot told a press conference: “In theory so many things can happen.
“Again, we felt yesterday how hard it is to win a Premier League game. I think (Everton boss) David Moyes deserves a lot of credit for how his team was lined up, how difficult they made it for us. It’s nice for us that we beat them because we know how hard it is.
“That also tells you that with eight games to go, it’s every time a challenge, starting Sunday against Fulham, who are having a very good season as well.
“We are not working on theories about how many points this is, this, this. We are taking the challenge of Fulham on for Sunday, where we have to be at our best again, like yesterday, to get a result.”
He added: “We’ve played 30 games now. Maybe there were three or four where the score was so clear that in the last 20 minutes it wasn’t a problem anymore. Almost all of our other games have been really tight.
“That probably tells you as well how big of an accomplishment it is that we are 12 points clear at the moment and doing so well.
“It’s not like the team that won the league the last four times (Man City), where so many times, 20 minutes before the end, or at half-time, already 3-0 or 4-0 up. That’s not our season.
“That’s why I have to give so much credit to our players, because if you every time have to fight with a one-goal lead or you were one goal down, that’s probably even harder than being 3-0 or 4-0 up at half-time.”
The weekend sees a swapping of opposition, with Arsenal playing Everton at Goodison Park in a Saturday lunchtime kick-off, and Slot said: “It is a unique situation, and that’s why I think it would have been more fair if all four teams would have played on the same day.
“We have more than enough rest for the Sunday game, so it’s not a problem for us.
“But I do feel for Everton, that they play on a Wednesday night and have to have the early kick-off on Saturday. The good thing is they play at home and I know how much their fans can influence the game.”
Goalkeeper Alisson Becker, absent for the Everton game due to concussion protocol, and right-back Conor Bradley are being assessed ahead of Sunday’s fixture. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez remain sidelined.
Slot said: “With Ali (Alisson), it’s simple. It’s a concussion and you have to tick all the boxes. The moment he does, he will be in goal. The moment he doesn’t, we are following the protocol.”
