Jamie Carragher noticed Arne Slot’s telling full-time reaction as Liverpool beat Everton 1-0 on Wednesday to take a huge step towards winning the Premier League title.
Diogo Jota’s second-half strike separated the sides in the Merseyside derby at Anfield as Liverpool moved to within 13 points of guaranteeing top spot in the 2024/25 season. But it was far from a straightforward affair, in a game that produced few chances as Liverpool battled to earn a valuable and hard-fought win.
The relief was clear at Anfield after the game, as the Reds got back to winning ways after two consecutive defeats before the international break that ended their hopes of winning both the Champions League and Carabao Cup.
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It’s why the title race was the focus for Carragher post-match, more so than getting one over on Liverpool’s local rivals. “It’s not about bragging rights,” said the former defender. “It’s about Liverpool needing 16 points to 13. That’s exactly where they are right now.”
Slot promised to try and keep a lid on his emotions on Wednesday, especially after losing his cool in the previous derby in February. He cut a more controlled figure, urging players to step away from arguments and indicating how long was left in the latter stages of injury-time.
“For the majority of the season the manager has been very unemotional,” said Carragher. “You could see him at the end of the game telling the players there was 10 seconds left. That meant a lot to him because he knows [how important it is].
“You go back to the [first] Merseyside derby this season which was the first time you’ve seen him lose control and a few first bumps there - not Jurgen Klopp-like - but a tell-tale sign that it has probably been a long two and half weeks for him since that cup final against Newcastle. He needed to see the Liverpool team that he’s seen all season. He saw that tonight.
“Liverpool have had to wait so long since that Newcastle game,” Carragher added, referencing the 17-day break in the fixture schedule since the Carabao Cup final. “It wasn’t just losing the game, it was the manner of the defeat. That would have stayed with the players for a long time. They were away on international duty and had to wait; no game at the weekend.
“No matter how many people say the league is over, when you’re inside the club or the team that it feels like the title is over, it never feels like that. It probably even felt like that for Liverpool supporters - towards the end of the game it was very nervous in the stadium, they wanted the final whistle to be blown.
“You can talk about how they’re 12 points in front and no Arsenal fans think they have a chance of winning the league, but Liverpool fans think they do. The players will and it’s not done until it’s done.”
