Liverpool - News

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Liverpool are ready to challenge Arsenal for the signing of Spain midfielder Martin Zubimendi, 25, from Real Sociedad.

Saudi Arabian club Al Ittihad will try again to sign Liverpool and Egypt forward Mohamed Salah, 31, this summer, having failed in a bid last summer.

Liverpool are not expecting Spain midfielder Thiago Alcantara, 32, to stay at the club beyond this summer.

Liverpool are monitoring Fulham left-back Antonee Robinson, 26, before a potential summer move.

Liverpool are monitoring Juventus and Italy forward Federico Chiesa, 26. 

Liverpool have made contact with Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso following Jurgen Klopp's decision to leave the club at the end of the season. 

Liverpool 3-1 Burnley: What Klopp said:

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Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp speaking to Sky Sports after the win at Anfield: "I can really imagine how Vincent Kompany is feeling right now because they did a lot of good stuff and made it really uncomfortable for us. But, in general, besides the first 15 minutes when we were in a rush and we played too early, they had counter-attacks and situations and that was a problem. Then we calmed it down and scored wonderful goals.

"We knew at half-time what we had to do. We were in control but of course we had to change Trent Alexander-Arnold and we are short on defenders. Curtis Jones did incredibly well, like Harvey Elliott did when he came on.

"It was a difficult game with strange circumstances. It's just with all the things that happened with the players [we have] out, the goalkeeper stepping aside, it was the perfect afternoon - besides the Trent thing, obviously."

On Trent Alexander-Arnold's injury: "[It's the] same area in the knee. Nothing really bad but he felt it again and we have to see. We will assess it. We were made aware of it in the game so thought 'what can we do' and then Trent said 'it's fine'. But it's not as he feels it, so we had to be careful and take him off."

On being in the title race: "I know it's every week. You add in Tottenham, who got a big win today. Aston Villa play tomorrow. They are all in the mix, and Arsenal obviously.

"Two weeks ago, we had the perfect squad situation. Two weeks later, we are short in each area. Like, wow. It all can happen. We all need luck to get through it, when you don't have that you have to fight through it."

On Joe Gomez and Alisson: "We thought Joe Gomez would be back but he had a temparture yesterday so we had to send him home. Alisson felt unwell, he couldn't sleep or eat really so that's not helpful."

On his yellow card: "It was emotional, definitely. Imagine in this game and the referee has a blue card available? It would have been the wild west. There were so many yellow cards today. I had no clue why Vincent Kompany got it. I lost it in that situation so, fine, give me a yellow card. As long as I don't get a blue one and have to sit somewhere for 10 minutes!"

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We asked you for your thoughts on Saturday's Premier League match between Liverpool and Burnley.

Here are some of your comments:

Liverpool fans

Daniel: Considering the amount of injuries and illnesses we have in our team, and having a lot of key players missing in the likes of Alisson, Joe Gomez, Conor Bradley and Dominik Szoboszlai, this was a job well done. That front three of Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez worked really well and they have shown consistency. A great win and further development in this exciting title race.

Andre: Once again Liverpool played below par but managed to get the win. I’m worried about the number of chances they have on goal. Goals win games, nothing else, but I realise a number of key players are missing.

Chris: The sooner Bradley is back, the better. We need to play Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield. I know he was carrying injury but it seems like he doesn't want to play there anymore. The goalkeeper was very good today for all the negativity he got in his last few games. We need to get players back from injury because there's a lot of games to be played.

Fred: We will need to step up a gear if we're going to win the Premier League. How crucial will that 0-0 against Manchester United be? As for Klopp announcing his departure in January with 17 games to go and us fighting on all four fronts, I will never understand that!

'Alonso's only focus is what he's achieving with Bayer Leverkusen'..

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Daily Mail journalist Dominic King says Xabi Alonso is "not thinking about Liverpool" despite being constantly linked with replacing Jurgen Klopp as manager at the end of the season.

Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen are five points clear at the top of the Bundesliga, and still unbeaten, after an impressive 3-0 win over Bayern Munich on Saturday.

