Arne Slot Makes Liverpool History Against Brentford That Even Jurgen Klopp Failed to Achieve
Liverpool have started the new Premier League season in style, with Arne Slot becoming the first Reds manager in the Premier League era to win his opening two league matches. The Reds defeated Brentford 2-0 at Anfield, with Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah scoring either side of half-time.
Slot’s side has now won back-to-back 2-0 victories, following their win over Ipswich at Portman Road in the previous weekend. While it wasn’t a completely serene afternoon for the new Reds boss, with a tense exchange with Trent Alexander-Arnold after the right-back was substituted, it was otherwise an ideal afternoon at Anfield.
The victory over Brentford was a significant one, as it marked a piece of Liverpool history. Slot is the first Reds manager to win his opening two league matches, a feat that even Jurgen Klopp failed to achieve during his time at Anfield. Klopp began his Liverpool career with a 0-0 draw at Tottenham in 2015, although he did take over a squad in much different circumstances to the current one.
The history books also show that iconic Liverpool boss Bill Shankly saw his side lose 4-0 to Cardiff City in his first Second Division game in charge in 1959. Fifteen years later, his successor Bob Paisley’s Liverpool side beat Luton 2-1, by then the Reds were a dominant force in English football. However, even Paisley didn’t record two wins on the bounce at the start, with the Luton victory followed by a 0-0 draw at Wolves.
Graeme Souness is the most recent Liverpool manager to win his opening two games, having defeated Norwich and Crystal Palace by 3-0 scorelines in April 1991.
Slot spoke to BBC Sport after the victory over Brentford, saying: "It was a good start. We didn’t concede much. The only big chance we conceded was a set piece, and that’s already so difficult when you play Brentford because they can threaten you in so many ways – one of those is certainly from a set piece. A set piece from them also led to our first goal, which is pleasing to see."
To get a great start like this, you have to work really hard, and that’s what the boys did. We started playing better and better in the second half, which led to many good chances. The only thing we didn’t do is kill the game earlier."
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