After scoring their fifth consecutive late winner to secure all three points against Atletico Madrid, Liverpool and Arne Slot have received another boost on the injury front.
Slot praises Liverpool in "different" Atletico Madrid win
The Reds haven’t done things the easy way so far this season. They needed Federico Chiesa’s late winner against Bournemouth, Rio Ngumoha’s stoppage time winner against Newcastle United, Dominik Szoboszlai’s stunning free-kick against Arsenal and Mohamed Salah’s late penalty against Burnley to make it four from four in the Premier League.
Six minutes into Atletico Madrid’s visit, it seemed as though Slot’s side finally had take-off, however. It was about as scintillating a start as Anfield is likely to see, with goals from Andy Robertson and a vintage Salah finish seeing Liverpool race into a 2-0 lead. Their dominance only continued from there, but complacency – as was the case against Bournemouth and Newcastle – soon arrived.
Diego Llorente’s brace, which featured a deflected effort to equalise in his fourth Anfield goal, soon had the visitors level and Liverpool in need of another late goal. This time, it was the captain who stepped up to head home in the 92nd minute to keep his side rolling on and the late show featuring another guest star.
Although the trend of late winners continued, Slot was quick to claim that victory against Atletico was “different” to Burnley and Arsenal, thanks to the amount of chances that Liverpool created.
He told reporters: “Everybody will probably talk again about the late game winner, which I understand because that is the story of this game and the story of the last five games. But for me it was a different game than the ones we have played before.”
Another Anfield win followed more good news on the injury front too, which will see one player make his return for the Merseyside derby this weekend.
Curtis Jones set to return for Merseyside derby
As confirmed by Slot, Curtis Jones is on course to return from injury in time to face Everton in the Merseyside derby on Saturday afternoon, in what is a fitting way for the academy graduate to make his comeback.
The midfielder missed games against Burnley and Atletico Madrid, but will now hand Liverpool a boost in the middle of the park with his return. It is against another side that will sit deep that his ability to progress play will come in use for the Reds, as the full impact of his ability is potentially felt across Anfield in what could be a frantic affair.
Praised as “complete” by Slot, Jones remains an underrated player who is gradually beginning to make his mark in Merseyside.
