liverpool

PSG vs Liverpool – Match Preview

PSG host an out of form Liverpool in the first leg of this Champions League Last 8 tie. These sides were drawn in the same group in the 2018/19 Champions League. In the first meeting, which took place at Anfield, Liverpool won 3-2, courtesy of a stoppage time strike from Brazilian forward Firmino. In the return fixture, PSG ran out 2-1 winners, with the goals coming from Bernat and Neymar. These sides also met in the Last 16 of the Champions League last season. Despite getting outplayed throughout, Liverpool won the first leg 1-0 in Paris, courtesy of a late strike from Elliot, and a stellar display from Alisson. In the second leg, PSG won 1-0 after 120 minutes, courtesy of an early strike from Ballon d’Or winner Dembele, which sent the tie to penalties, where the French outfit ran out 4-1 winners, courtesy of heroics from current Manchester City goalkeeper Donnarumma. The reigning Champions of Europe did not have a successful group phase, finishing outside of the automatic knockout places. As a result, PSG had to face fellow French side AS Monaco over two legs for a spot in the Last 16. The French champions overturned a two-goal deficit to win the first leg 3-2 away from home against 10 men. In the second leg, Monaco hit the front just before half time to level the tie, but once again, Monaco got a man sent off, and PSG capitalised, scoring two quickfire goals. Teze levelled the tie on the night in injury time, but it proved to be just a consolation. Luis Enrique’s men were drawn Chelsea in the Last 16, where they comfortably progressed, winning 8-2 across the two legs. Liverpool had a solid Champions League, league phase, finishing third, only behind Bayern Munchen and Arsenal. Arne Slot’s men faced Turkish outfit Galatasaray in the Last 16. In Turkey, Liverpool lost 1-0, courtesy of an early strike from Lemina. However, in the second leg, Liverpool turned the deficit around, winning 4-0 in Merseyside, courtesy of goals from Szoboszlai, Ekitike, Gravenberch and Salah, to set up a meeting with PSG in the Last 8. PSG come into this fixture off the back of back-to-back league wins, against Nice and Toulouse, and in their last four matches in all competitions, the French outfit have found the net fifteen times. On the other hand, Liverpool come into this fixture off the back of back-to-back defeats against Brighton in the Premier League and a 4-0 defeat against Manchester City in the FA Cup in their last outing. France World Cup winner Christophe Dugarry believes that PSG will “wrap up” the quarter-final in the first leg in Paris: “It’s going to be a walk in the park, honestly. Liverpool are disastrous. Fourteen wins, ten losses, and seven draws since the start of the season in the league. They’re catastrophic. “I’m not going to say they have bad players, but they don’t play together. “In my opinion, the difference in level is colossal. I think PSG will wrap up the quarter-final in the first leg.” “They have no legs, they have nothing. Technically they have good players, they’re not clumsy, but they play at a snail’s pace. “When you see the intensity Paris Saint-Germain manages to bring today, with their legs back, with their mental strength and everything else they’ve regained…there’s no comparison between the two teams. “It’s going to be a massacre! It’s going to be a massacre.”

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UCL Roundup: Arsenal, Liverpool Advance; City, Spurs Among Big Exits