Alonso won the Champions League as a player at Liverpool and is the favourite to succeed Klopp when his nine-year spell in charge at Anfield comes to an end in the summer.

"The thing about Xabi is, I think he's been plotting to be a manager for most of his life," King told BBC Radio Merseyside's Total Sport programme.

"Everything about that performance (against Bayern) was down to the players following a clear plan.

"I spoke to Jonathan Tah, the main central defender, and he was talking about the repetition that Xabi enforces in training so everybody knows what they have to do.

"You can see it a mile off, they look so much better coached than Bayern Munich were. That's saying that about a manager like Thomas Tuchel and the CV he's got.

"He's not thinking about Liverpool. Of course it's a romantic storyline for everybody and he is probably the overwhelming candidate, but believe me when I say his only focus at the minute is what he's achieving with Bayer Leverkusen.

"He's going to potentially make some kind of history this year. Knowing the type of character he is, that's all he's bothered about."

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Football fan banned for Mohamed Salah abuse and disaster taunts..

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A football fan who shouted racist abuse about Liverpool's Mohamed Salah and mocked the Heysel stadium disaster has been banned from matches.

Joel Barwise shouted when Salah's name was announced at Anfield on 21 October before the Merseyside derby.

Everton fan Barwise also made pushing gestures to taunt fans about Heysel, in which 39 fans died in a crush before the 1985 European Cup final.

He was handed a three-year banning order at Sefton Magistrates' Court.

The 26-year-old pleaded guilty to racially or religiously aggravated harassment causing alarm or distress by words or writing.

Barwise, of Bentham Drive in Childwall, Liverpool, was also fined £500.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said he was spotted by a match steward shouting racist abuse and making the other gestures.

Merseyside Police identified him from CCTV and he was later arrested.

The CPS said he initially claimed it was a case of mistaken identity before later admitting he was responsible.

Asked why he had done it, Barwise said: "Because I'm an idiot."

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His banning order means he cannot attend any football match in the UK over that time.

When international matches are being staged abroad, Barwise must surrender his passport.

He also cannot go within a mile of any Everton match, home or away, or within a mile of Liverpool Lime Street station on matchdays, the CPS said.

Senior crown prosecutor Angela Conlan described his behaviour as "disgraceful".

She said: "Joel Barwise no doubt thinks of himself as a loyal Everton fan but his actions bring shame to his club.

"He made fun of a tragic football disaster and shouted racist abuse when a key Liverpool player's name was announced."

Liverpool won the game 2-0 with Salah scoring both goals.

SATURDAY 17th FEBRUARY 2024 - PREMIER LEAGUE

Brentford 1 (Toney 75) Liverpool 4 (Nunez 35, MacAllister 55, Salah 68, Gakpo 86)

Report By Timothy Abraham, BBC Sport.
Mohamed Salah scored on his return from injury as Liverpool beat Brentford to maintain their lead at the top of the Premier League.
Darwin Nunez put Liverpool ahead with a superb chip before Alexis Mac Allister poked in a second at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Salah, back from a hamstring problem sustained on Egypt duty at the Africa Cup of Nations, got on the scoresheet with a crisp finish.
Ivan Toney pulled a goal back for Brentford, but Cody Gakpo added the gloss for Liverpool with a late strike.
The victory temporarily sent Liverpool five points clear at the summit, but Arsenal's 5-0 victory over Burnley later in the day reduced the deficit to two points again.
The only sour points for Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp from the win at the Gtech Community Stadium were more additions to a lengthening injury list.
Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota were taken off before half-time, while Nunez was substituted at the interval.
"We have to see how much it costs us - we don't know that yet," Klopp said of the injuries.
"Curtis got a knock on the lower part of his shin, or above the ankle. We will see what that means. It was what he felt, but he was not 100 per cent sure. That Curtis cannot play on tells you that it must be something because he would have played on at all costs.
"Diogo looks probably the worst; I didn't see it back but I heard the pictures didn't look great as well, so we have to see there.
"Darwin, we took off because he felt really a little [something] but that was obviously today enough to immediately push the brake and that's what we did, so we took him off."

