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Wholesome content- Gini Wijnaldum welcoming Thiago Alcantara to Liverpool on Twitter

Perhaps the type of content Liverpool fans could spend all day looking at- this exchange between Georgino Wijnaldum and Thiago Alcantara on social media site Twitter was pretty awesome. Thiago’s arrival is rumoured to potentially push Wijnaldum to the exit door, with Ronald Koeman and Barcelona said to be interested in the Dutch star.

Thiago wrote “Challenge accepted” to which Wijnaldum replied “Welcome”, and the Spaniard then replied with a “Thanks mate!”

Gini Wijnaldum and Thiago Alcantara tweets screenshot

Thiago Gini Twitter

Thiago Alcantara Wijnaldum Twitter

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Starting

Liverpool player ratings vs Leeds (H, 4-3 win)

An opening day thriller that the Reds edged despite not quite being at their best, and that is reflected in the player ratings from the local Echo newspaper. Mo Salah obviously the pick of the lot for his hat trick, but plenty of 5′ and 6’s, indicating that this was a far from comfortable win for the Reds.

Liverpool player ratings vs Leeds 2020 Echo

LFC player ratings vs Leeds 2020 Echo

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Starting

Liverpool 4 Leeds 3 | Champions given scare at Anfield

A tough opening day fixture for defending champions Liverpool as they were given a real scare by newly promoted Leeds, but Jurgen Klopp’s men managed to pick up all three points thanks to a late penalty.

Salah emulates John Aldridge

With his hat trick against Leeds, Salah became the first Liverpool player to do so on the opening day of a new league campaign since John Aldridge back in the late 80’s.

The pick of his goals was obviously the middle one, but the Egyptian star showed great mental strength to put away both penalties, especially the second one at the death. Good sides get the job done even when they’re not at their best, and Salah’s performance was integral to LFC’s win here.

Leeds will trouble a lot of sides

We were all looking forward to seeing Leeds United and Marcelo Bielsa in the top flight, and they didn’t disappoint. Not many clubs can cut open the Reds the way Bielsa’s Whites did (their third goal in particular was fantastic to watch).

If not for new signing Rodrigo Moreno’s late moment of madness, Leeds would’ve managed to come away with a point, and it would’ve been thoroughly deserved. Continue reading

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Trent Alexander Arnold named PFA Young Player of the Year, 5 LFC players in Team of the Year

Liverpool right back Trent Alexander Arnold has been rewarded for a stellar 2019-20 campaign with the PFA Young Player of the Year award. TAA is also one of five Liverpool players named in the PFA team of the year- Sadio Mane, Jordan Henderson, Andy Robertson and Virgil van Dijk are the other four.

TAA PFA Young Player of the Year 2020

Team of the Year- five LFC players in it

TOTY

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LFC pre-season done and dusted | 2 wins and 1 draw in 3 games

Liverpool’s pre-season has officially concluded this weekend following the Reds’ 7-2 win over Blackpool. Jurgen Klopp’s men actually fell 2-0 behind in this game, but turned on the style after the interval and ran out 7-2 winners over the Seasiders.

LFC pre-season results (2020/21)

LFC 3-0 Stuttgart
Salzburg 2-2 Liverpool
LFC 7-2 Blackpool

Also Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool (Community Shield, with Arsenal winning on penalties)

A curtailed pre-season, consisting of only three games, and many would agree that the 19/20 pre-season was far more taxing, including hit outs against the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Sevilla Napoli and Lyon.

LFC Pre-season in 18-19

Yes, Covid didn’t quite help matters in 20/21, but was the tough pre-season one of the reasons for the Reds’ fabulous start to the 19/20 campaign?

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Competition- Win £250 of LFC merchandise to celebrate Reds’ maiden PL title

The 2019/20 Premier League season ended only a few weeks ago, with the Reds claiming their first ever title in the modern Premier League era. The victory hasn’t still quite sunk in, and for fellow Liverpool fans, you have the chance to celebrate the club’s title win in style with a new competition offering £250 in merchandise! Continue reading

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Liverpool to take on Arsenal in Community Shield 2020

Liverpool’s opponents for the 2020 Community Shield have been confirmed, and it is Arsenal, who booked their spot against the Reds after beating fellow North London outfit Chelsea 2-1 in the FA Cup final.

The Community Shield pits the reigning Premier League champions (LFC in this case) against the FA Cup winners (now Arsenal) and is the traditional curtain raiser to the top-flight season.

The game will take place on August 29, 2020.

