Arne Slot insisted he had no regrets over fielding a weakened team as Liverpool suffered a 3-0 Carabao Cup defeat to Crystal Palace on Wednesday, extending their poor run to six losses in seven matches.
Goals from Ismaïla Sarr (two) and Yéremy Pino secured a comfortable victory for Palace, who have now beaten Liverpool three times this season. Slot made 10 changes from the side that started at Brentford, with nine inexperienced youngsters on the bench.
“It’s always a blow to lose a game, especially when it leads to going out of a competition, but it’s the same selection I did last season in these rounds,” said Slot, who is without several senior players through injury and fixture congestion. He added that he was prioritising Saturday’s Premier League clash with Aston Villa.
Slot acknowledged the mounting pressure after the defeat, stating: “I don’t think it’s possible that if you lose five out of six, that losing six out of seven there is even more pressure. If you play for Liverpool or manage Liverpool you know the pressure is there.” He confirmed Ryan Gravenberch could return for the Villa match.
