Liverpool manager Arne Slot has expressed admiration for Chelsea, predicting that they will emerge as regular contenders for the Premier League title in the coming years. This assessment comes after his team secured a 2-1 victory over Chelsea at Anfield, where Slot acknowledged that the Blues dominated significant portions of the match.
Despite the defeat, Chelsea put up a strong fight, with Nicolas Jackson leveling the score after Mohamed Salah converted a first-half penalty. However, Curtis Jones quickly restored Liverpool’s lead, securing the win. Slot noted that Chelsea provided Liverpool with their toughest challenge so far this season, emphasizing their quality and resilience on the pitch.
“I don’t think we outplayed Chelsea; we certainly didn’t,” Slot admitted. He highlighted Chelsea’s dominance in ball possession, stating, “In an ideal world, I would have seen us dominate the complete game like we did in so many other games. We are not there yet, but the good thing about this team and the result was that if you face a team like Chelsea, you see a team that is fighting for every centimetre and for every moment.”
Slot praised Chelsea’s recent recruitment strategy, which has seen the club invest heavily in talented players. “A lot of people in England were making fun of Chelsea earlier in the season for investing so much money,” he said. “In my opinion, they have done really well in the last two to three years, bringing in so many talented players. They have such a strong squad with such a good manager that they will be up there in the coming years. That is my opinion; let’s see if I am right.”
Reflecting on the match, Slot noted that Chelsea presented a formidable challenge, with their structured play and individual talents causing Liverpool significant difficulty. “This might have been the hardest [game] maybe because of the amount of quality players they have and the structure they have,” he remarked. “We had to fight really hard to get this one over the line. There was incredible work-rate throughout the whole team.”
Looking ahead, Chelsea, currently sixth in the Premier League, will seek to bounce back when they face Panathinaikos in the Europa Conference League on Thursday night. Meanwhile, Liverpool, who are leading the league, have a crucial fixture against title rivals Arsenal this Sunday, which could further impact the title race.