This will also be the first Community Shield meeting between the Reds and the Gunners since 2002. AFC prevailed 1-0 on that occasion thanks to a goal from Brazilian medio Gilberto Silva.

The new PL season will officially begin on September 12, 2020.

Comm Sh

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Liverpool player ratings vs Newcastle (A)

Liverpool finished their league campaign with a record high points tally of 99 as they beat Newcastle 3-1 on the final day of what’s been a very long Premier League season.

Here is a look at the player ratings for the Reds for this clash from the local Echo paper. Past LFC sides have been guilty of not turning up at the end of the season (remember the 6-1 v Stoke at the Britannia?), but this one did the job against Steve Bruce’s Magpies.

NUFC 1-3 LFC Player Ratings 2020 Continue reading

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Liverpool 3 Newcastle 1 | Reds sign off with victory over Magpies

Three delightful individual goals saw Liverpool conclude their league engagements on a winning note as they beat Steve Bruce’s Newcastle 3-1 at St.James Park.

Jurgen Klopp opted to make several changes from the side that had beaten Chelsea 5-3 in their last game, with the Reds’ attacking troika of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mo Salah all rested here.

NLI Continue reading

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LFC player ratings vs Atletico Madrid (UCL Ro16 First Leg Wanda Metropolitano)

Liverpool suffered a rare defeat this season as Atletico Madrid upset the Reds 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League tie. Atleti have never lost a Champions League knockout game at home under Diego Simeone, and they maintained that proud record against Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Here are the LFC player ratings for this game from the Echo. The XI is perhaps Liverpool’s strongest on paper- yet bizarrely, this happened to be the first time that this group of players have taken the pitch together in the current 19/20 season.

LFC player ratings vs Atleti Liverpool Echo 2020 Continue reading

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Liverpool 4-0 Southampton 2020 Player Ratings | Captain Jordan Henderson shines

An almost perfect weekend for Liverpool- they won 4-0 against Southampton and rivals Man City lost 2-0 to Tottenham, saw the Reds open a 22 point gap over their nearest title rivals heading into the Premier League’s winter break.

The first half wasn’t easy- one could say Southampton had the better chances, but the Reds grew into the game after the interval. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who had sealed the deal against West Ham in midweek, got the Reds up and running in the 47th minute.

Skipper Henderson doubled their advantage on the hour mark and Mo Salah netted twice in the last twenty minutes to put the icing on the cake.

Here are the player ratings from local newspaper the Echo.

Henderson excellent, but fine games for Alisson, Firmino and Salah as well.

LFC Player Ratings vs Saints 2020 Liverpool Echo Continue reading

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Player Ratings v West Ham (A)- Reds win at the London Stadium

The London Stadium was one of the spots where Liverpool slipped up last season, but there was to be no repeat of that mistake this season as goals from Salah and Ox saw the Reds ease to a 2-0 win. The victory now means Jurgen Klopp’s men have beaten each of their 19 remaining Premier League opponents this season- they didn’t play West Ham in December owing to their CWC commitments.

LFC didn’t really have to get out of second gear, as demonstrated by the number of 7’s in these player ratings. Alisson, who made crucial saves to deny Snodgrass and Rice, got a 9. Trent Alexander Arnold perhaps lucky not to score an unwitting own goal, but it was three points and a clean sheet at the end.

lfc west ham ratings player echo Continue reading

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West Ham 0-2 Liverpool | Salah and Ox give Reds another win

Liverpool extended their unbeaten run to 41 league games as they comfortably saw off the challenge of West Ham United at the London Stadium. The game was originally due to be played last month, but was postponed due to the Reds’ Club World Cup commitments, and the result now means they have opened a whopping nineteen point lead over defending champions Manchester City.

West Ham are currently managed by former Everton and Manchester United gaffer David Moyes, and the history of those two clubs with the Reds meant that this would be no walk in the park for Jurgen Klopp’s men. Moyes, aware of his side’s defensive fragility and Liverpool’s power upfront, effectively went for a 5-4-1, with Aaron Cresswell joining Issa Diop and Angelo Ogbonna as part of a three man central defence, and Arthur Masuaku and debutant Jeremy Ngakia as wing backs. The U23 star was promoted to the first team with regular right back Ryan Fredericks injured and veteran Pablo Zabaleta given a break after a gruelling month. Continue reading

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Player Ratings Shrewsbury 2-2 Liverpool FA Cup | How did Neco Williams, Matip and Lovren play?