Arsenal and Liverpool both progress into the next round of the UEFA Champions League with Manchester City, Chelsea, Newcastle and Tottenham’s European Campaign’s all coming to an end.  Here is a round-up from the Round of 16 fixtures involving the six Premier League sides: Chelsea 0-3 PSG (PSG win 8-2 on aggregate) Following a tough night in the French capital last week, it didn’t get any better in London. Chelsea did have a few good chances but were no where near clinical enough – exact opposite of PSG as they were excellent in front of goal seeing off Chelsea with three goals. Chelsea started on the wrong foot as Kvaratskhelia fired PSG ahead followed by a Barcola strike eight minutes later. Mayulu sealed the win if it wasn’t already done to keep the holders in the competition as the Premier League side exit. Manchester City 1-2 Real Madrid (Real Madrid win 5-1 on aggregate) The first leg was far from expected as Valverde’s first half hat trick gave the Madrid side a valuable lead going into the leg in Manchester. Pep’s side got off to the worst start possible which saw Bernardo Silva shown red which gave the visitors a penalty after 22 minutes where Vinicius Junior dispatched to put Real Madrid further ahead. City pulled one back before the break through Haaland but was still going to be an uphill battle. City continued to huff and puff but couldn’t find another as in the dying minutes, Vinicius Junior grabbed his second to dump Man City out of the competition. Arsenal 2-0 Bayer Leverkusen (Arsenal win 3-1 on aggregate) Arsenal got the job done on home soil after a 1-1 draw in Germany last week. The Gunners were dominant for majority of the game which paid off after 36 minutes as Eze with an outstanding strike from distance right into the back of the net gave Arteta’s side a deserved lead going into the break. Arsenal were in need of a second to see off any worries where Declan Rice made no mistake and doubled the advantage on the night to see Arsenal through following a deserved victory in North London. Liverpool 4-0 Galatasaray (Liverpool win 4-1 on aggregate) It was a disappointing night in Turkey in the first leg as Liverpool fell short as the Turkish side ran away 1-0 winners but the second leg was total opposite. Liverpool started brightly where Dominic Szoboszlai had Arne Slott’s men level on aggregate after 25 minutes. Ekitike put the hosts in front six minutes into the second period and just two minutes on they had a third as Gravenberch handed Liverpool the advantage going into the latter stages. Salah had then got in on the act with a strike just after the hour mark sure no upset was on the cards and Liverpool continue. Barcelona 7-2 Newcastle (Barcelona win 8-3 on aggregate) Following a 1-1 draw in Newcastle last week, the game began as a very exciting contest. Raphinha put Barca ahead very early on but Elanga had the Premier League side back on level terms nine minutes on. Just a few minutes later, Barcelona were ahead once again, this time through Bernal who smashed the ball home in a exciting start. 10 minutes on, Elanga netted the fourth goal of the half to draw Newcastle level once again but Barca were given a late first-half penalty following a push from Trippier where wonderkid Yamal netted into the bottom right-hand corner. It continued to go down hill as the La Liga side went onto score another 4 with Lopez on target, Raphinha scoring his second as well as Robert Lewandowski grabbing a brace to end the Newcastle dreams in style. Tottenham 3-2 Atletico Madrid (Atletico Madrid win 7-5 on aggregate) The first leg was a complete horror show as three costly errors saw Atletico go ahead by three goals within 15 minutes which saw Kinsky get subbed off after just 17 minutes which saw Tottenham go on to lose 5-2 in the Spanish capital. However, it was a much improved performance in North London but just wasn’t enough to go through. Kolo Muani had Spurs’ ahead after half-an-hour where Spurs were ahead at half-time. Atletico responded right away as former Manchester City man Jullian Alvarez equalised for the visitors. Xavi Simons regained the lead for Tottenham but Hancko cancelled out the goal on 75 minutes as Atletico refused to let Tottenham have any chance of getting back into the match. Tottenham won it late on through a Simons penalty but just wasn’t enough to win the game over both legs as Igor Tudor’s men crash out. UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final Draw: PSG v Liverpool Real Madrid v Bayern Munich Barcelona v Atletico Madrid Sporting CP v Arsenal    

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Robertson coy on future ahead of crunch Champions League tie

Scotland captain Andy Robertson has shut down transfer talks linking him to Celtic, as his side looks to overturn their Champions League knockout tie against Galatasaray. The 32-year-old’s Liverpool contract runs out in the coming months, but contract plans are not at the forefront of his mind ahead of the season run-in. “I don’t think the day is the day to discuss that. “I think 24 hours before a massive Champions League game, I don’t think anyone should really be talking about their future. “We’ve got such a massive game ahead of us. “I know it’s a boring answer, and I can only apologise for that, my full focus as being a part of this time is trying to get through tomorrow night. “We’ve obviously given ourselves an uphill battle, and I think full focus has to be on that. “There’ll be time to talk about my future but I’m not sure today’s that day.” Robertson will lead Scotland to a first World Cup appearance in 28 years, and looks set to feature in the upcoming friendlies against Japan and Côte d’Ivoire. With two Premier League titles, a Champions League medal, and several domestic trophies to his name, his 2017 move to Liverpool has become a roaring success.

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“We have developed a lot” – Slot lauds Liverpool transformation after cup victory

