Liverpool's coach Arne Slot appeared in press statements after the 1-0 victory over Real Madrid in the fourth round of the Champions League at Anfield.

The coach said: "I am very happy, we have gone through tough weeks, playing many away matches with very little rest between each game. Once again, we only had two days before this match, but the same was true for Real Madrid as well; playing in front of our fans and against a team like Real Madrid brings out the best in us. It was a great performance against a team that has only lost once this season, and perhaps we could have scored more.

He added about keeping a clean sheet for the second consecutive match: "I said before the match that Real Madrid scored 26 goals in La Liga, and Mbappé and Vinicius together have 24 goal contributions. So if you want to win, you have to ensure that these two players do not score. The whole team defended excellently, whether in high pressing or low block defending. Conor Bradley was amazing because facing Vinicius one-on-one repeatedly is not an easy task, but he was fantastic today.

He emphasized: "I told the players that the only thing I don't want is average defending, because Mbappé and Vinicius excel in deep runs, timing, and great speed, so we had to either press very high or drop deep. Never give them space, because their 24 contributions out of 26 goals tell you everything.

Regarding the team's mentality and the importance of a clean sheet: "The difference comes from the style of the teams we faced. You cannot compare a match against a team that builds play from the back with another that plays directly and defends with a low block. You saw a style similar to what we presented last season, but we have to ensure that we can win against any style; today you saw the importance of set pieces. We scored 4 goals from set pieces in the Champions League, but in the Premier League, we haven't scored any and conceded 5. With these numbers, you won't collect many points.

On dealing with a period of negative results: "It is natural to feel better when you win, but when you lose, it drains your time completely because you want to change desperately, yet you try to remain the same coach and the same person. I told them that our balance in set pieces makes winning difficult, although creating chances from open play has been good throughout the season except for the Aston Villa match that we won. I tried to clarify to them what is actually happening instead of listening to the surrounding noise. All I can do is express my opinion and hope it is strong enough for them to believe me.

He concluded: "We have a new match on Sunday against a very strong team (against Manchester City). We have dropped many points in the league, but we are doing well in the Champions League. We need to improve, and that is what we will try to do, and there are many upcoming matches to show that.