"This week told us a lot" - Pundit takes shots at Arne Slot and Liverpool after Carabao Cup defeat to Newcastle United
Pundit Richard Keys has taken aim at Arne Slot and Liverpool after their Carabao Cup final loss against Newcastle United. He claimed that they are an average side who benefitted from a good start to the season and poor challengers.
The Reds lost 2-1 against Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final at the Wembley Stadium on Sunday. Dan Burn (45') and Alexander Isak (52') scored for the Magpies while Federico Chiesa (90+4') got one consolation goal for Slot's side. The result comes after Liverpool's UEFA Champions League exit against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on Tuesday, March 11.
The Reds led the tie 1-0 from the first leg at Parc des Princes. However, they conceded in the 12th minute to Ousmane Dembele before PSG won 4-1 on penalties.
After the Carabao Cup final, Richard Keys wrote on X (formerly Twitter):
"I’ve had no idea all season how good this Liverpool team were. This week told us a lot. They’re average. They’re top for 2 reasons - they had a great start & because every other challenger went backwards. Slot has discovered English football isn’t so easy after all."
The Merseysiders were also eliminated from the FA Cup last month, losing 1-0 against Championship side Plymouth Argyle in the Fourth Round.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk shares his thoughts on Premier League title after cup exits
While they have exited all the cups, Liverpool remain in pole position to win the Premier League title this season. They are 12 points above second-placed Arsenal with just nine games remaining.
After the Carabao Cup exit, Virgil van Dijk was asked if the league title win will compensate for the cup exits. He said (via The Guardian):
“Let’s hope so, but we can’t think about it like that. We have to turn this around. It’s how football works: in five days you lose twice and the world is sinking, sort of how you can say it, and two weeks before everything was sunshine and rainbows everywhere.”
He added:
“You play for the biggest prize that you work so hard for from the start of the season when no one expected us to be challenging for, first and foremost, the Premier League, one of the biggest prizes, and then on the side of that all the other trophies.
“The Champions League we couldn’t get it done, this we lost and the FA Cup, we got knocked out [at Plymouth]. We have nine games to go and I don’t think there’s any motivation needed to try to get the job done..”
Liverpool will return to action after the international break with the Merseyside Derby against Everton at Anfield on April 2 in the Premier League.
