Arne Slot demands Liverpool carry European power into Newcastle clash

Liverpool produced one of their most complete performances of the season at Anfield, with Alexis Mac Allister scoring twice and further goals coming from Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Mohamed Salah and Federico Chiesa. The result confirmed a top-eight finish in the league phase, allowing Liverpool to avoid the play-off round and progress straight into the knockout stage.

Despite the emphatic scoreline, Slot was quick to stress that European success will mean little if it is not backed up in the Premier League, starting with Saturday night's trip to Newcastle United.

"It is what you want if you start the Champions League season," Slot said. "You want to finish top eight because that helps. You skip a round, so we are happy to go straight into the last 16."

He added: "There was an obvious improvement from the defeat at Bournemouth, but with all respect to the team we faced tonight, I expect Newcastle to be a stronger side than Qarabag.

"If we can improve in both boxes, it is going to be very hard for any team to play against us. But showing that once is not enough. We have to show this constantly from now on."

Slot also highlighted the challenges Liverpool faced during the match after Jeremie Frimpong suffered an early injury. With defensive options already limited, midfielder Wataru Endo was forced to fill in at full-back.

"Today showed again that sometimes things are more complicated than people think," Slot said. "Jeremie is a great example."

Despite a thinning squad, Slot played down the likelihood of late transfer activity, insisting Liverpool would not compromise their long-term planning.

"We always try to make smart decisions," he said. "We look at the short term and the long term. Our injured players will come back, and we do not want an unbalanced squad."

Slot confirmed Frimpong's availability for Newcastle remained uncertain but remained hopeful the schedule would ease injury concerns in the weeks ahead. 

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