Did Newcastle deserve their victory over Liverpool? A frustrated Arne Slot offers his candid opinion on the controversy in the Carabao Cup final that led to Liverpool’s loss.
Liverpool fans were left frustrated after Newcastle’s towering defender, Dan Burn, scored a header from a corner while being man-marked by 5ft 9in Alexis Mac Allister at Wembley.
Arne Slot has defended his decision to assign Mac Allister to Burn during corners following the Newcastle defender’s powerful header in the Carabao Cup final.
Newcastle defeated Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley on Sunday, with Burn’s header from Kieran Trippier’s cross and Alexander Isak’s stylish half-volley sealing the win. Slot brought on five attacking substitutes in the second half, and two of them, Harvey Elliott and Federico Chiesa, combined for a late goal, but it came too late to change the outcome.
The Magpies were the superior side and deserved their first domestic trophy in 70 years, but their dominance sparked questions for Liverpool. Burn’s ease in out-jumping his marker, Mac Allister, to score left many Liverpool fans puzzled on social media.
However, Slot was quick to point out that Burn’s goal had an expected goals (xG) of just 0.03 and emphasized that his zonal marking system – where Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, and other strong headers guard the six-yard box – had generally worked well this season. “Credit to Newcastle, but I can explain,” he told reporters in the post-match press conference.
“We play zonal marking, so we have five players near the goal, and if the ball comes to that area, one of those stronger players will be there to attack it. We also have three players who man-mark, and Macca is one of them.”
“Normally, a player like Burn would run into the zone, as most players do, and 99 out of 100 times that wouldn’t lead to a goal. But Burn’s header was exceptional. I’ve never seen a player head the ball with such force from that distance.”
Slot continued: “It’s a logical system, either the player has to come from far out, which rarely results in a goal, or they enter our zone, and it’s an even contest. Credit to Burn; he’s one of the few who could score from that range.”
Reflecting on the match as a whole, Slot added: “The game was slow and lacked intensity. It went exactly how Newcastle wanted, with a lot of aerial duels. If we played 10 games like that, they’d win nine. That’s how the first and second goals came about.”
“They outplayed us in their style, no doubt. They won more duels, and it was a disappointing result and performance – completely different from how I felt after the PSG game.”
He concluded: “The week started well with a win over Southampton, which stretched our lead to 12 points. We are one of the biggest clubs in the world, but it’s not the first time we’ve lost two in a row, especially when one of those defeats is against the best team in Europe, and the other is against a strong Premier League side.”
