Trending 
Following a dramatic 3-3 draw with Leeds at Elland Road, Liverpool manager Arne Slot admitted the club was to blame for squandering yet another lead, resulting in a damaging shared point.
The Premier League champions looked in control when Hugo Ekitike’s first-half brace put them firmly ahead, and even after Leeds clawed themselves back into the game, Dominic Szoboszlai’s strike appeared to have restored order.
But familiar defensive frailties resurfaced when Ao Tanaka struck from a corner deep into stoppage time to snatch a point for the hosts.
The result extended a worrying run of form for Slot’s side, who have now claimed just two victories in their last 10 league outings and only four wins from 15 matches in all competitions, piling further pressure on the Dutchman despite securing the title in his first season at Anfield.
Slot admitted his team had once again undone their own hard work with costly lapses at crucial moments.
“It keeps happening,” he said. “We have dropped points before, we have conceded late goals before, and we have given away too many goals from set pieces. That’s something we must take responsibility for. If you score three goals away from home, you should be winning the game.”
The Liverpool manager also defended his decision to exclude Mohamed Salah for a third consecutive match and leave him on the bench without being brought on, while club-record signing Alexander Isak was also left out.
Slot’s call to start Ekitike instead of Isak was fully vindicated by the French forward’s clinical display, but questions once again surrounded the omission of Salah, who is set to leave for Africa Cup of Nations duty after Liverpool’s next two fixtures.
Asked about his decision, Slot insisted it was purely tactical.
“It felt like we needed different players to see the game out,” he explained. “The short-term reality is that Mo will be going to AFCON soon, but before then we still have Inter and Brighton to deal with.”
