Slot shifts focus to Premier League after League Cup defeat

Arne Slot remained resolute following his Liverpool team's disappointing week, culminating in a defeat to Newcastle in the League Cup final on Sunday, as he redirected attention to their pursuit in the Premier League.

The agonizing 2-1 loss at Wembley occurred just four days after the Reds were eliminated from the Champions League on penalties by Paris Saint-Germain, creating a sense of disappointment despite their strong position to secure the league title.

Newcastle, celebrating their first major trophy in 56 years and their first domestic title in 70 years, outperformed Liverpool in London, with goals from Dan Burn and Alexander Isak sealing their victory.

Federico Chiesa managed to score in added time, but it proved insufficient for the team that had claimed the trophy the previous year against Chelsea.

In the aftermath of the match, Slot was questioned about how he would prevent this defeat from impacting the remainder of the season.

Liverpool, strong contenders to equal Manchester United's record of 20 titles in English top-flight football, currently hold a 12-point lead over second-placed Arsenal at the top of the Premier League, with only nine matches remaining.

"We are here in one of the biggest clubs in the world, Liverpool, but it's not for the first time in their history or in the last two seasons that they've lost two games in a row," said Slot.

"This is part of playing football, especially if one of them is when you face the best team in Europe at the moment and the other one is facing Newcastle, which is a very strong team in England."

Slot admitted it had been a "tough week" but pointed out that his side had extended their lead in the Premier League.

"I want to make clear one more time that the week started off really well by us beating Southampton," he said.

"That's why we extended our lead to 12 points with nine games to go (the situation after Arsenal's 1-0 against Chelsea on Sunday).

Indeed, it is well understood that as one progresses further in tournaments, the level of competition intensifies, making the possibility of defeat more pronounced. Even a team as formidable as Liverpool is not immune to losing matches. Such outcomes are a part of the game.

Slot denied his men had been outplayed by Eddie Howe's Newcastle despite their sub-par performance.

"Outplayed for me is if you don't touch the ball and they play through you every single time you try to press them and every time you're too late," he said. "That is for me outplayed.

"But I agree with you if you say that they deserved to win because the game went in the way they wanted it to go. So, yes, they deserved to win but it wasn't like we were only running after them.

We were required to contend with numerous long passes and second balls, which are their area of expertise.

The Dutchman expressed a preference for playing again next week rather than entering an international break, as Liverpool's next match is against Everton in the Premier League on April 2nd.

"I would have loved to play next week but now the situation is that they go to their national teams where they have to play two more games again," he said.

It is likely that we will encounter Everton in approximately one and a half weeks. This is a team we have previously faced, and we are aware of the challenges that match presented. Therefore, we will need to assess the situation and make the necessary adjustments.