NewsArne Slot's programme notes: A thank you to Liverpool supporters

Following the capture of the title in the Reds' last fixture at Anfield, against Tottenham Hotspur, celebrations have followed for fans and players alike in recent weeks.

In his column for today's 4.30pm BST kick-off with the Gunners, Slot writes: "The first thing for me to say ahead of this match is very straightforward – thank you.

"Thank you for the unbelievable scenes that followed our last home game and thank you to those who took the party to Stamford Bridge last week.

"The support, colour, passion, noise and joy that our supporters have created over the last two weekends is something that is very special and in my experience of football so far it is also unique.

"In these moments we are reminded why we work as hard as we do and why this club means as much as it does to so many people. This makes winning together such an incredible experience and it is one that all of us would like to recreate in the future.

"But – and I hate to be the person who comes with a 'but' in a situation like this – as well as enjoying everything about our achievement, we now have to start climbing the mountain all over again.

"I was pleased with many elements of our performance against Chelsea, particularly the way we responded to being behind, but the fact is we lost and, as a wise man once said to me, no good can ever come of losing football games. That defeat gives today's game an extra importance because ever since we were crowned champions our aim has been to end this season as strongly as we possibly can.

"As everyone knows, Arsenal are a very good team and along with Manchester City they were one of the benchmarks for us when I first arrived as head coach last June. That we have managed to finish above them is testament to the hard work and effort that has been put in by everyone at the club, on and off the pitch.

"Again, though, this is Liverpool Football Club and our aim should always be to go one better and today's game gives us an opportunity to do this. For that to happen we need absolute focus and total motivation. We also need the full Anfield experience because at its best the atmosphere in this stadium will always push our players on.

"None of this is to say we should not enjoy what we have done this season. It is just that the best way of enjoying it is by being the team, the club and the supporters that have won the Premier League.

"I would like to welcome Mikel Arteta, his players and the staff and supporters of Arsenal to Anfield for today's game. No-one needs to tell me of Arsenal's quality.

"They have shown how strong they are in this country over a number of years and have also highlighted it with their run to the Champions League semi-finals this season. Their misfortune in that competition was the same as ours in terms of coming up against an incredibly strong Paris Saint-Germain, although Arsenal at least got to wait until the last four to meet them.

"Looking back to the last time we played Arsenal back in October, that was yet another fixture in which the small margins of the Premier League were laid bare.

"I said at the time we deserved to find ourselves behind at half-time and that made our second-half fightback to get a valuable point hugely satisfying, especially after being away in Europe just a few days earlier.

"We were able to get a very good result from a very difficult away game and even though we are at home today I do not expect this fixture to be any easier. If we want to get another positive result and if we want to be able to keep on enjoying the end of this season as much as we would like to, the only way to give ourselves the best possible chance is by giving absolutely everything – on and off the pitch."

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