Arne Slot was impressed with Liverpool’s display after they eased to a 3-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion in Saturday night’s FA Cup fourth round clash.
The Reds had been unimpressive in recent outings, but rolled back the performances of last season with a vintage display at Anfield, as they progressed to the fifth round.
The Premier League champions suffered a shock exit at this stage to Plymouth Argyle last season, but avoided a repeat of that result this time around.
“Many times this season when we played here, it wasn’t possible to press, because of the style of play of the other team”, Slot remarked after the win.
“As I said before the game, today we have two teams that have a similar style. That want to bring the ball out from the back, as you could see in our second goal, and two teams who want to press high.”
Curtis Jones opened the scoring in the first half with his first goal in over a year, getting on the end of a Milos Kerkez’s cross.
The in-form Dominik Szoboszlai doubled the advantage from a Mohamed Salah assist, before the Egyptian scored a third from the penalty kick in the 68th minute to complete the win.
“The modern Premier League is not that much about bringing the ball out from the back, it’s a lot about the direct style of play and a lot about set-pieces. But today we faced a team that wanted to bring the ball out from the back, and then I think we showed that we are still as good as last season off the ball”, Slot added.
“But the playing style of opponents has massively changed throughout the league, but particularly against us.”
Liverpool will find out their opponents in the fifth round when the draws are conducted later on Monday before Macclesfield host Brentford.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
