Tribal Football

Slot admits Liverpool "outplayed" by Newcastle: But we didn't lack hunger

Paul Vegas
Slot admits Liverpool "outplayed" by Newcastle: But we didn't lack hunger
Slot admits Liverpool "outplayed" by Newcastle: But we didn't lack hungerAction Plus
Liverpool boss Arne Slot denies his players lacked "hunger" after their Carabao Cup final defeat to Newcastle United.

Newcastle outplayed the Premier League leaders to win 2-1 at Wembley on Sunday.

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Asked if the Toon showed greater hunger, Slot insisted: "No, because it’s 70 years since they last won a trophy maybe, but that’s for the fans. Players have 15 years to play football and they want to win every single trophy they are competing for. That’s also what we want. But it was a game that went the way they wanted it to go.

"And they got just before half-time some extra energy with the goal, which they probably deserved after the first 45 minutes because they were threatening us more than we were threatening them.

"I don’t think there was more hunger for them; the game went the way they wanted it to go and they are stronger in that part of football than us and that’s why they beat us."

Slot also admitted: "We were outplayed in their style, yeah, that’s true. That is what you can call outplayed. Yeah, they won more duels than us. Is that what you mean? Is that outworking? Or is that one of their biggest qualities to play so much (with) aerial duels and to win these physique duels?

"Outplayed for me is if you don’t touch the ball and they play through you every single time we tried to press them, every time you’re too late. That is for me outplayed. But I agree with you if you say that they deserved to win because the game went in the way they wanted it to go. Yes, they deserved to win, but it wasn’t like we were only running after them. We had to defend a lot of long balls (and) second balls and that’s their strength."