ReactionPress conference: Arne Slot on Old Trafford victory, start to season, Gravenberch and more

A first-half double from Luis Diaz, which came after Trent Alexander-Arnold had seen an early goal disallowed, was added to by Mohamed Salah soon after the break as the Reds ran out convincing victors at the home of their fierce rivals.

The result maintains the impressive start to Slot’s reign, with Liverpool having won all of his first three Premier League games in charge while scoring seven goals and conceding none.

Slot’s side therefore go into the international break as one of only two teams to have gained nine points so far this season, the other being Manchester City.

Read a summary from the head coach’s post-match press conference at Old Trafford below.

On whether he thinks the game could have gone any better for Liverpool…

No, no I don’t. I think everything you want to see as a manager you saw in this game. So, there were difficult moments for us – I think United started really well and we conceded one or two corner kicks in that moment. But we fought ourselves through those moments and then we got the disallowed goal but there was no negative reaction at all, we just kept on playing afterwards: scoring three, we could have scored more, two important saves from Ali [Alisson Becker] in the second half. So, everything was there and maybe the one that was most important is that the work-rate was incredible by all of them without the ball, and that makes it a very positive day today.

On the aspect of the Reds’ start to the season that he is most proud of…

I normally don’t use the word ‘proud’ but what I think we did very well in all three games is, like I just mentioned, the work-rate without the ball. So, we try to press the opponent as high as we can but if they play through or over our press, I see everybody working really hard to make sure we don’t need Ali and sometimes we do and then it’s a good thing that we have a real good goalkeeper. What impressed me most today was the way we played with the ball because I know what we can do without the ball, but the way we played with the ball was I think also very good today.

On gaining the biggest win of his tenure to date in his most high-profile match so far...

It was special to be involved in this game and it’s only special if you win it, and that’s what we did. So, [I am] really pleased that we won it but maybe even more with the game and how we did it today.

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On whether he felt the midfield was an area Liverpool could cause United problems...

With the ball we thought, yes – when we had ball possession we were hoping that we could find one of our midfielders open or free every time. But, again, also these three played a very good game, I agree with you, but they need their centre-backs to play the ball through the lines. They need the centre-backs to be close to them for the moments they cannot arrive, then Ibou [Konate] was there, Virgil [van Dijk] was there... Virgil every time stepped into the midfield defensively, also. Like I said, it was a team performance and, you know me a bit now, it is always about the team and then the individual can show himself. I think all 11 of them and the ones that came in played a very good game, but that’s not a coincidence because the team played really well.

On what qualities Ryan Gravenberch can bring to the No.6 role...

His quality on the ball could be my first answer but I think coming from the Netherlands we all know how good he is with the ball. He can be a really important player for our build-up game, but what impressed me most when I started working with him [was] how much he can run and then still how good he is when he arrives in the duel.

Today, you saw with him, Dominik [Szoboszlai] and Macca [Alexis Mac Allister] how much they were able to keep on running. Sometimes you’re late, but then they just kept on running and arriving in the duel. So, that is the one thing that impressed me most about him: how good he also is without the ball. Again, three games played – only games from Saturday to Sunday or Sunday to Sunday, so there is still a lot for us to prove if we are going to play Champions League. I don’t want to be the one that spoils everything but two years ago was the last season that we played Champions League and we all know how that season ended. There is a lot to prove for us, if we play the difficult games in Champions League and still be good at the weekend.

On what work has been done to improve the defensive record after three clean sheets in a row...

I don’t think that much difference. You are used to, if you followed Liverpool for a long time, them pressing really high. That’s what we try to do now as well. Like I said, three games played, the first two with Ipswich and Brentford were difficult opponents, let that be clear, but I said before I am not expecting them to end up in the top nine. Today we played with United a very good team with a lot of quality, so it impressed me that we could keep a clean sheet, although today we also needed our goalkeeper in two moments. A good start, let that be clear, but still a lot to prove.