Liverpool were held to a 2-2 draw by Shrewsbury Town on Sunday, forcing the Reds into a replay that manager Jurgen Klopp would ideally not have preferred to play. The German gaffer said after the match that U23 manager Neil Critchley, and not him, would be managing the return fixture at Anfield.

Dejan Lovren captained the side but the Croatian as well as Joel Matip, both playing for the senior team after a while, weren’t at their best. Also rusty was Fabinho, who was making his first start since November. Klopp made eleven changes to the side that had edged Wolves over the weekend, but was forced to bring Ox, Salah and Firmino off the bench in an attempt to force a result, albeit unsuccessfully.

Young Neco Williams was impressive for the Reds, who took a 2-0 lead before the home side fought back to level the game 2-2. It could’ve well been 3-2 in favour of the Shrews had Jason Cummings not missed a change to register a hat trick late in the game.

Here are the player ratings from local newspaper Liverpool Echo for the game.

LFC player ratings vs Shrewsbury Liverpool Echo 2020
Continue reading

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Echo player ratings Wolves 1-2 LFC | How did Minamino play in his first Premier League game?

Liverpool had to do things the hard way, but still emerged victorious as they beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 at Molineux. The Midlands outfit gave the Reds a stern test of their title credentials and Jurgen Klopp’s men proved equal to the task.

Young Japanese star Takumi Minamino made his maiden Premier League appearance as a first half substitute for the injured Sadio Mane.

Here is how the Echo rated Liverpool’s players following their efforts in this midweek clash. They thought Minamino “struggled with the pace of the game” on occasion and gave him a 6/10 rating.

Liverpool Player Ratings vs Wolves Echo 2020

The game also saw Alisson’s run of clean sheets broken- Raul Jimenez’s goal was the first one that the Brazilian has let past him in 2020. Liverpool’s winner came in the 84th minute, a Salah nutmeg setting up Roberto Firmino just before Klopp threw super sub Divock Origi on to the field.

LFC player ratings vs Wolves 2020 Liverpool Echo

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Sheffield United 0-1 Liverpool | Reds win but do it the hard way

Liverpool continued their fine run of form against newly promoted opposition but were made to work hard for their narrow win by Sheffield United at Bramall Lane. The result took them to seven straight wins in the 2019/20 season, keeping their five point lead intact at the top of the table.

The Reds had won their previous 12 against promoted sides, but had to wait until the 70th minute for their winner, and weren’t able to muster even a single shot on target in the first half. Jurgen Klopp chose to keep faith with the same XI that had done the business the previous week against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

SHU LIV

Liverpool’s two best chances of the first half both fell to Sadio Mane, but the usually prolific Senegalese international failed to convert both- one shot over the bar and the other hitting the woodwork. Continue reading

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Why Napoli Boss Carlo Ancelotti is the Reds’ Nemesis

Liverpool began the defence of their UEFA Champions League crown with defeat in Naples. It’s not the first time Jurgen Klopp’s crew have come unstuck in the Stadio San Paolo either.

The Reds have lost twice in the group stage to Napoli away in the space of a year. While the 1-0 reverse of October 2018 proved no barrier to European success last season, a repeat defeat in their pool opener begs the question does Carlo Ancelotti have Liverpool’s number?

History between the Napoli boss and Merseyside outfit goes back to 2005 and a city on the frontier between Europe and Asia. A little place on that cultural crossroads called Istanbul. Continue reading

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Great evening for Liverpool- Easy Champions League Draw & Awards for Alisson and Van Dijk

It was a fine evening for defending champions Liverpool at UEFA headquarters in Lyon. Not only did they get an easy Champions League draw, but goalkeeper Alisson and defender Virgil van Dijk were both honoured with awards, with the former getting “Best Goalkeeper” and the latter “Best player”- a reflection of the role the duo played in the Reds’ Champions League triumph.

While Jurgen Klopp’s men again drew Napoli in the Champions League, their group is certainly an easier one compared to last year’s. The Reds had PSG and Red Star last year; this time they have Salzburg (Austria) and Genk (Belgium). They lost all three of their away group games last season, and will definitely be aiming for a more refined performance this time around.

Group E for Liverpool 2019-20 Continue reading

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MK Dons v Liverpool in Carabao Cup- Reds draw League One opposition in third round

Liverpool have drawn League One opposition in the form of Milton Keynes Dons in the third round draw for the Carabao Cup that took place earlier this evening.

The Reds have never met MK Dons (in their current avatar, club was formed in 2004) in a competitive fixture previously- this marks the first meeting between the two sides.

