Liverpool: Arne Slot explains referee confrontation over Nottingham Forest time-wasting | OneFootball

The Liverpool manager was seen tapping his watch throughout the 1-1 draw

Arne Slot has explained his frustrations at the referee and perceived Nottingham Forest play-acting as Liverpool dropped points in the title race.

The Reds fell behind at the City Ground after just eight minutes when Chris Wood scored against the run of play, and struggled to create chances for most of the game until Diogo Jota’s equaliser - scored 22 seconds after coming on, and with his first touch - sparked a late, though fruitless, rally.

Slot was seen tapping his watch throughout the game, and he suggested that Forest players feined injury to waste time in the closing stages.

“I couldn't have asked for more,” Slot told TNT Sports. “The second-half performance was outstanding. There are not many teams that can create so many chances against the team that's so defensively so strong.

“I said after the United game, that every time you have the ball, you have to go past 11 players. That's also their strength.

“So first, you have to defend it, which is difficult enough because of all these fast wingers, then you have to win the second ball. And if you win the second ball, they just go back in the low block with 11 players around the 18-yard box.

“It's so hard for every team to create here. That's why I was so happy with our second-half performance because it was just one chance after another if we played.

“There was also a lot of moments where it took a while before the play restarted.”

Asked to elaborate, Slot continued: “You want as much playing time as you can, but playing against a team that's happy with the with the current result wants less playing time as they possibly can.

“So there were, for example, moments where the [players] went to the floor when there wasn’t a head injury, the referee blows his whistle and there wasn’t even treatment.

“Those are moments you try to say: ‘Okay, this is maybe what they want, so let's try to prevent that’.

“But, yeah, that's that's not why we drew the game. Nottingham Forest can look back at a very good game, they defended it really well, and we can look back at a fairly good second half.”