An update on Liverpool head coach Arne Slot’s future has been issued by Fabrizio Romano as the Reds put in an improved performance during their 2-0 win against Aston Villa.
Heading into Saturday’s Premier League clash at Anfield, Liverpool had lost six of their last seven games, with the latest failure coming in the form of a 3-0 Carabao Cup fourth-round defeat at home against Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
With Arsenal extending the gap between themselves and Liverpool to ten points ahead of kick-off, the pressure was on the reigning champions to pick up three points against Unai Emery’s in-form side.
And the Merseyside club may have feared it was going to be another disappointing evening when Hugo Ekitike’s header was ruled out for offside by VAR.
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But a few moments later, Mohamed Salah did put the home side ahead with a right-footed shot. The strike was Salah’s 250th Liverpool goal.
The Reds added a second on 58 minutes when Virgil van Dijk’s header found Cody Gakpo, who released Ryan Gravenberch before the former Bayern Munich midfielder slammed one past Emi Martinez, who was deceived by a deflection off Villa defender Pau Torres.
The victory may, at least for now, relieve some of the pressure on both Slot and Liverpool, but their fixtures do not get any easier in the coming weeks.
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Next week, Liverpool host Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday before taking the short trip to the Etihad, where they will face Manchester City on Sunday in what could be a pivotal week for Slot and his future.
Ahead of kick-off at Anfield, there may have been some suggestions that another defeat could’ve pushed Slot closer to an exit at Liverpool.
On Friday, journalist Romano revealed what he knew about Slot's situation and whether he is under pressure from the club's hierarchy when speaking on his YouTube channel.
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“Liverpool maintain their trust in Arne Slot,” said the Italian.
“Internally at Liverpool, they believe that Arne Slot is the best man to fix this situation.
“It has been a poor start to the season, but it’s not the end of the world. There is still time to recover, still time to be back on track, and they are convinced that Arne Slot is the right man to make it happen.
“So, this is the focus. Liverpool are working hard to change the situation. But the feeling internally at the club, and when I say club is the owners, is the directors, is the management, is the players as well, who share a very good relationship with Arne Slot.
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“They are convinced that Arne Slot is the right man for this job. So, at the moment, don’t even mention the topic of replacement, who could be the manager, what kind of conversations they could be, because at the moment the situation is considered completely under control with Arne Slot.”
Liverpool's victory meant they finished the evening in third behind Arsenal and Bournemouth.
Topics: Arne Slot, Premier League, Fabrizio Romano, Football, Anfield, Mohamed Salah
Luke Davies