Arne Slot has warned that Arsenal’s dramatic two-goal collapse against Wolves is simply a reflection of an increasingly unforgiving Premier League.
Arsenal saw their 2-0 goal lead evaporate at Molinuex as Tom Edozie’s stoppage-time goal secured a point for Wolves in a result that has blown the Premier League title race wide open.
The Gunners remain top of the Premier League, but the result against the league’s bottom side leaves rivals Manchester City breathing down their neck.
After two consecutive draws, the gap to City in second stands at just five points, with Pep Guardiola’s men having a game in hand over Arsenal.
Ahead of Liverpool’s trip to Nottingham Forest, Arne Slot has had his say on the shock result.
Arne Slot: Premier League is more competitive than five years ago
As Slot prepares his side to face Nottingham Forest, the Liverpool boss referenced Arsenal’s dramatic collapse to defend the Reds’ disappointing title defence.
Speaking at the AXA Training Centre on Thursday morning in his pre press conference, Slot said that the result was merely another example of how competitive the Premier League is.
“We didn’t need yesterday to know how difficult it is to win a Premier League game”, Slot said.
“We’ve experienced this [in] this season already a lot of times and I think all the teams experienced this. That’s what made the Premier League nicer this season and last season – that it’s much more competitive than probably two, three, four, five, six years ago.”
Having surrendered 2-0 goal leads against Bournemouth, Newcastle and Leeds themselves this season, Slot was sympathetic to Arsenal’s situation.
Slot appeared to use the slip-up to reiterate that everyone has struggled with the intensity of the Premier League this season, not just Liverpool.
Slot insists Liverpool have ‘improved’ ahead of crucial Forest clash
The Liverpool head coach insists he remains satisfied with his side’s recent trajectory, even if a testing few months have hampered the Reds’ league standing.
Slot pointed to clear signs of evolution within his squad. While a frustrating run of draws and high-profile setbacks including the recent 2-1 defeat to Manchester City have invited external scrutiny, the Dutchman maintains that the “standards” on the pitch are finally starting to align with his long-term vision.
“The improvement we have made since three or four months ago is visible for everyone,” Slot claimed, highlighting a significant spike in intensity and pressing. “Our standards went up, especially in terms of energy off the ball. We are now able to compete at the highest level against the best teams in the country.”
Despite being forced to navigate a relentless injury list with Alexander Isak and Wataru Endo facing extended spells on the sidelines Slot believes the underlying data supports his optimism.
For the Reds boss, the progress of individuals like Ibrahima Konate and the tactical growth of the collective outweigh the recent “bad luck” that has defined their results in 2026.
Liverpool head into the weekend fixture on the back of four wins in five in all competitions.
As the race for Champions League football heats up, Slot will be hoping to avoid a repeat of Arsenal’s recent collapse at Forest.
