“The first of three finals,” is how Arne Slot described Liverpool’s 3-1 comeback win over Southampton to go 16 points clear in the Premier League.
The Reds now face a Champions League tie with Paris St-Germain and the Carabao Cup final with Newcastle before they are in league action again.
Liverpool’s dream of achieving the Treble was ended last month by Plymouth in the fourth round of the FA Cup – but they remain firmly in the hunt for three trophies.
“It’s a sign of a good team that you can win in different ways,” Slot told BBC Match of the Day after the match.
“It was a poor performance first half – not only because of the way we played but also because of the energy we brought.”
He added in his post-match news conference: “This was the most important game of the week. The first of three finals. I hope in the next finals we play a bit better than the first one.”
Mohamed Salah netted two penalties at Anfield, with Darwin Nunez scoring the other as they came back from 1-0 down.
A mix-up between Virgil van Dijk and Alisson had allowed Will Smallbone to give the Premier League’s bottom side a half-time lead.
Slot’s side have had to fight for two wins in a week as he bids for a trophy-laden first season since replacing club icon Jurgen Klopp.
“I don’t think we played good today,” said Salah, who has 32 goals in all competitions.
Salah has been involved in 44 Premier League goals this season (27 goals, 17 assists), the joint-most by a player in a 38-game season.
“If you want to win the Champions League or Premier League you have to win these games like that,” he added.
On Tuesday the Reds host Paris St-Germain in the Champions League last 16 second leg, leading 1-0 from their smash and grab at the Parc des Princes.
“The only good thing in the first 45 minutes was that they saved their energy [for PSG] and didn’t run at all,” quipped Slot.
“It was maybe the first time this season I saw this tempo.
“We have to go one step up in terms of intensity against PSG. Compared to the game today we have to go three, four, five, six, seven times up in terms of intensity if we want to have any chance of reaching the next round.”
Next Sunday they meet Newcastle at Wembley in the Carabao Cup final – with a chance to win a first trophy under their Dutch manager.
“The last two games have been very tough – it is not about me, it’s about the whole team,” Harvey Elliott, a half-time substitute on Saturday and goalscorer in Paris, told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“We need to keep winning games – it’s as simple as that.
“It’s about taking it game by game and making sure we apply ourselves in the best possible way.”
