Topics: Luke Littler, Arne Slot, Liverpool, Football, Darts, Premier League
Darts sensation Luke Littler wasted no time in trolling Arne Slot following Liverpool’s 3-0 Carabao Cup fourth round defeat against Crystal Palace at Anfield on Wednesday.
Slot’s Liverpool side suffered their sixth loss in seven games in the driving rain with Ismaila Sarr’s first-half brace and Yeremy Pino’s late strike ensuring Palace’s place in the quarter-finals.
The Eagles now have a last eight tie against Arsenal at the Emirates to look forward to while Liverpool will go back to the drawing board ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash against Aston Villa.
Slot made ten changes from last weekend’s 3-2 defeat against Brentford with Milos Kerkez the only Reds player to retain his place for the Carabao Cup loss.
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Three teenagers started the match – Rio Ngumoha, Trey Nyoni and Kieran Morrison – while Freddie Woodman was handed his Liverpool debut having joined in the summer transfer window.
Star men Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah were not included in the matchday squad but were still at Anfield to cheer on their teammates.
“I saw Man City's XI and they didn't have one starter from the weekend but it felt like their best XI,” Slot said when addressing his decision to rest key players.
“That is a bit of an insight. Chelsea can bring Estevao in. After I made two substitutions tonight, we had six teenagers.”
Following the crushing defeat, Slot continued to defend his team selection and put the changes down to the club “always” using the competition “for their academy players” while maintaining that “this felt the right decision” regardless of the disappointing result.
But not everyone took the same view, with Sky Sports pundit and former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp claiming Slot picked “the wrong team”.
Given Liverpool’s success in the 2024/25 campaign, their poor run has been welcomed by rival supporters – namely Manchester United supporter Littler who could not help but troll Slot after last night’s game.
The 18-year-old reposted a clip from the sitcom ‘The Inbetweeners’ during which a character named Simon asks his friend Jay: “Why did you do that,” before the latter replies: “Funny”.
The caption on the post read: “Arne Slot after starting Liverpool’s U16 squad against Crystal Palace’s first team.”
This was not the first time, and presumably won’t be the last, that Littler has aimed a dig at Liverpool.
Following Liverpool’s Europa League defeat against Atalanta in 2024, the teenager commented: “I’m top of the league unlike Liverpool,” in response to a fan on Instagram.
Then, after Paris Saint-Germain knocked the Reds out of the 2024/25 Champions League, Littler shared a post by Fabrizio Romano before adding: “They not out.. they are out out UP THE LES PARISIENS."
Earlier this month, after United beat Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield, Littler trolled the Merseyside club once more, on that occasion posting a graphic of the score accompanied by: “Yanited, Yanited, Yanited. Where's the scousers at back under your rock you go
“Cause we are Man United and we are never going to stop.”
