Speaking about his decision after the final whistle, Slott said: “It’s normal not to play with Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike and Mohamed Salah, but they’re all outstanding players so it makes sense.”
“Mo has had an incredible career at this club and he is a very special player who will have a very good future at this club.”
The Reds manager also pointed to the challenges of managing a small squad amidst a busy fixture schedule.
He added: “For four games in 10 days, we only have 14 or 15 outfielders available. Sometimes you have to decide on a certain lineup, and you try to pick the best lineup for every game.
“Today West Ham always have full-backs who are always up high and wingers who are always inside, so I thought this would help the team.
“But Mo is very important to this club and will be important to this club in the future.”
At this point in the season, before kick-off in London, the Reds had fallen into the bottom half of the table for the first time in over a decade.
With this win, the team moved up to 8th place, three points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa.
