Arne Slot has backed goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher to bounce back from his late error against Newcastle when Liverpool face Everton in the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.
Liverpool were on course for another three points in their title hunt at St James’ Park, but a misjudgment from a cross saw Fabian Schar score a 90th-minute equaliser for the home side, which saw the Reds drop two points in a thrilling 3-3 draw.
But Slot is refusing to blame the Irishman, insisting the 26-year-old has bailed his team out on more than one occasion.
“It was 1-0 when Joe Gomez made a mistake and it could’ve been 2-0. He (Kelleher) saved us in that moment, so maybe he saved us a point because if we went 2-0 down, you never know what could happen afterwards. Things would have been even harder.
“Unfortunately, for him, and that is the position he’s in, if you make a mistake or a misjudgement, it’s very difficult for someone else to cover it up for you.
“He’s done that a few times for us. He’s always there to help us if someone else makes a mistake.
“I think he’s in a good place, although he’s as disappointed as all the others because we dropped points from a winning situation. He can go into this game with a lot of confidence, let that be clear.”
Despite dropping points, Liverpool are still seven points clear of Chelsea and Arsenal, and Slot has called on his players to embrace the pressure of being top of the table and the title favourites tag that may come with it.
“If you play for Liverpool, every day you play with pressure because you play at a big club and everybody expects two things from us: that we win and play good football.
“That pressure is always there. If you play and work at this level, you like this pressure for the simple reason that players can do what is expected of them.
“We’ve got the quality to do what we are doing at the moment, winning games and playing good football. There’s always pressure if you are a club like Liverpool, like at City, Arsenal and Chelsea.”
Slot’s first taste of a Merseyside derby will be the Reds’ last at Goodison, as Everton say goodbye to their home since 1892.
Having experienced Rotterdam derbies in his native Netherlands, the Dutchman knows what to expect on an emotional day.
“It’s going to be special for everyone, for all the fans and players involved and the managers, to be part of this game.
“It’s already special, and to be part of the last one at Goodison Park makes it even more special.”
“The fans will be loud, probably louder than the Newcastle fans, so we have to be prepared for everything In this game.”
Liverpool will be without the suspended Alexis Mac Allister, who picked up his fifth yellow card in the Premier League this campaign.
