Arne Slot admits Liverpool player was 'a bit unlucky' tonight after subbing him off against Brighton
Yesterday at 06:38 PM
Liverpool hung on by the skin of their teeth as they secured a dramatic 3-2 win against Brighton & Hove Albion in the Round of 16 of the Carabao Cup.
Arne Slot made it 12 wins from his first 14 games in charge of the club but it wasn’t plain sailing for the Reds as the game sprang into life after the interval.
A brace from Cody Gakpo and a late goal from Luis Diaz did the trick for Liverpool on the day, while Simon Adingra and Tariq Lamptey got their names on the scoresheet for the home side.
Jarell Quansah earned a rare start at the heart of the backline but was substituted in the dying embers of the game.
And Slot has delivered his verdict on the Englishman’s performance at the Amex Stadium.
Arne Slot says Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah was ‘unlucky’ vs Brighton
Starting alongside Joe Gomez at the heart of the backline, Quansah was good for large parts of the game but seemed to lose concentration in the closing stages.
His careless backpass led to a goal from Adingra that put Liverpool in a bad position.
Moments later, Quansah found himself with his hands on his face again as Lamptey’s effort took a wicked deflection off of him to wrong-foot Vitezslav Jaros between the sticks.
Slot reacted by substituting the Englishman in favour of Ibrahima Konate, who came on and helped see off the game.
But the Liverpool manager feels Quansah was unlucky as he lauded him and Gomez for their performances in a tricky away game.
"Jarell Quansah was maybe a bit unlucky with the goal we conceded but their [Quansah and Joe Gomez] overall performance I liked,” said the Dutchman at a press conference.
“But they are in competition with Virgil [van Dijk] and Ibu [Ibrahima Konate] – that's what you have when you play for Liverpool.”
Van Dijk was seen consoling Quansah after he was subbed off as the Englishman was visibly distraught while going off the pitch.
Quansah’s stats vs Brighton
Slot substituted Quansah at half-time against Ipswich Town earlier this season and did so once again at the Amex Stadium, but the Liverpool defender largely held in his own before his error led to Adingra’s goal.
- His underlying numbers from the game are as follows:
- Four clearances
- Two blocks
- 2/2 duels won
- 77 touches with an 87% pass accuracy (60/69 passes completed)
The 21-year-old has endured a difficult time under the new manager but it’s all part of the learning curve as he continues to hone his craft after bursting onto the scene last season under Jurgen Klopp.
