Liverpool must handle emotion of Everton's final Goodison Park Merseyside derby, says Arne Slot

11 February 2025, 10:59 | Updated: 11 February 2025, 16:38

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot hopes his first-choice side will handle the emotion of Goodison Park's final Merseyside derby better than the second string whose "unacceptable" performance resulted in them being dumped out of the FA Cup by Plymouth.

The Dutchman's gamble in leaving out nine of the side who beat Tottenham to progress to the Carabao Cup final last Thursday resulted in a 1-0 defeat to the Championship's bottom club on Sunday.

That starting XI still included nine senior squad players, including a forward line of Federico Chiesa, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz, but they could not find a way to break down committed and organised opponents.

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