Slot reacts after hearing what Liverpool fans did just minutes into the match in Milan
Liverpool returned from Italy with a vital Champions League win and an important reminder of who we are as a club, after a turbulent week behind the scenes.
Dominik Szoboszlai’s late penalty secured the three points, but the night will be remembered just as much for what happened long before the Hungarian stepped up.
Slot praises supporters after Milan victory
Arne Slot was asked post-match (via Liverpoolfc.com) about the reaction from the away end, with chants of his name ringing out early in the contest.
“What it means for me that the fans sing my name, that means a lot for me,” the Dutchman said.
“But I said yesterday, it’s not about me – it’s about the team. They were also there for the team.
“Again, so many away fans in difficult circumstances for the club and it shows you one more time if things go against us, or if there is a hard time, we are all there for each other, we fight together and that’s what the fans and the players showed today.”
The songs came as early as the 10th minute – something Times Sport journalist Hamzah Khalique-Loonat had already highlighted – and it mattered even more given everything surrounding the squad this week.
Liverpool rediscover structure amid Salah noise
All the pre-match conversation centred on Mo Salah’s comments after the 3-3 draw at Leeds, comments in which the former Roma winger suggested “all of the sudden, we don’t have any relationship” with Slot and accused the club of “throwing me under the bus”.
In spite of that turmoil, the group delivered a mature and controlled display.
We had lost six of seven with Salah involved, but the next four matches without him have produced two wins and two draws, with only a freak Sunderland deflection and our own chaos at Elland Road stopping us achieving a perfect run.
The team showed they are still fighting for our boss, even if Salah believes his bond with Slot has gone.
The supporters showed they still stand with the 47-year-old, even after a club legend questioned the direction of the team. And crucially, the performance showed we are capable of digging in when the noise is loudest.
Inter had been unbeaten in 18 Champions League home matches, and yet we controlled large spells at the San Siro.
Konate thought he had made amends for recent errors with a first-half header ruled out by VAR, before Szoboszlai’s 88th-minute penalty sealed the victory after Florian Wirtz was brought down late on.
Liverpool are unbeaten in four, climbing back towards where we need to be, and with Brighton up next the debate now shifts to whether Slot recalls Salah before AFCON or keeps faith with a side performing better without him.
What is clear, however, is that the scenes in Milan showed something important: when things get difficult, we stay together. And on this evidence, so does our manager.
You can watch Slot’s post-Inter Milan press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:
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The post Slot reacts after hearing what Liverpool fans did just minutes into the match in Milan appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.