Liverpool boss Arne Slot believes his side is in “a good place” after safely progressing to the 5th round of the FA Cup against Brighton. Speaking at full-time, the Dutch boss praised his team’s clinical nature. “Satisfying because we scored three, and that’s not really been coming for us. To create a lot of chances has been. To score three with the chances we did have has not happened that many times this season so I am really pleased with that. “I thought we were up already earlier but not many moments later we scored from a full-back and another full-back attacking the box and that tells you how much these players want to score a goal. The second goal was even nicer than the first one. “It started out with us bringing the ball out from the back. It was two teams wanting to bring the ball out from the back which you don’t see that much anymore in the Premier League. It was a great team goal, a great switch and Mohamed Salah laying it off and the finish was probably the nicest part of the attack. Liverpool sit 6th in the Premier League, but have struggled to recapture the consistent form that lauded a first league title since 2020. But with Champions League knockout football on the horizon, Slot believes his side are in a good position heading into the run in. “In the end we get players back. It is fair to say we have developed a lot from two, three or four months ago. We are much more able to bring the intensity levels that are needed in the Premier League and Champions League after two days rest. Most of these players are young so there is a lot more to come from them. That is why we did what we did in the summer. Giving them time to adjust also cost us too many points that is also clear but the team is in a good place at the moment.” The Reds return to League action against Nottingham Forest next Sunday, aiming to return to the top four, ahead of a key fixture run.

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“They Knew in That Dressing Room What They’d Done” – Kenny Dalglish Exclusive on Parkhead Return

Celtic hero Kenny Dalglish lifted the lid on what went wrong upon his return to Celtic Park as Director of Football in 1999, speaking exclusively on The Warm-Up, presented by William Hill.  The Parkhead legend’s comeback overseen the ill-fated tenure of John Barnes as manager, with Dalglish quick to remember that his fellow Liverpool icon enjoyed a successful start to life in Glasgow. However, the 74-year-old revealed that he was apprehensive in showing Barnes support to avoid undermining him. Speaking to The Warm-Up, Dalglish said: “They asked me to make recommendations, and that [appointing Barnes] was one I made. “He had the second best start of any Celtic manager, at that time. They went to Aberdeen first game of the season and won 5-0. “Really, I didn’t know when to help him. I could maybe have helped him, and maybe I should’ve helped him, then I’m saying I don’t want to show up in front of the boys. I didn’t want to try and feel like I was trying to do that [undermining] because I never. “So I suppose that was my mistake.” Dalglish would step in as interim manager until the end of the season following Barnes dismissal after an infamous home 3-1 defeat to Inverness Caledonian Thistle, and pulled no punches on how he felt about the players he inherited. “They were disgraceful. Well there’s an example, the last game of the season, there was eight or nine boys making their debut. “I didn’t regret going back. I regretted not helping maybe more than I could have, but I was trying to do it in John’s best interests. “When he left, I think they knew in that dressing room what they’d done. And if they never they got told anyway.” ‘King’ Kenny’s first role in management came as player/manager at Liverpool in 1985. Replacing Joe Fagan after the Heysel Stadium disaster, Dalglish took the reins at Anfield despite having three years left of a four-year playing deal, to the disbelief of himself and his wife Marina. “They [chairman and chief executive] said “we want to offer you the manager’s job” and I put the phone down. “And I said to Marina, they’ve just been on the phone there, they want to offer me the manager’s job. “She went ‘why?’. I says I don’t know, I was doing alright as well in the games! “I still don’t know why [they offered him the job]. I said yes, but if I’m garbage I’m going back to being a player, that was the first thing I said to them.” His first season ended with the club’s first double, pipping city rivals Everton to the league title by two points, in a season which seen Dalglish select himself and score the winner on the final day, before making the Toffees runners-up again in the F.A Cup final. As a player, he is revered at club and international level, amassing 102 caps and scoring 30 goals for Scotland, both of which are still national records. With current Scottish captain Andrew Robertson hot on the heels of his record with 90 current caps, Dalglish has some friendly advice for another Liverpool legend. “I think he should retire from international football! “It would be nice if we would [break the caps record], wouldn’t it? “I’ll let him have it!” Dalglish talks on the above and much more on the full episode of The Warm-Up, brought to you by William Hill, including breaking through after the Lisbon Lions at Celtic under Jock Stein, as well as a hilarious story with host Chris Sutton fancying himself at centre-half during Dalglish’s time as Blackburn Rovers boss. Kenny Dalglish features on The Warm-Up, the William Hill SPFL’s weekly preview show. Check out the full episode: https://www.youtube.com/@WilliamHillSPFL

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Kenny Dalglish Exclusive – Anfield Legend’s Advice for Scotland Captain Robertson

Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish has wished that Scotland captain Andrew Robertson stays at Anfield until the expiry of his contract this summer. The left back’s deal in Merseyside runs out at the end of this season, with rumoured interest from Tottenham Hotspur being reported this month for a cut-price transfer. But compatriot Dalglish revealed exclusively on The Warm-Up, presented by William Hill, that he hopes the 31-year-old remains at the Premier League holders until the summer to ensure of a fitting send-off. Dalglish said: “I hope he stays where he is, because he’s been brilliant for Liverpool. “He’s a decent fella—he’s done a great job. “I don’t know if he’s going to move on from Liverpool. It may be best to just let it run its course. When his contract is up, it’s up. “And if he has to go somewhere else, it will be sad. I hope the Liverpool supporters get the opportunity, if he is going to go, to say cheerio to him.” The Scotland captain joined Liverpool from Hull City in 2017, but had faced stiff competition this season for playing time since the Reds signed Hungarian Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth last summer. Spurs have already made their interest clear, and there have been murmurs of a move back to his homeland to boyhood heroes Celtic, who released Robertson at youth level. Dalglish talks Andy Robertson and more on this upcoming episode of The Warm-Up, brought to you by William Hill, where footballing icon is joined by Kris Boyd, Steven Naismith and Chris Sutton for a comprehensive conversation covering his early days growing up in Glasgow and his journey through Jock Stein’s Celtic and Liverpool – becoming arguably the greatest player Scotland has ever produced. On Monday 2nd February, the full episode will be published – including stories of Kenny’s early days at Celtic, how his Dad became one of the only people to ever stand up to Jock Stein, being part of a Tartan revolution at Liverpool before successfully moving into management. Kenny Dalglish features on The Warm-Up, the William Hill SPFL’s weekly preview show. Check out the full episode here from Monday: https://www.youtube.com/@WilliamHillSPFL

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Arsenal vs Liverpool – Match Preview

Arsenal return to North London on Thursday night where they will welcome champions Liverpool to the Emirates. The previous meeting between these sides came at the end of August, where Dominik Szoboszlai’s fantastic free kick was the difference. In the two meetings between these sides last season, there was nothing to separates them, with both games ending in a 2-2 draw. In the first meeting, which took place in North London, Arsenal found themselves in front on two occasions, however, Arne Slot’s side responded twice to secure a point. In the other meeting, it was Arsenal who fought back. Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz both found net in the space of a minute, but second-half goals from Mikel Merino and Gabriel Martinelli secured Mikel Arteta’s side a point. Arsenal come into this fixture off the back of a narrow 3-2 win against Bournemouth away from home. Within 10 minutes, Evanilson pounced on an uncharacteristic Gabriel mistake to give the hosts the lead, but just over 5 minutes later, Gabriel scored an equaliser. Into the second period, Declan Rice scored a brace to put Arsenal in a commanding 3-1 lead, however, that deficit was reduced shortly after when Junior Kroupi found the net with a screamer from outside the area, but in the end it was only a consolation for Bournemouth, who have now failed to win in their last 11 attempts. With results going in their favour, Arsenal now sit 6 points ahead of Manchester City and Aston Villa, going into Thursday night’s blockbuster clash. Liverpool come into the fixture off the back of a 2-2 draw away against Fulham. Liverpool found what they thought was the winner in the 94th minute, when Cody Gakpo got on the end of a Jeremie Frimpong cross to convert from close range, however, in the 7th minute of additional time, Harrison Reed scored an absolute screamer to give the hosts a point. Arsenal have made the Emirates a fortress this season. In their 13 matches at home, the Gunners have won 13, drawn 2, and in that run, scored 38 and only conceded 7. On the other hand, Liverpool don’t have a great record on the road so far this league campaign. The Merseyside outfit have won 4, drawn 2 and lost 4 on their travels. Mikel Arteta on Declan Rice: “Declan Rice is constantly adding things to his game. He’s constantly adding things to his role in the team. “I don’t see where he can stop because he can still improve in a lot of areas and he wants to improve. So, yeah, he’s such a pivotal player for us.” Arne Slot on Arsenal: “We look at that game [at Anfield in August] as well but that was the start, with new players for both teams, we did well defensively that game and you need to do well defensively to even have a chance to win it. Of course the fans help but our away fans will be a big help for us as well. We watch that August game but Arsenal have played a few others since then. Under Mikel, it is the same so much with some new things but we can expect a similar team and way of playing. Their fans will be up for it. They are top, incredible team and manager, so they look forward to this but so do we.”

