Perhaps angered at being left out of Gareth Southgate’s squad, the Liverpool right-back put in a masterful performance in a comprehensive win over a lacklustre Arsenal sideNot bad for a fourth-choice right-back. The omission of Trent Alexander-Arnold from England’s squad has never felt like the kind of hill Gareth Southgate ought to linger atop for too long and here was piquant, potent evidence. This performance was a precis of everything he does best: an advertisement for his effectiveness at the highest stage that gave Liverpool sight of the plane they consider to be their own, too. Related: Jota and Salah earn crucial Liverpool win at Arsenal to boost top-four hopes Related: Arsenal 0-3 Liverpool: Premier League – as it happened...
Sergio Ramos’s injury limits score-settling from the 2018 Champions League final but there’s a season on the lineMohamed Salah did not disclose much in an interview with Marca last week but enough to let the Spanish sports daily with close ties to Real Madrid know that, yes, he is open to playing in La Liga one day and, yes, there is “special motivation” for Liverpool’s Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday. A reunion with the Spanish champions is one he and Liverpool have craved since their agonising night in Kyiv in 2018.There will be no opportunity to exact personal revenge on Sergio Ramos with the Real captain sidelined by injury, but there always was more to a tie with major implications...
Chances for Arsenal and Liverpool to boost their seasons and for Edinson Cavani and Aleksandar Mitrovic to deliver goalsIf anyone had told Mikel Arteta that last season’s gap between Arsenal and Liverpool – 43 points – would narrow to four by early April he would have been forgiven for envisaging an unlikely title battle. The truth from Arsenal’s perspective is far more mundane; Liverpool’s slump is the story and they travel to the Emirates in urgent need of a win that might recharge their top-four hopes. They cannot afford to drift any further behind Chelsea so this weekend is probably all about keeping pace, given Thomas Tuchel’s side face West Brom, This is not a fixture Arteta or Jürgen Klopp...
A team built prudently to Jürgen Klopp’s designs and geared to thrive on fine margins have lacked wiggle room in adversityThe story of Liverpool FC’s wild, thrillingly committed Premier League collapse has been told mainly in numbers so far. And to good effect. Deprived of crowds, staging or a wider emotional palette, that basic outline – 38 points down on last year; 68 home games unbeaten versus six defeats in six – has captured the starkness of a complete sporting immolation. This is a train that has simply stopped.Better to burn out than fade away, and it has to be said no one has ever won and then lost the Premier League title quite like this. It is easy to...
Luke Shaw needs England reward, Aubameyang shining at right time and Barkley’s Villa strugglesIt has been two and a half years since Luke Shaw last featured for England, in a 2-1 defeat to Spain. The left-back, however, is probably Manchester United’s most in-form player at the moment, consistently producing the goods. In defence he has looked assured all season, lifting his game since Alex Telles’ arrival from Porto in the summer finally added much-needed depth to a squad where many were sleepwalking into the side. On Sunday Shaw was again diligent against a high-on-confidence Riyad Mahrez, who struggled to make an impression for Manchester City, but things got even better with his superb run and composed finish at the other...