Arne Slot defended Liverpool’s corner set-up despite seeing Dan Burn benefit from an enormous mismatch to move Newcastle ahead en path to victory within the Carabao Cup final.
Liverpool turned in an uncharacteristically poor showing at Wembley on Sunday because the defending champions fell to a 2-1 defeat against Newcastle.
Local hero Burn headed Eddie Howe’s side ahead on the point of half-time before Alexander Isak’s strike after the break secured victory for the Magpies despite Federico Chiesa’s late goal.
Newcastle produced an all-action display for the total 90 minutes, running Liverpool ragged and overpowering all of them across the pitch.
And that physical advantage was illustrated best with their opener as Burn rose above Alexis Mac Allister to power home a thumping header into the underside corner.
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The choice to have the diminutive Argentinian midfielder marking the 6ft 6in defender raised eyebrows within the Sky Sports studio at half-time.
‘It isn’t right. Its a mismatch. Dan Burn is just too big and too powerful for Alexis Mac Allister,’ former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said.
‘Liverpool could have a look at the proven fact that Newcastle keeps targeting Dan Burn and possibly swap Jota and Mac Allister. He is much better within the air. Burn has won every header. Mac Allister isn’t even watching the ball. What that’s about I don’t know.’
Burn, himself, even said he had noticed a chance up against Mac Allister prior to his goalscoring header.
‘I knew Alexis [Mac Allister] wasn’t the ball and I’d have the option to get a jump on him. I don’t get many so I saved it for an enormous occasion,’ the England defender told Sky Sports.
Slot, nonetheless, sought to defend his team’s zonal set-up, and said there was nothing they might have done to forestall a ‘one in 100’ header from the Newcastle defender.
‘We play zonal. We all the time have five players zonally near our goal,’ the Liverpool boss said post-match.
‘So, if the ball falls there, there may be all the time one in all the stronger five players to attack that ball. We’ve three players that man mark and Macca is one in all them.
‘Normally a player like Burn runs to the zone because normally, and I feel he’s an exception.
‘I actually have never in my life seen a player from that distant heading a ball with a lot force into the far corner.’
Slot continued: ‘The logic is that they either must go distant from our six-yard box which 99 out of 100 times won’t result in a goal or they must arrive in our zone after which it’s an equal battle.
‘But credit to him, I feel he’s one in all few players who can rating a goal from that distance along with his head.’
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