Arne Slot jokingly praised Jamie Carragher for inspiring a Liverpool victory against Arsenal and the retired defender is enjoying the recognition.
Liverpool made it a hat-trick of Premier League wins on Sunday, defeating the runners-up of last season by a goal to nil. It was a cagey game which could have gone either way, but a sensational Dominik Szoboszlai free kick decided proceedings late on in the match.
Slot joked that the reason his team won the match was because of Jamie Carragher, who had some harsh words for his former club after their opening day victory against Bournemouth. Liverpool may have won the match, but issues surrounding the defence were raised.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, the Dutch head coach pointed to the former Liverpool defender’s criticism.
“Listening to Jamie. That’s why we won the game. Because Jamie hated the 4-2 win against Bournemouth. He thought we were far too open. So we thought, let’s make it a boring game today. Let’s keep the structure really well, so don’t consider counter attack, and that’s what two games did.”
Carragher praised Slot for the changes he made against Arsenal in the second half. This involved risking playing further up the pitch in order to take the game to the Gunners, rather than establishing a stronger backline.
Posting on X, Carragher summed up his thoughts with one word.
“Teamwork.”
Teamwork ?
The change from Slot with LFC’s pressing was the big difference second half, LFC went man to man rather than having a plus one at the back & started winning the ball higher up. https://t.co/vI8BYVN4ut
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) August 31, 2025
Liverpool’s new strategy was certainly effective in limiting the away sides’ threat in front of goal. Arsenal barely had a sniff during the match, registering just one shot on target. Alisson did not have a save to make in the second half, as Arsenal’s xG dropped from 0.31 to 0.18.
It will be interesting to see what approach Slot decides to take against Burnley in Liverpool’s next Premier League fixture. The newcomers put on a spirited display against Manchester United last Saturday, proving they do possess an attacking threat.
However, Liverpool will fancy their chances against Scott Parker’s side and playing on the front foot is likely to be the key aim at Turf Moor.
