'It takes so much effort' - Arne Slot denies Liverpool complacency after shock Fulham defeat as he aims backhanded compliment at serial champions Man City

Following Arsenal's draw with Everton on Saturday, Liverpool headed into their Sunday clash knowing that a win at Craven Cottage would put them just three victories away from clinching the Premier League title. However, the Reds fell to a 3-2 defeat against Marco Silva's side, as the Cottagers scored three goals in 14 first-half minutes to give themselves an unassailable lead.

Questions have been raised over Liverpool's loss as pundits and fans have suggested that complacency may be creeping in as they hold such a big lead in the Premier League over the Gunners in second place. However, Slot has insisted that the loss is down to the quality of the league while also aiming a backhanded compliment at serial champions Manchester City.

Speaking to the media, Slot said: "[Complacency] is the last thing. There's no reason for us to be complacent because we're not winning every game by three or four goals.

"It takes us so much effort and hard work combined with quality to win games of football but the team (Manchester City) that won the league the last four seasons were already 3-0 up at half-time in a lot of the games they played.

"That's not the way it is for us. We're fully aware that we have to compete for seven more games. Wednesday (against Everton) was a close call. This was a close call. Many times we've been on the right side, but we were on the wrong side, and that's mainly because of the errors we made."

Slot's Reds are back in action at the weekend when they take on West Ham at Anfield as they look to resume their hunt for a first Premier League title since the 2020-21 season.