Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version or go back to LFC Live.net

But the Liverpool head coach was afforded the benefit of the doubt.

Article continues below

And deservedly so, considering the Reds currently sit 12 points clear at the top of the Premier League table and have lost six times all season.

READ MORE:Liverpool will become punchbags but Arne Slot is getting closer to what he really needsREAD MORE:What made Liverpool fume at final whistle as Federico Chiesa prompts Newcastle confusion

But the past week has changed the narrative as Liverpool exited the Champions League at the round-of-16 to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties.



If not, there will be a greater scrutiny if Liverpool tire again on the pitch.

But regardless of whether you agree or disagree with Slot’s use of his squad at Wembley and throughout the season so far, there is one thing he got spot on ahead of the League Cup final - set-pieces could make the difference.

"This final tells me the importance of set-pieces," said the Dutchman ahead of the game.

And we all know, especially after what Arsenal have done the last few years in this league, the importance of set-pieces has become more obvious."

Liverpool scored their extra-time winner in the 2024 League Cup final through a corner as Van Dijk headed home Kostas Tsimikas’ set-piece, but the shoe was on the other foot during their latest trip to Wembley.

Dan Burn scored the opener for Newcastle at the stroke of half-time, heading home at the far post from a corner after beating Alexis Mac Allister to the set-piece to set his side on their way to victory.

Slot would admit he had been left surprised by the Magpies’ play, though defended while the Argentine was up against the towering centre-back.

While still 12 points, after back-to-back defeats to PSG and Newcastle ended their hopes of multiple honours, the Reds will anxiously have one eye over their shoulder.

Arsenal have scored the third-most goals from set-pieces in the English top-flight this season with only Aston Villa (13) and both Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace (12) registering more.

It takes a while to see the results and that’s what we are hoping for in the upcoming 11 games as well.”

But evidently, Liverpool are yet to see immediate results with it proving costly against Newcastle at Wembley as the Reds were consigned to a ‘negative balance’ on set-pieces.

They can only hope it now does not prove to be their further undoing in the Premier League title-race, with Newcastle showcasing a potential Liverpool weakness.

As set-piece experts Arsenal ambitiously look to close the gap on Slot’s men at the top of the table, if the Reds' form does not pick up after the international break, their own limited set-piece returns could prove even more costly.

Liverpool do boast the most prolific attack in the Premier League having recorded 69 goals, and are second only to Man City in terms of open play goals (43 to 44).

While he would be wise to reconsider his squad management, Liverpool’s return from dead-balls is something else that also needs to improve.

You only need to look at how things could have been if the Reds had found a way against either PSG or Newcastle in such set-piece scenarios to realise the difference it can make.

Article continues below

And with Arsenal’s own title-challenges enhanced because of their own set-pieces, Liverpool need no extra motivation to add this new string to their bow after their disappointing week to forget.


For more news relating to Newcastle United, visit our sister site NUFC Latest Live.