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Liverpool 1-0 Real Madrid: Slot’s men record huge Champions League Victory

An Alexis Mac Allister header gives Liverpool all three points and a famous victory at Anfield. Real Madrid travel to England to face Premier League holders, Liverpool in an eye catching tie as well as Trent Alexander-Arnold returning to face his boyhood side. The opening start was fairly even with both sides enduring time on the ball, but failing to give either keepers any issue. Excellent pressing by Wirtz gave the hosts a big chance, Alexis Mac Allister but the midfielder was leaning back as the shot was taken on which ended going wide. It was a very passive start by the La Liga outfit but Mbappe had a star chance but just like Mac Allister, the striker was leaning back as he skied his opportunity to keep the tie on level terms. Liverpool came very close after 27 mins, a run on the right by Wirtz following a mistake by the visitors, Wirtz with a ball into Szoboszlai but Courtois making himself big to stop the Premier League side gaining a vital lead. After 30 mins, there was a penalty check for possible handball by Vinicius Junior which was originally given as a free-kick. After a lengthy check, the decision was overturned giving the Madrid side the benefit of the doubt. Szobolzlai had a chance a few minutes on but a simple stop for the Real Madrid number one. Late action in the first half as Bellingham works his way into the box, unleashing a strike which was well stopped by the feet of Mamardashvili keeping the game goalless. As both sides went into the break, Liverpool were quite clearly on top but unable to break the deadlock as both sides go in hunting for a second half goal. An early corner for the hosts, Van Dijk was up high and strong but a massive stop by Courtois to tip it over and onto the following corner, Ekitike with a strong header but yet again, Courtois to safety tipping it over the bar. Szobolzlai came close again, a powerful free-kick well punched out by Belgium international, Courtois. Alexis Mac Allister fired the Kop ahead after the hour mark, a free kick in from Szobolszlai as the Argentina international heads home from close range as Courtois is eventually beaten and the hosts get the crucial lead but VAR was ready to spoil the celebrations but after a check, the goal stood. Mbappe almost levelled the game up after 75 as a clipped shot from distance spun wide and kept Real Madrid chasing for an equaliser. Boos rang around Anfield as former red, Trent Alexander-Arnold came on for the final 10 minutes receiving a bad reception on his return but this time in Real Madrid colours as Boos rang around every time the full-back got on the ball. Real Madrid continued to try and find a goal back but failing to find any way to goal but Liverpool were still the mood for more but looked to heading towards a tight victory in Merseyside. Liverpool claimed the major win as they defeat European giants at Anfield in the UEFA Champions League. Player ratings Liverpool: Mamardasvili (8), Konate (7), Robertson (7), Van Dijk (9), Bradley (9), Szoboszlai (10), Gravenberch (8), Mac Allister (10), Wirtz (9), Ekitike (8). Subs: Gakpo (6), Jones (6), Kerkez (6), Chiesa (7). Real Madrid: Courtois (9), Valverde (7), Militao (7), Huijsen (6), Carreras (6), Tchouameni (7), Camavinga (7), Guler (7), Bellingham (8), Vinicius Junior (6), Mbappe (7). Subs: Rodrygo (6), Alexander-Arnold (6), Diaz (6).      

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Liverpool 1-2 Manchester United: Red Devils Seal First Anfield Victory Since 2016

Liverpool 1-2 Manchester United Gakpo (78′)                       Mbeumo (2′) Maguire (84′) A towering Harry Maguire header ended United’s nine-year wait for an Anfield victory, inflicting Liverpool’s fourth straight defeat. United snatched the lead within two minutes. Referee Michael Oliver allowed play to continue despite Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister collapsing with a head injury after an accidental elbow from teammate Virgil van Dijk, leaving Mbeumo free to smash past Giorgi Mamardashvili. Cody Gakpo levelled proceedings 12 minutes from the final whistle. After a stramash in the penalty box, substitutes Hugo Ekitike and Federico Chiesa linked, with the latter firing a low cross for Gakpo to finish. The equaliser galvanised Anfield; the home side looked set to take advantage of the momentum, but it was Amorim’s Reds who had the last laugh. United captain Bruno Fernandes lifted a brilliant volleyed pass to the back post in the 84th minute. Maguire rose to power across the stranded Mamardashvili. The monumental win lifts United two points behind Liverpool in the Premier League table. Arne Slot’s men are now four games without victory, sitting fourth in the table. The Anfield side travel to Frankfurt for a crucial Champions League tie on Wednesday, returning to league action on Saturday night against Brentford. United welcome Brighton to Old Trafford on Saturday night, looking to produce their third straight League win. Liverpool: Mamardashvili, Van Dijk, Konate, Kerkez, Isak (Chiesa 72′) Szoboszlai, Mac Allister (Ekitiké 62′) Salah (Frimpong 85′) Bradley (Wirtz 62′) Gakpo, Gravenberch (Jones 62′) Man Utd: Lammens, Dalot, De Ligt, Maguire, Mount (Šeško 61′) Fernandes (Mainoo 85′) Cunha, Amad (Dorgu 58′) Casemiro (Ugarte 58′) Mbeumo, Shaw (Yoro 85′)

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