The Reds concluded their 2025-2026 Premier League season at Anfield on Sunday, needing just a single point to secure a top-five finish. Curtis Jones’ goal, scored just before the hour mark and later cancelled out by Kevin Schade, ultimately ensured Liverpool clinched fifth place after an emotionally charged day. This match was particularly significant as it marked the final appearances for Robertson and Salah in their illustrious Liverpool careers.

Below, we present every word from Slot’s concluding post-match press conference of the season.

On the match: securing Champions League qualification

Once again, we didn’t quite get the result we deserved, which has been a recurring theme throughout this season. We certainly merited a victory, although in the 100th minute, we could have even lost it. We’ve witnessed this scenario so many times this season: we create chances to score the winning goal, only for the opposition to get a serious opportunity, like a header, deep into stoppage time. This time, it didn’t go in, but often this season, it has.

So, I believe this was another match that mirrored many others we’ve played. I recall it took them nearly 40 minutes to even enter our penalty area for the first time. Perhaps I’m exaggerating slightly, but we completely dominated the first half. Yet, from a simple throw-in, they created their first real chance. And yes, set-pieces are another area we’ve extensively discussed this season.

Reflecting on the entire season

Our objective today was to achieve the minimum requirement: securing Champions League qualification. As evident from the league table, even major clubs sometimes fail to qualify for the Champions League or even European competitions. In recent seasons, several prominent clubs in this league haven’t made it to Europe. Therefore, we can never take this achievement for granted, though it’s clear we aspired to more.

However, I am genuinely proud of the players and what they accomplished this season. It has been an exceptionally difficult campaign for us, dealing with numerous challenges and a significant number of injuries. I can vividly recall all the obstacles we’ve had to overcome. Ultimately, qualifying for the Champions League in fifth place, and facing FA Cup winners after losing an away match against Manchester City – a feat many teams experience – and losing to Paris Saint-Germain for a second consecutive year, with no team managing to beat them over two legs in the last two years. In a single match, Chelsea achieved it in the Club World Cup, and perhaps Arsenal in a final, but over two legs, no team has succeeded. So, while this isn’t what I envisioned for our season at the outset, given everything that transpired, I am content today that we have secured Champions League football.

On the supporters’ reception for Robertson and Salah

It was magnificent, as always, exactly what you expect from our incredible fanbase. They absolutely gave those two legends the send-off they deserved. These are two players who have won nine trophies over the past nine years. So, yes, for them, it must have been a truly special day, likely a challenging one too, but definitely special, and the fans made it unforgettable for them. I’ve stated many times that this club knows how to celebrate a league title, how to navigate tragedies, and most certainly, how to honour these two exceptional players.

Considering what could have been done differently throughout the season

Oh yes, many things. Neither I nor the team were perfect, but I would have given the exact same answer in the year we won the league. As a manager, you can never be perfect, and a player can never be perfect. However, every decision I made throughout the season was based on a single principle: being meticulously prepared. So, no decision was ever made with the thought, ‘Oh, I don’t have time, let’s just make a quick choice.’

No, I always gave it thorough consideration, and as you know, not every decision can be the right one. It would be foolish of me to sit here and claim every decision I made was correct. But before I made them, I always felt they were the right course of action. Most of the time, I didn’t even have the luxury of making many decisions or choices because this particular match was perhaps the first time this season that we didn’t have a single Academy player on our bench, which was truly an exception. So, if you were to ask me for one word to describe this season, it would undoubtedly be ‘injuries.’