Arne Slot reaction: What did Liverpool's manager say after win against West Ham?

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot praised his side’s ruthless efficiency from set pieces but admitted the 5-2 final scoreline against West Ham on Saturday papered over some lingering defensive concerns. The victory, Liverpool’s third straight in the Premier League, lifts the club to within touching distance of the top-four places and keeps Champions League qualification firmly in their own hands.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Slot highlighted the decisive role of dead-ball situations. “The main thing to take is that we scored three goals from set pieces and maybe you could even argue a fourth because the one from Cody was a bit later on when we had a set piece,” he said. “That can make a big difference in a game. I don’t think 3-0 at half-time was a fair reflection of the run of play, but three was nice.”

The Dutchman also welcomed his team’s early breakthrough after recent slow starts. “We struggled for a long time to score from set pieces, but we always knew things would go back to normality again. Now they go in and all of a sudden things look much nicer. From open play I don’t think it was our best game of the season, but set pieces can make a massive difference.”

Despite racing into a three-goal lead, Liverpool were pegged back to 3-1 shortly after the restart, reviving memories of earlier capitulations. Slot conceded the concession kept anxiety levels high inside Anfield. “Players, fans, manager have some experience this season in giving away a lead,” he noted. “But after the 3-1 I don’t think they had a lot of big chances. We were closer to 4-1 with Cody Gakpo. In the end we were never really under a big threat.”

The manager stressed that defensive diligence is improving, pointing to the positioning of his players for both West Ham goals. “Almost 11 players were around our 18-yard box for one goal, 10 for the other. If you do this constantly then usually you don’t concede a lot, and that is a big improvement.”

Asked whether the club now has meaningful momentum, Slot told BBC Sport: “We’ve had momentum more than a few times, but when you lose again you fall back a lot. Now, for quite a long time, it is very hard to beat us. It is 21 games and two losses, both in extra time. We are improving, in open play and definitely on set pieces, and as a result we are getting more results as well.”

Liverpool’s next assignment will be viewed through the prism of a side that has learned to finish games off, even if the performance against West Ham was, in Slot’s own words, “good but not our best.”