Arne Slot defended his Liverpool team selection after losing to Chelsea, insisting his fringe players deserved their chance to impress after training so well while sitting on the sidelines.
Harvey Elliott, Jarell Quansah and Wataru Endo were among those handed rare starts by Slot, though none passed their auditions as Enzo Maresca’s side controlled the contest at Stamford Bridge.
‘They deserve to play these games because they have trained so hard this season,’ said Slot after their first fixture since being confirmed champions.
‘We don’t judge them only on this game.