SLOT GETS SCHOOLED
Clued-up Nuno gives Kop boss a gameplan lesson as international break selection flop leaves Arne with homework to do
said: “We set out with a gameplan and stuck to it brilliantly.
“The manager made changes at the right time and they certainly made an impact.”
Until the introduction of Forest’s dazzling wingers the major problem facing Liverpool’s players had been locating the other red shirts in their vicinity.
Luis Diaz struck the post in the first half and Alexis Mac Allister brought a good save from Matz Sels.
By the hour mark Diaz and Mac Allister – opponents in Barranquilla, Colombia in midweek – had both been taken off along with the ineffective Diogo Jota.
Those changes resulted in
Trent Alexander-arnold, after a week of starring at rightback for England, moving into midfield where hestruggled at the Euros. He looked lost, but the irony wasn’t.
With Mo Salah also having an off-day, Forest struck the clinical killer blow 18 minutes from time.
Elanga raced away down the right and evaded an apology of a challenge from Cody Gakpo, but when he found Hudsonodoi the former Chelsea winger still had a lot to do.
He did it superbly, cutting inside and bending in a shot from 20 yards that Alisson could only watch nestle into the far corner.
“It wasn’t good enough today because too many individual performances in ball possession were not of the standards that I am used to from these players,” said Slot.
As the schedule intensifies starting with a trip to Milan tomorrow as the Champions League begins, Liverpool cannot afford for him to be learning on the job for too long.
Championship
VIKTOR JOHANSSON has had better birthdays after the Sweden keeper had to apologise to fans for Stoke’s abysmal no-show.
Tunisia international Idris El Mizouni (below) scored the only goal to maintain Oxford’s impressive start to life back in the Championship as they climbed to seventh with a fully-deserved third-straight home win.
Jekyll and Hyde Stoke were booed-off by disgruntled supporters and Johansson had no excuses after a third defeat in five for Steven Schumacher’s disjointed side.
A serious knee-ligament injury suffered by midfielder Lynden Gooch added to Stoke’s woes.
Johansson (top), who turned 26 on Saturday, said: “It’s very disappointing and I feel for the fans who came down to support us. They sang through the game and then we showed up like that, it’s not okay.
“We weren’t tough enough in our duels and put simply, they were better than us. They made the game horrible for us. We have to review this performance, put it to bed and forget about it as soon as possible and then make sure we get to work, push on and are much better in our next game.”
Des Buckingham insists his side will stick to their front-foot approach after maintaining their 100 percent home start to the campaign – even if it risks dropping points.
The Oxford boss said: “I don’t want to be a coach that sits back and defends and makes things boring. Sometimes that will come back to bite us and we won’t come away with a result – I get that. I’ve coached for a long time now and I don’t think I’ll change.”