Liverpool manager Arne Slott warned his side against complacency despite their position at the top of the Premier League, using Chelsea's surprising 0-0 draw against Everton as a prime example of the pitfalls that exist in every game.
The Reds have tended to be slow starters under Slott – just one of their first seven Premier League goals in December came in the first half – but they clashed at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday night. Boasting a deserved 2-0 lead heading into half-time, Liverpool conceded a poor goal from James Maddison in the 41st minute.
Dominik Szoboszlai has been restored Liverpool's two-goal lead in stoppage time and Mohamed Salah scored a quick-fire double to make it 5-1 in the first minute, but the Merseyside outfit let Spurs claw their way back into the game. Luis Diaz made it 6-3 in the closing stages of a largely one-sided display, but Slott wasn't entirely impressed.
“For 60 minutes, we did everything we had to do,” noted the Dutch coach. “We were comfortable and good on the ball, but the main thing is that we worked very, very hard. And then the same players of the same quality thought 10-15 minutes of not working hard was good enough.”
Slot continued: “You know as well as I do – having won the league once – how hard it is to win it. You have to keep going every three days. You have to be on top of your game every minute of the game.
“That's why it's so difficult to win it, because it's not that easy to turn up every three or four days. You see last week, at some point you can get a red card. These things can happen in one season. In Newcastlewe're 3-2 up and you expect us to win it, but we drop two points.”
Liverpool's win over Spurs gives them a four-point lead at the top Premier League tablebut they could have started their trip to north London in second place if Chelsea beat Everton on Sunday afternoon. In reality, the Blues were held to one disappointing drawwhich Slott used to support his argument.
“This is the Premier League,” thought the Liverpool manager. “I didn't expect Chelsea to drop points even today, so it can happen in any game and that's what makes this league so special. That's why people want to see him and that's why we play at Christmas.”