LIVERPOOL: Liverpool manager Arne Slot thanked Everton for the support they showed their Merseyside rivals after Diogo Jota’s tragic death in July.
Jota died at the age of 28 in a car accident in Spain, plunging Liverpool into mourning just weeks after they celebrated winning the Premier League title.
The Portuguese’s final goal came in the last Merseyside derby in a 1-0 Liverpool win in April.
Everton make the trip back to Anfield on Saturday and on Friday Slot took the opportunity to praise the respect between the clubs despite their intense rivalry.
“They are a good team and there is rivalry but what I also liked and what I want to emphasize is — what they did when Diogo passed away,” he told reporters on Friday.
“They showed their respect and in these moments of time, it is so nice to see that in tragedies that the rivalry is still there but the respect to both is still there.”
Despite cruising to the title last season, Liverpool transformed their squad with a record spend of nearly £450 million ($612 million) for an English club in one transfer window.
The scale of change has shown in some disjointed performances from Slot’s men, but they have still managed to win all five of their Premier League and Champions League games so far thanks to late winners in every match.
“I prefer the situation of winning the games and pointing out that we can still improve things, compared to losing games,” added Slot.
The Dutch coach is confident that his new signings will have no problem adjusting to the intensity of the Merseyside derby thanks to their previous experience of big games at club and international level.
“For the new ones it is not for the first time that they play in circumstances where there are a lot of rivalries and intensity in the game,” he said.
“The focus should be on the rivalry but it should also be on what we need to do to win the game and that is being intense, that is winning the duels and that is also playing good on the ball and when we don’t have the ball.”
Alexander Isak made his Liverpool debut in Wednesday’s 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid after his British transfer record £125 million move from Newcastle.
Slot said the Swede “felt his body more than ever” afterwards having missed most of pre-season attempting to force through his exit from St. James’ Park, with Hugo Ekitike expected to come back in for Isak on Saturday.
Slot thanks Everton for solidarity after Jota tragedy
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Slot thanks Everton for solidarity after Jota tragedy
- Everton make the trip back to Anfield on Saturday and on Friday Slot took the opportunity to praise the respect between the clubs
- “They showed their respect and in these moments of time, it is so nice to see that in tragedies that the rivalry is still there but the respect to both is still there“
Two own goals save Arsenal blushes against Wolves
LONDON: Arsenal avoided a major embarrassment against Premier League bottom club Wolves on Saturday, benefiting from two own goals — one in stoppage time — to win 2-1 and move five points clear of Manchester City.
Manager Mikel Arteta admitted that his team had struggled to create clear chances and that the win should have been much more comfortable.
But he said that the manner of the victory would give the team a major boost.
“That gives you belief that regardless of how the game goes, you can always find a solution to win it,” he told TNT Sports.
“But now we’re going to have a clean week. We need to start to train certain aspects slowly, because if you don’t train them, you start to deteriorate a little bit.”
Arteta’s men were blunt in the first half, failing to muster a single shot on target as Gabriel Martinelli wasted a clutch of chances.
The Arsenal boss made three changes shortly before the hour mark, bringing on Leandro Trossard, Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino for Martinelli, Eberechi Eze and Martin Zubimendi.
The Gunners mounted wave after wave of attacks, and Declan Rice’s shot midway through the second half — their first on target — was well saved by Sam Johnstone.
But in the 70th minute the sheer weight of pressure told to the enormous relief of an impatient and nervy Emirates crowd.
Johnstone flicked Bukayo Saka’s corner onto a post as he scrambled to reach the ball but it rebounded back onto his arm and into the net for an own goal.
Gabriel Jesus came on for Viktor Gyokores for his first home match after 11 months out injured.
Astonishingly, Wolves pulled level in the 90th minute, when Mateus Mane’s flat cross was headed in by Nigerian striker Tolu Arokodare.
But just as the Arsenal fans contemplated a damaging draw, the Gunners benefited from a second own goal.
Saka delivered a perfect cross which Jesus attacked but the ball was diverted into his own net by Wolves defender Yerson Mosquera.
Winless Wolves, with a ninth league defeat in a row, have mustered just two points from their 16 games so far and are on course for the worst season in Premier League history.
Pep Guardiola’s City travel to in-form Crystal Palace on Sunday seeking to close the gap to Arsenal, who have not won the Premier League since 2004.
