Arne Slot kept it simple when addressing stoppage-time questions, highlighting his clear stance on how such decisions should be judged.
Speaking to Liverpool’s official website ahead of the Carabao Cup clash with Southampton, Slot rejected suggestions of bias regarding stoppage time.
He refused to be drawn into number-guessing and instead walked through how stoppage time is calculated. He set out the facts: three substitutions, no stoppages for treatment, and one goal scored — events that, in his view, justified the three minutes shown.
Slot was emphatic that Liverpool had no reason to slow the game down and stressed his team’s intent to keep pressing in the closing stages.
“There was no time-wasting because that’s not what we do,” he said, framing his response as a straightforward explanation rather than a complaint.
He also singled out a late attacking moment that underlined how marginal seconds matter:
“A lot has been said about the added time against Everton but I would have loved to play 34 seconds more because we were in a five-v-two situation at that moment…”
Slot used that example to show how a handful of seconds can sway a match. His emphasis remained practical — explain the process, accept the calculation, but highlight that small margins can be decisive.
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Slot shifts focus to fairness and scheduling
He broadened the issue beyond a single match, arguing that inconsistency in how referees add time is a real problem for the competition.
Slot warned that when Liverpool are chasing a result opponents can engage in prolonged time-wasting, yet those delays are not always reflected in the extra minutes allotted.
“Where in many other games when we need a goal, there’s a lot, a lot, a lot of time-wasting going on, I can tell you,” he said, pointing to the uneven application of discretion across fixtures.
The manager then turned to the squad-management consequences of a packed calendar. With Liverpool scheduled to face Southampton in the Carabao Cup at 12:30 am, Slot confirmed rotation was unavoidable.
“Another impact of the schedule is that we will certainly be making a number of changes for tonight’s fixture. At the time of writing, it is too early to say how many, but whatever the number, we will select a starting line-up that is more than ready to play against Southampton.”
He added that changes will be guided by fitness and tactical considerations, ensuring the side remains competitive across competitions.
Taken together, Slot’s comments combined a calm, evidence-based defence of the three minutes with a wider plea for consistent officiating and pragmatic squad management during fixture congestion.
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