"Only bright spot in that whole shambles", "Needs to trust him" - Liverpool fans urge Arne Slot to use star more after loss in EFL Cup final

Liverpool fans online have lauded Federico Chiesa despite their 2-1 loss to Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley on Sunday, March 16. As a second-half substitute, the Italian put in a remarkable cameo performance and scored a consolation goal for the Reds. This made fans online to suggest that Chiesa should be given more opportunities to prove himself in attack by Arne Slot.

Dan Burn opened the scoring for the Magpies, having planted his header into the net, following a corner kick from Kieran Trippier in the 45th minute. In the 52nd minute Alexander Isak doubled Newcastle's lead after being set up by Jacob Murphy.

Chiesa slotted the ball into the net following a brilliant pass from Harvey Elliott in added time (90+4’). However, his late goal was unable to engineer a comeback for Liverpool, and the game ended 2-1 in favor of Newcastle United.

In 29 minutes on the pitch, Chiesa maintained a passing precision of 57% (4/7). He registered one shot on target, registered one tackle, and won four out of four ground duels contested (via Sofascore).

After the game, fans took to X to commend the Italian winger for his brilliant performance, with one tweeting:

"Only bright spot in that whole shambles was Chiesa."

"More faith in Chiesa plz Arne," another added.

"Chiesa showed more in 10 minutes than the rest did, slot needs to give him more chances," a fan opined.

"Big up chiesa though 🙏 secure the title and bin some of these bums," another chimed in.

"Chiesa you have showed me and every Liverpool fan that you should be ahead of Diaz. The only positive apart from Elliott. Thank you chiesa for showing a bright spark and showing you deserve to get on more than 5 minutes ⚡️," another said.

"It seems so so obvious that Chiesa is class, Slot needs to trust him," wrote another.

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"It was a tough week" - Arne Slot on Liverpool's recent performance

Liverpool FC v Paris Saint-Germain - UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Round of 16 Second Leg - Source: Getty

Liverpool's boss Arne Slot has claimed that the past week has been a tough one for his side. However, he added that despite the difficulty, Liverpool also managed to extend their lead in the Premier League title race to 12 points.

In a post-match interview after the Carabao Cup defeat to Newcastle United, Slot spoke about the Reds' ups and downs in the last couple of days. He said (via DaveOCKOP):

"It was a tough week but it was also a week we extended our lead to 12 points rather than 10. It wasn't all negative."

The Reds were eliminated by Paris Saint-Germain in the UCL Round of 16 on Tuesday. In the same vein, they lost to Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final. However, as the leaders in the Premier League standings, they are 12 points ahead of second-placed Arsenal.