Arne Slot warned his players against complacency after Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the Premier League with a 6-3 win at Tottenham.
The Reds put in one of their best attacking performances of the season away in north London, with Luis Diaz, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah all scoring.
But after taking a 5-1 lead, a drop in intensity briefly gave Spurs hope of a comeback as they took the game back to 5-3 before Diaz’s second goal sealed victory.
The win saw the Reds take advantage of Chelsea’s lost points when they played to a 0-0 draw with Everton, but Slot insists his side must keep their foot on the gas pedal if they are to maintain their title claim.
“Until the 60th to 65th minute I really, really, really enjoyed what I saw,” the Dutch coach said.
“But then you also saw that the players, no matter how much quality they have, when they think they don’t have to play in this league anymore, especially against Tottenham, they immediately start creating something and they scored two goals .” I was happy when the sixth one came in.
“Maybe it’s human when you’re 5-1 up. You think, “OK.” But Tottenham keep going and have the ability to create.
“You have to be in the game every second and if you’re not at 100%, it hurts.”
Slot: “Hard to stay at the top”
Liverpool will be top of the table at Christmas thanks to their strong performance against a struggling Spurs side. Slot said: “It means something.
“You know as well as I do how difficult it is to stay at the top. You have to be at your best every minute. It’s not easy to show up every three or four days.
“I didn’t expect Chelsea to lose points today. That can happen in any game and that’s what makes the league so special.”
Slot: “Top player Salah never stops working”
Salah’s brace made him the fourth-highest goalscorer in Liverpool’s history and Slot expressed his admiration for the Egyptian striker’s determination.
“Apart from the fact that he is a good footballer, he is very likeable as a person,” said Slot. “He’s always there to help his teammates, always down to earth.
“He understands what it takes to be at this level every three days. That’s what impresses me; that as a top player he understands how hard he has to work for the quality he shows.”