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Darwin Nunez produces the perfect lob to beat Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken and give Liverpool their first-half lead

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Nunez is congratulated by Alexis Mac Allister and Virgil van Dijk after opening the scoring in west London

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Alexis Mac Allister scores Liverpool's second goal of the contest on 55 minutes as he was well-placed to convert Salah's ball

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Mac Allister celebrates with Virgil van Dijk after Liverpool found the net for the second time 10 minutes after the interval

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Mohamed Salah added Liverpool's third goal on 68 minutes as the Egyptian forward marked his return from a hamstring injury

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Salah jumps for joy in front of the travelling Liverpool supporters at the Gtech Community Stadium after making it three-nil

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Ivan Toney replied for Brentford, offering brief hope of a fightback, before Liverpool killed them off with a fourth goal

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Cody Gakpo snuffed out all hope of a Brentford revival when he broke clear before finishing coolly past Flekken for 4-1

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Diogo Jota: Liverpool forward out for 'months' with knee injury, says boss Jurgen Klopp..

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Jota set up Liverpool's opener for Darwin Nunez before going off injured at Brentford

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp forward Diogo Jota faces "months" out with a knee injury he sustained in the win at Brentford on Saturday.

Jota was taken off on a stretcher just before half-time after Bees midfielder Christian Norgaard fell on his leg.

"With Diogo it will obviously take months," said Klopp, speaking before his side play Luton in the Premier League on Wednesday.

A report in Jota's native Portugal said he faced about two months out.

However, it added he is expected to return before the season finishes and prior to Euro 2024 in the summer.

"Another setback. I will fight to be back as soon as possible," said Jota, who has 14 goals in 28 appearances for the Reds this season, on social media.

Jota won the January player of the month award before the Brentford match and will miss the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea on Sunday as part of his absence.

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We asked you for your thoughts on Saturday's Premier League match between Brentford and Liverpool. Here are some of your comments.

Liverpool fans

Mark: A great result at a very tricky away game. Mo Salah looked like he's never been away. Conor Bradley continues to be a revelation. Kelleher really stepped up again. Just got to hope the injuries aren't as bad as they seemed.

Fraser: Overall, a comfortable performance and result. It's great to have Salah and Bradley back, both of them played really well. Nunez also had a good game. However, losing both Jota and Jones is a huge blow and our injury list is very worrying. Nevertheless, we got the three points which is what matters. Keep up the good work, lads!

Sonny: Darwin Nunez, what a player. I didn't expect him to score that one-on-one but his finish was delightful! The injuries are not so good and we are now the most injury-hit squad in the league - but top of it! A great, dominant performance and on we march!

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We asked for your thoughts on whether Liverpool will still be able to challenge for the Premier League title with their current injury list. Here are some of your responses...

James: Even with the likes of Jota, Szoboszlai and Alisson out injured, this season bodes well for Liverpool because the chemistry in the team has never been stronger. The air of confidence exuberated by these players shows a level of depth we've not seen since the wonder years of the 1980s. It puts Liverpool in a pivotal position to not just win the title, but also the quadruple.

Gordon: Sadly, the number of injuries will curtail an assault on four fronts. Perhaps they need to concentrate on what they see as a priority trophy, or the one they think they have the best chance of winning. I can't see that happening, though. There's lots of chatter about players returning too early - this needs to be looked at alongside the number of games and intensity of style.

Pete: Ordinarily, I would say that many injuries to that many key players would completely derail a challenge for trophies at such a crucial stage, but there is just something special about the way our academy players have stepped up this season. I'm cautiously optimistic that solutions can be found for those missing. One thing I know is it won't be boring!

Paul: The injuries have ruined our season. I have no doubt that we will drop points at home to Luton Town and that we will lose the Carabao Cup final heavily. Unfortunately, we will win nothing this season, which is a great shame now that we know Klopp is leaving.

David: Every team gets injuries. It reflects well on Liverpool so far that they have managed to come through the fixtures with their Premier League lead still intact. These next few weeks will be key but, when you see players like Bradley, McConnell and Clark come in and do well, then you have to think it can be done!