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Liverpool manager Arne Slot has insisted that he was complimenting Manchester United with his "long ball" comment. Ruben Amorim secured back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time at Anfield last weekend. Bryan Mbeumo opened the scoring and Harry Maguire scored a headed winner in the 84th minute. Senne Lammens released pressure with long goal kicks and United looked to win the second balls, but Slot took umbrage with Amorim setting up his side to make life difficult for Liverpool . Speaking after Liverpool's defeat at Anfield, Slot told BBC Sport: "It is always difficult to play against a team that defends in a low block and mainly plays the long ball. It makes it even more difficult when you go one down after one minute when one of our players are on the floor." The Dutchman's comments were controversial and he was asked to clarify them during an interview before Liverpool's game against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League . "We faced a team [United] that had their game plan very well in order," Slot told TNT Sports . "There was a bit of a debate over what I said after the game, but it was meant to be a compliment. They had a low block and played a lot of long balls. I was asked why it was difficult, and that was the reason. "It wasn’t criticism, it was me trying to explain why the game was made difficult. If you win the ball back after they’ve played it long, there are 11 players behind the ball. "I would add that, to a certain extent, I was positive that we created as many chances as we did. Against Palace, we were able to create a lot against a low block, the same against United, but not many games since I’ve been in charge have we been able to create many chances against a 5-4-1 low block. "It wasn’t meant as a criticism at all. It was a very smart game plan and certainly their last three signings – two of them for sure – had an impact on the game, in Cunha and Mbeumo." Mason Mount praised Lammens for releasing pressure with his long kicks after the Sunderland win, and the approach was hugely effective against Liverpool at Anfield. "We know how they press, they're gonna go man-vs-man, so I think being realistic, coming into Anfield, it's quite difficult to build up, I think, so from the beginning on with the defenders, I think I made the decision that we should get more of a long ball and do it with the second ball," Lammens said. "Even though we didn't really have a target striker. But I think even though we didn't have one, the second ball we did quite good, so that's how we could still push them away, and how we also scored the first one, I think, it was because of the long ball, second ball and then a counter." - Here at The Manchester Evening News, we are dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester United coverage and analysis. Make sure you don't miss out on the latest United news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe. You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day's biggest stories. And, finally, if you would rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Manchester is Red podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts , and you can also watch along on YouTube .
