In their concluding Premier League fixture of the 2025-2026 season on Sunday at Anfield, Liverpool required just one point to secure a top-five finish. Curtis Jones’ goal, scored just before the hour mark, though later cancelled out by Kevin Schade, ultimately sealed fifth place for the team. This outcome capped an emotionally charged day, highlighted by the final appearances of Robertson and Salah, marking the end of their illustrious careers with Liverpool.

Here is every word from Slot’s post-match press conference, wrapping up the season.

On the match performance and securing Champions League football…

“Once again, we didn’t quite get the result we deserved, a recurring theme this season. We certainly deserved to win, although, in the very final moments, we could have even lost it. We’ve witnessed this so many times throughout the season – creating numerous chances to score a winning goal, only for the opposition to have a serious opportunity, like that late header, in injury time. This time, it didn’t go in, but it has on many occasions this season.”

“I believe this match mirrored many others we’ve played. It felt like it took our opponents nearly 40 minutes to even enter our penalty area for the first time – I might be slightly exaggerating, but we completely dominated the first half. Yet, from a simple throw-in, they created their first real chance. And yes, set pieces have been another consistent talking point for us this season.”

• Read our comprehensive match report from Anfield

Reflecting on the entire season’s journey…

“Our objective today was to achieve the bare minimum, which was securing Champions League qualification. As the league table clearly shows, even major clubs sometimes fail to qualify for Europe. We can never take this for granted, but it’s undeniable that we had aimed for more. Nevertheless, I am incredibly proud of the players and their efforts this season. It has been an exceptionally challenging campaign for us, enduring numerous difficulties, particularly with the extensive injury list we faced.”

“Ultimately, to qualify for the Champions League in fifth place, and to face the FA Cup winners after losing only one away match against Manchester City – a feat many teams experience – and also losing to Paris Saint-Germain for the second consecutive year, a team no other side has managed to beat over two legs in the last two seasons, is commendable. Of course, Chelsea managed it in the Club World Cup, and perhaps Arsenal in a final, but not over two legs. So, while this isn’t what I envisioned for our season at the outset, given everything we’ve overcome, I am content today with our Champions League spot.”

On the supporters’ reception for Robertson and Salah…

“It was magnificent, as our fans always are and as one would expect from them. Both players absolutely received the send-off they deserved. They are two legends who have contributed to winning nine trophies over the past nine years. So, for them, it must have been a profoundly special day, likely a difficult one too, but undeniably memorable, and the fans certainly made it so. I’ve often said that this club understands how to celebrate a league title, how to navigate tragedies, and without question, this club knows how to honor these two incredible players.”

• “It’s incredibly tough to leave a place like this” – Robertson and Salah bid farewell to Anfield

Considering if anything could have been done differently throughout the season…

“Oh yes, many things. I, and we, were not perfect, but I would have given the exact same answer even in the year we won the league. As a manager, you can never be perfect, and neither can a player. However, every decision I made throughout the season was based on thorough preparation. No decision was ever rushed or made without careful consideration.”

“Naturally, not all decisions can be perfect. It would be foolish of me to sit here and claim every choice was the right one. But before I made them, I always believed they were the correct path. Most of the time, I didn’t even have the luxury of many choices, as this particular match was perhaps the first time all season that we didn’t have a single Academy player on our bench – that was truly an exception. So, if you asked me for one word to describe this season, it would undoubtedly be ‘injuries’.”