Liverpool manager Arne Slott has defended his side after two consecutive underwhelming performances but admits they must be more clinical to avoid relying on good luck for the rest of the season.

A 2-2 draw with rivals Manchester United and a 1-0 defeat at Tottenham in the EFL Cup put a bit of a damper on Slott’s brilliant debut campaign.

But the Dutchman believes his side’s standards have not slipped as they prepare for an FA Cup clash with League Two side Accrington Stanley at lunchtime on Saturday.

He said: “I think we are still the same team in terms of performance.

“I’ve said it many times, a lot of games we won, with maybe the only exception being Chelsea, but all the others we deserved to win but never by a big margin, it was always very tight.

Jarel Kwansah and Dominic Szoboszalai are set to be back in contention for our Emirates FA Cup tie with Accrington Stanley 👊

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 10, 2025

“What can we improve? Increasing the margin, because otherwise you will always rely on a bit of luck or a bit of unluckiness as well as certain decisions made by the referee.

“We have to make sure that we no longer depend on those moments and that is the next step if we don’t want to depend on luck or bad luck.

“Because of results, people judge you on performance. If a team is in a draw or a loss, it’s not often that people say they played really well.”

Liverpool last won the FA Cup in 2022 and have played the Stanley just once before – a 2-0 win at Anfield in the 1956 FA Cup.

The Reds are likely to make changes and rotate their squad, awaiting the availability of slot midfielder Dominic Soboszlai and defender Jerel Kwansah.

He said: “Every game is an opportunity for them to play. Dom trained with the Under-21s yesterday.

“Jarrell was a bit unwell last week, as a result I had to drop him for the game at Tottenham but I expect him to be available for tomorrow.

“Yes, we know we can use these players in every single game and also in the game we have on Saturday.”