Arne Slot pleased with Liverpool's 'calm' response to pressure in Premier League title race - 'People started to doubt'

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Arne Slot was delighted to see his side extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table to 13 points, capping off a congested run of top-flight fixtures with a 2-0 victory over Newcastle at Anfield. Liverpool picked up 11 points from a possible 15 as they faced five matches in a little over two weeks, and Slot feels the discourse of their title tilt changed somewhat throughout that time.

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Liverpool boss Arne Slot was pleased to see his side keep "calm" while "people started to doubt" the Premier League leaders' chances of maintaining their title tilt.

A run of five league matches in 15 days saw Slot's side pick up 11 points, as they extended their lead at the top of the table to 13 points with a 2-0 victory over Newcastle on Wednesday.

The Liverpool boss feels there have been contrasting opinions surrounding his side in that run, notably after their dramatic 2-2 draw with Everton and subsequent nervy victory over strugglers Wolves.

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But now firm favourites to lift the Premier League title, with Arsenal dropping points yet again in a draw with Nottingham Forest, Slot has been pleased with his side's approach to dealing with pressure.

"Many things I've liked," Slot told TNT Sports. "Because after Everton, after Villa and the Wolves game wasn't easy as well, people started to doubt some things about our game.

"But we reacted so well against City, and all of a sudden everybody was very positive again.

"Sometimes what you then see is players [think] 'all of a sudden we are really good', and they don't do the same effort they did before.

'People started to doubt' - Slot proud of Liverpool response to sticky period

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"So for all the mental challenges we had, some people questioning us, then everybody really positive, the players just kept calm, and did the things they have to do.

"That is making it as hard as possible for the other team to play against us, and eventually, normally our quality then makes the difference."

Liverpool's attentions now turn to competitions elsewhere, as they head to the Parc des Princes to face Paris Saint-Germain next week - live on TNT Sports and discovery+, with their Carabao Cup final against Newcastle also on the horizon.

'They're almost 1-0 up before they come on the pitch'

TNT Sports expert Steve McManaman has been especially impressed with Liverpool's consistency, and confidence in knowing that whoever pulls on the shirt will do an assured job.

With the exception of Federico Chiesa, Slot's title-hunting squad has been entirely inherited from his predecessor Jurgen Klopp.

And former Reds star McManaman feels the confidence that any player in the Liverpool squad will turn in a good performance gives the side an automatic advantage, even before a ball is kicked.

"They know what jobs they need to do," McManaman said. "Anybody who comes on the pitch, whether [Curtis] Jones starts, whether [Cody] Gakpo starts, they will put in those types of performances, they are that good at the moment.

"They can rely on 15, 16, 17 players, and as soon as anybody leaves the pitch, someone enters the pitch, the intensity doesn't drop. It rises, it goes again.

"When you have that level of performance, that you can trust every single week, if they go out and do that performance again, they'll get a result.

"That's what they're showing at the moment. They're almost 1-0 up before they come on the pitch, they're that confident, and the fans are that confident in them."

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