What Rafa Benitez spotted in 75th minute will delight fans as Liverpool legend makes major prediction
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Rafa Benitez believes Liverpool have the right mentality to continue an assault on the Premier League title.
The Reds came through their toughest challenge of the season so far as they earned a 2-1 victory over Chelsea at Anfield. Goals from Mo Salah (penalty) and Curtis Jones either side of half-time ensured that Liverpool moved back to the top of the table.
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Hide AdSince succeeding Jurgen Klopp in the Reds hot seat, Slot has engineered 10 victories in their opening 11 fixtures. Belief is growing among supporters that Liverpool could push Manchester City all the way for the Premier League crown.
And Benitez believes Slot has instilled the right mindset in his squad to do so - and that was underlined by Salah tracking back in the closing stages to ensure the Reds retained their lead.
The former Anfield manager, who guided Liverpool to Champions League glory in 2005, said on Match of the Day 2: “Both managers summarised what they want for the rest of the season. [Chelsea boss Enzo] Maresca was saying they had possession and [Pedro] Neto was saying the same. That is fine but Slot was saying the right thing for me when you want to win titles. We have balance, we defend well and are a threat in attack.
“They are top of the league because they are attacking and defending really well. He is someone you can see has common sense when he's talking. He was talking about the international break and when you have experience and players with the South American players coming [back] it is crucial to win the game one way or another. They did, the team is competitive, know what to do and have the right mentality to stay at the top of the table.
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Hide Ad“He is level, he has to prove himself again. It shows a competitive mentality and wants to win something. When you have Salah on 75 minutes coming back to help the defence then having to go forward to create a chance, you have all the team together. Don't forget you have two or three players coming from the bench from international duty and they are top-class players. They have a plan, have an idea, the right mentality, confidence and are doing really well.”
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