LIVERPOOL, England (Reuters) – Liverpool manager Arne Slot complimented fourth-tier Accrington Stanley for posing a challenge to the Premier League leaders despite losing 4-0 in Saturday’s FA Cup third round clash.
Accrington, with only just over 21% of possession, tried hard to hold off Liverpool but were left licking their wounds as the home attack found their mark after initial misses.
“They are not afraid to press high, they’re not afraid to play one-v-one, but then you wonder, will they do this at Anfield as well? But they definitely did. They were not afraid,” Slot told a post-match press conference.
The Dutchman made eight changes to the Liverpool starting lineup that he fielded in Wednesday’s 1-0 League Cup semi-final first leg loss at Tottenham Hotspur.
“For us it was all about the players that haven’t played that much yet, to give them playing time,” he said.
The coach also handed a debut to 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha, who became the youngest Liverpool player to start a competitive match or make an FA Cup appearance for the club.
“Every time (Ngumoha) comes to train with us we see what his qualities are. He can dominate one-v-one situations, he’s very quick on his feet, he can change direction really fast,” Slot said.
“The fans liked what they saw, you could feel this in the stadium … special day for him, making a debut, win. He will sleep well tonight.”
Accrington boss John Doolan said he liked the opening 20 minutes of the match, but wished his side had a bit of luck.
“We will lick our wounds and go again. I couldn’t be prouder of the players, fans and staff,” Doolan told the BBC.
“It was massive and a big ask from us. When you give world-class players two yards, they can do what they do.”
Accrington, 19th in League Two, are five points above the relegation zone.
Liverpool will next face Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru)
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