The exact date of the game hasn’t been announced, but it will take place in the week commencing September 23, which means it comes right on the heels of the Chelsea away game for Jurgen Klopp’s men.

LFC MK DOns

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LFC 3-1 Arsenal | Record equalling 12th victory in Henderson’s 100th as captain

Liverpool finished Game Week 3 as the only club with a 100% record as they comfortably beat Arsenal 3-1 at Arsenal. A stellar individual performance from Mo Salah, who scored twice, helped the Reds claim a record equalling 12th consecutive Premier League victory in what was also Jordan Henderson’s 100th game as captain.

LFC starting lineup vs Arsenal 2019

Arsenal opted to give young Nicolas Pepe his full debut and the young Ivorian had their best chances of the first half- one from an Adrian mistake, another from a counter attack where he shot straight at the Spaniard, and a third from long distance that was off target.

Arsenal’s recent trips to Anfield have been painful, to put it mildly, and all the pundits expected the Reds to pile on the agony. It took them 40 minutes to get off the mark, and the unlikely source of the opener was Joel Matip, who rose ahead of Sokratis to nodd in Alexander-Arnold’s corner.

1-0 four minutes before half time became 2-0 four minutes after it as David Luiz was penalised for tugging Salah’s shirt in the box, and the Egyptian gleefully accepted the resulting penalty, sending Leno the wrong way. Continue reading

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Pundit Predictions- What is their take on Liverpool vs Arsenal?

Both Liverpool and Arsenal will look to preserve their 100% league records when they clash at Anfield in Round 3. The referee for this game is Anthony Taylor- LFC lost 4-1 when he was last in charge of this fixture.

Let’s take a look and check out pundit predictions for this LFC v Arsenal clash.

Mark Lawrenson: The BBC’s Lawro has gone for a 2-1 win to Liverpool, saying that Arsenal “don’t have any leaders in the team” and struggle defensively.

His celebrity opponent for round 3, rugby league star Stefan Ratchford, has predicted a 2-0 win for the Reds.

Charlie Nicholas: Nicholas from Sky says he’s “dreading this game” as a former Arsenal player, and has backed Liverpool to emerge 3-1 winners.

Stan Collymore and Robbie Savage echo Nicholas’ prediction- two other 3-1’s for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Michael Owen thinks Liverpool will end the weekend as sole leaders. Has backed the Reds to win, but both teams to score, meaning no clean sheet for Adrian this weekend.

Summary: Everyone expects Liverpool to win- no draw or Arsenal win here!

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Referee announced for Liverpool v Arsenal- LFC lost 4-1 the last time he was in charge of this fixture!

The referee for the Premier League’s blockbuster Match Week 3 Liverpool vs Arsenal clash has been announced, and it’s Anthony Taylor.

Taylor last officiated this fixture back in 2015, which saw the Gunners emerge 4-1 winners over the Reds. Hector Bellerin, Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Olivier Giroud scored for Arsenal that day, with Liverpool’s solitary goal coming from midfielder Jordan Henderson.

The London outfit also have a good recent record under Taylor- they did not lose a single game in the 2018/19 season when he was in charge.

Arsenal record in 2018/19 for games refereed by Anthony Taylor

Arsenal 1-1 Brighton (D)
Arsenal 2-0 Newcastle (W)
Spurs 1-1 Arsenal (D)
Arsenal 2-0 Chelsea (W)
Brighton 1-1 Arsenal (D)
Arsenal 2-0 Watford (W)
Cardiff 2-3 Arsenal (W)

Liverpool also have a decent record under Taylor, but two of their rare defeats in recent years (2-1 away to Man City in January 2019 and 1-0 away at Chelsea in May 2018), came with him in charge.

Taylor will be assisted by Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn, with Stuart Attwell in charge of VAR.

Taylor has refereed two games this season- the first saw Man Utd beat Chelsea 4-0, and the other was Brighton’s 1-1 draw against West Ham last week. Continue reading

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Pundit predictions- What is their take on Southampton vs Liverpool ?

Liverpool will be looking to make it two in a row in the Premier League when they travel to the South Coast to take on Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Southampton today afternoon. The fixtures comes barely three days after the Reds travelled to Istanbul for the UEFA Super Cup- a visit that proved fruitful thanks to Adrian’s heroics in the shootout.

Liverpool beat Norwich 4-1 at Anfield to kick off their league engagements this season, while Saints were at the receiving end of a 3-0 scoreline against Burnley at Turf Moor.

Here is a look at various pundit predictions for Saints v Liverpool.

BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson has gone for a 2-0 Liverpool win, only one of two away wins predicted by him by this weekend (the other’s Newcastle away at Norwich)

Swimmer Adam Peaty, Lawro’s opponent for GW2, has tipped a 4-0 win for Liverpool, the biggest margin of victory for any Premier League side in his predictions for the weekend.

Onto Sky, where Charlie Nicholas has gone against the grain, predicting a 2-2 draw at St.Mary’s, saying he’s “not convinced by Liverpool” this season.

Some predictions from a couple of former Liverpool players from the 90’s- Stan Collymore reckons the Reds will win 3-1. Michael Owen also expects the Reds to take all three points, and backs Roberto Firmino to find the back of the net.

Robbie Savage has echoed Collymore’s prediction- another with a 3-1 win for the visitors.

Saints legend Matt Le Tissier reckons the travel and extra minutes played in Istanbul could work in favour of Southampton, and like Nicholas, has gone for a 2-2 draw.

Jermaine Jenas: Jenas reckons Liverpool will win, but won’t keep a clean sheet, with his prediction of a 4-1 win.

Phil Thomson reckons that Southampton will come flying out of the blocks, and it’s imperative for Liverpool to survive the first 15-20 minutes. Has backed the Reds to win 2-1.

So, to sum it up, everyone thinks Liverpool will win bar Nicholas and Le Tissier, and even they think the best Saints should expect is a point.

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Spanish newspapers react to Adrian’s Super Cup heroics against Chelsea

Here are some headlines from two of Spain’s biggest newspapers, Marca & AS, reacting to Adrian’s penalty shootout heroics against Chelsea in Istanbul that saw Liverpool win the European Super Cup.

Marca went with the headline “Liverpool’s new hero” while AS chose to go with “From Unemployment to Glory”, talking about the fact that Adrian was a free agent before being snapped up by the Reds after they sold Simon Mignolet to Club Brugge.

Marca Paper Headlines Liverpool Chelsea Super Cup 2019

AS Newspaper Headline Liverpool Super Cup Adrian 2019 Continue reading

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Player Ratings- British & Foreign Newspapers react to Liverpool 4-1 Norwich

Liverpool started off their campaign with a well-deserved 4-1 win over Norwich City at Anfield. The pre-game predictions didn’t centre or whether or not the Reds would win, but on the margin of their victory and whether Norwich would score on their return to the Premier League.

The Reds wrapped up this game with four goals before half time. Norwich found the back of the net in the second half through Teemu Pukki- so impressive in the Championship last season, but the goal came against Liverpool reserve keeper Adrian, who played 50 odd minutes after Alisson walked off with an injury.

Here are some player ratings from the British & world football newspapers.

Mirror Player Ratings Liverpool 4-1 Norwich

Mirror Player Ratings Liverpool 4-1 Norwich

Gazzetta Dello Sport (Italy) player ratings for LFC 4-1 Norwich

Gazzetta also described Wijnaldum as disappointing, while lauding Divock Origi.

Gazzetta Ratings Liverpool 4-1 Norwich 2019

Telegraph player ratings- LFC 4-1 NCFC

telegraph player ratings liverpool 4-1 norwich

Liverpool 4 (Hanley own goal, Salah, Van Dijk, Origi) beat Norwich 1 (Pukki)

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Pundit predictions- What is their take on Liverpool vs Norwich?

The Premier League resumes today and Liverpool have been given the honour of kicking off the new season against newly promoted Norwich City at Anfield.

Ahead of the game, we take a look at what prominent media personalities have predicted for the game.

Mark Lawrenson from the BBC has gone for a 2-0 win to Liverpool, saying that he expects “Norwich to have the toughest time among the three sides” promoted to the Premier League this season.

England netball stars Helen Housby and Jo Harten, who are up against Lawro today, have gone for 2-0 and 3-0 wins respectively to the Reds.

Charlie Nicholas from Sky expects Norwich to have a rude welcome to life in the Premier League and has predicted a 5-0 win for Liverpool.

Stan Collymore is another who thinks Norwich won’t be able to score at Anfield, going for a 3-0 win to Liverpool.

So, to sum it up, comfortable win for Liverpool and no goals for Norwich in their first game after returning to the top flight.

Lawrenson: Liverpool 2-0 Norwich
Housby: Liverpool 2-0 Norwich
Harten: Liverpool 3-0 Norwich
Nicholas: Liverpool 5-0 Norwich
Collymore: Liverpool 3-0 Norwich