Arne Slot admits he expected greater competition in the Premier League with Liverpool 15 points clear of their nearest rival.
Liverpool surged clear of their domestic rivals across the 2024-25 campaign to clinch a record-equalling 20th English league title.
Slot’s side had lost just twice in the league by the time they wrapped up the title, amassing 82 points from 35 games.
Life as Premier League champions got off to an underwhelming start on Sunday as Liverpool were beaten 3-1 by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Slot spoke highly of Enzo Maresca’s team after the disappointing loss and said he fully expected Chelsea to mount a title challenge after facing the Blues back in October.
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Liverpool beat Chelsea 2-1 that day but Slot felt his team were second-best at Anfield and says the result left him convinced that the west London side were genuine title challengers.
Chelsea were one of the stand-out teams in England in the first-half of the season but have slipped to fifth in the Premier League – 19 points behind Liverpool – following a huge drop-off in the second-half of the campaign.
They have, however, won three games in a row after beating Liverpool as they look to finish in the top-five of the Premier League and qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Asked whether he expects Chelsea to rival Liverpool for the title next season, Slot said: ‘I expected them to be a threat this season.
‘They were better than us at Anfield, they were so close to us. So it was a complete surprise to me that we are now 18 points clear of them, I didn’t feel that at all when we played them.
‘But it tells you probably how well we did if a team like this, with so much quality in the squad, we can go clear of them. It is a big compliment for our players. Chelsea have so many quality players.’
Liverpool were second-best for the majority of Sunday’s clash at Stamford Bridge, with Cole Palmer starring in Chelsea’s crucial win.
Slot added: ‘They were a constant threat on the counter-attack, but they have a very good team. Well organised and so many great individuals.
‘It will always be a difficult game to play here, but for us to play the way we did tells me also why we won the league, but it also tells me if you have a small drop off in the final third you can concede or not score.
‘A wise man once said to me ‘nothing good comes from losing a football game’ and that’s how we experience it.
‘Yes, we slipped twice with a goals conceded, but the amount of times we could play through Chelsea was much more than half a season ago.
‘In the final third we were not as aggressive and we missed a few percent to score the goal.’
Chelsea boss Maresca, meanwhile, said: ‘Very important three points, especially at this stage in the season.
‘This team [Liverpool] showed why they are so good. They forced us to defend deep which we don’t like.
‘We planned the game to be aggressive, playing the way we want and they forced us to use a different plan. The players adapted quite well. For the amount of chances that we created, we deserved to win the game.
‘We didn’t plan to wait and defend deep but they forced us to do this and this showed why they won the Premier League because they are a top side.’
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