´One game at a time´, says calm Slot after Leverkusen thrashing

Arne Slot insisted he will continue to look at “one game at a time” after leading Liverpool to a 4-1 victory over Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Luis Diaz’s second-half hat-trick along with Cody Gakpo’s 63rd-minute strike spoiled Xabi Alonso’s Anfield return, moving the Reds top of the 36-team standings.

Liverpool have now won all four of their Champions League games under Slot. It’s only the second time that they have won all four opening games in a single season of the competition.

The Reds are now top of both the Premier League and Champions League tables, though Slot was keen to focus on the next task, which comes in the shape of Aston Villa on Saturday.

“I don’t know if it was that much to do with intensity, but we took more risk,” Slot said.

“They overloaded the midfield a lot, and we adjusted at half-time and took the risk to play one v one all over. We had better chances in the first half and they weren’t a goal threat.

“As much as this time, how good they are in Europe, sometimes a strong target man is better than someone a bit faster.

“Curtis Jones did an incredible pass, and then you have someone with the pace of Lucho to finish it off. The pass was as good as the goal, in my opinion.

“You don’t look ahead as a manager in the next three months. You’re always one game at a time. We’ve got Aston Villa on Saturday, another tough game.”

pic.twitter.com/U5ICti0u95

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 5, 2024

Diaz’s treble saw him become only the second Colombian player to score a hat-trick in the Champions League, after Faustino Asprilla for Newcastle against Barcelona in 1997.

And he insisted that things have started brightly for Slot at Anfield, but said his team-mates must continue to perform to have something to show for it at the end of the season.

“The most important thing is the three points in this edition of the Champions League so we can keep progressing in the competition,” Diaz said.

“Things have gone so well with the new manager, it wasn’t easy for him to come in and fill Jurgen Klopp’s shoes.

“Hopefully, we’ll have something to show for it at the end of the season.

“We have top-quality players all over the pitch and I really enjoyed playing in that position today. I’m just happy to be on the pitch.

“I need to go and find that ball now because I need to keep it somewhere special at home.”

Lucho’s first hat-trick for the Reds pic.twitter.com/BRtD5npq98

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 5, 2024

For Leverkusen, meanwhile, it marked a first Champions League defeat since 2022, while they also conceded four or more goals in an away match in the competition for the first time since a 4-2 loss against Manchester United in 2013.

“It’s painful the result more than the performance, probably,” Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso told Amazon Prime.

“But this is the Champions League, this is the highest level, and today it wasn’t enough for us.”

But Alonso, who was among the favourites to take over from Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool in the summer, was complimentary of Slot’s revolution on Merseyside.

“It’s too early to tell, but I can see that Liverpool have a very good balance, a very complete team,” he said.

“They work with 11 players, and they have the power to hold a clean sheet, which is important in the Champions League.

“In the Premier League, let’s see. It’s early to tell but it’s looking good.”

Alonso, who won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005, was also serenaded by the home supporters at Anfield during the contest.

“I tried to separate the game and the pain from the result from the nice feelings to come back. I’m really happy and thankful for that reception,” Alonso concluded.