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  • TLW
    Liverpool captain Virgil Van Dijk has spoken about the hurt that the squad felt after their heartbreaking extra-time defeat to Man United in the FA Cup.
     
    Three weeks down the line and the league leaders are preparing themselves to meet their bitter rivals at Old Trafford once again and very keen to extinguish those bitter memories.
     
    The cup defeat will arguably go down as one of the more infuriating in recent times as for most of the game, it seemed like the visitors were in control only for defensive sloppiness and lack of a clinical finish in the final third costing them dearly.
     
    What added to the frustration from a fans point of view was that it was another game that this vastly superior outfit failed to clinch a victory at the home of their  beleaguered rivals.
     
    But the beauty of Football is that it produces an opportunity to correct the record and that will occur tomorrow afternoon.
     
    And going by comments from Van Dijk (per the Echo) they will carry that loss with them.
     
    “Of course it is still fresh, it was very disappointing, losing is never good. Especially the way we lost that day, it's something that hurt in the 24 hours after the game.
     
    “You want to go to Wembley, you want to go and play that semi-final, but we had to quickly switch to the national team.
     
    “What do we need to do better? Win the game! They started the game well and got the crowd behind them and it gave them a push. Conceding the goal was disappointing but after that we controlled the game and scored two good goals and could have done better.
     
    "But we kept them alive and they made use of it in the best way possible. That's credit to them but we are going there on Sunday to turn it around and make sure we get the three points.”
     

     
    While the general consistency of Liverpool this season has been impressive, one thing they do need to rectify if they want to lift the league trophy is May is their record against other members of the current top six.
     
    It currently sits at one win ( vs Aston Villa in Early September) four draws and two defeats.
     
    With the fixture tomorrow along with games against Tottenham and Villa to come, it presents an opportunity to rectify that.
     
    And you sense that is what Van Dijk is referring to when he mentions not focussing on the one opponent as to him and the team in general it is just one more hurdle on the way to potential glory.
     
    “We want to win every game, that's the focus at Liverpool. We know how much it (Man United fixture) means and how big it is for the outside world but for us we are in a phase that we can't lose points so we are going there in order to get the three points.
     
    “We have only one goal going there, to try and win the game, and we're going to give everything and we need everyone at their best. I think [composure] is key. In nervous moments, the crowd could get nervous, you want to rush things, that can be part of the game.
     
    "The difference-maker will be being calm and making the right choices but still be full of aggression and going for it. I think we've been showing it already for a very long time that we have that quality and we have to keep doing it."
     
     
  • Another weekend completely skewed by referees and VAR. So many games were unduly influenced by it, with West Ham and Burnley getting especially fucked over.
     
    I don’t understand referees at all you know. If I was a ref and I was watching games that I wasn’t in charge of, I’d be making a mental note of who the biggest cheating cunts are and I’d be making sure they don’t get anything from me unless it’s absolutely stonewall. 
     
    Top of that list, even above Richarlison and Fernandes, would be that Myra Hindley looking twat at Newcastle. I’d never give him anything, because his first thought in any situation is to cheat. He’ll only cross or shoot if the dive isn’t on, and he’s not even very good at it. You can tell immediately what he’s done. Most of us can anyway. 
     
    That soft cunt ref at the weekend needs his arse kicking, and even more so the bellend on VAR. Gordon does the same thing for both pens. Since when has just sticking your leg in front of a defender as he tries to clear the ball been a foul? I don’t mean when you’re the one in possession and you step in front to shield it, I mean just coming from nowhere, completely ignoring the ball and just planting your foot there as the defender is about to kick the ball.
     
    He did it twice and got two penalties. He’s a horrible, cheating little shitbag but if refs are going to reward it then I don’t blame him. He’s won that game for his team with his cheating, so as long as the refs are too stupid to realise then he’ll keep doing it. Maybe they’re after side gigs in Saudi, or maybe they’re just incompetent. Either way, Moyes had a right to be furious after this but he was fairly restrained under the circumstances.
     
    Isak converted the first penalty to put Newcastle ahead but the Hammers came roaring back. Antonio equalised when he ran onto a pass by Paqueta and finished well. Kudus made it 2-1 with a goal that had Newcastle’s players protesting. Nothing wrong with that, Kudus was fouled by Schar who was rolling around on the floor feigning a facial injury. Ward-Prowse took a free-kick and Kudus ended up scoring. The ref did the right thing in letting that free-kick be taken, as why should Newcastle benefit from committing a foul? 
     
    Bowen made it 3-1 with a composed finish after being picked out by the lively Kudus. Cracking counter attack goal that, but Newcastle’s defenders were nowhere to be seen.
     
    Kudus isn’t consistent but when he’s on it he’s fucking boss. With him, Bowen, Paqueta and Ward-Prowse the Hammers have got some real talent. They need a centre forward though badly. Antonio is not the answer, unless the question is “which striker has a handful of great games a season, spends the rest of the time being injured or shit and mocks other fellow professionals on a podcast with fellow crock Calum Wilson?”
     
    Longstaff made a mess of a good opportunity and the crowd turned on Newcastle. Then VAR got them back into it. The ref didn’t give the penalty but VAR sent him to the screen and then he did. Here’s the huge problem I have with this. All season we’ve been told that VAR doesn’t get involved with penalty decisions unless it’s a howler. Yet somehow this foul by Gordon on Phillips was seen as a penalty the other way. It’s a fucking disgrace really.
     
    Isak buried the pen again and then sub Harvey Barnes bagged a brace to win it for Newcastle. Moyes is getting pelters from the Hammers fans because he subbed Antonio for Phillips and that’s when it all started to go wrong, but the penalty changed everything really.
     
    Gordon was sent off for two yellows. Should have been at least four considering the two penalties he cheated to win, the horrible cunt. He’s destined to end up at United him. Mark my words. He’ll be there in a year or two, going the full Rooney See No Evil Hear No Evil as their fans are chanting about scouse this and scouse that.
  • I was really looking forward to this game. Not because I was expecting a goalfest (would have been nice of course), just that I thought it would be one of the few games we have left that should be fairly stress free and comfortable. Maybe even the only one.
     
    If you look at the 3-1 scoreline and you don’t know the time of the goals, it probably looks quite comfortable. It was anything but though. We went through the ringer again.
     
    There’s no harm done, we won the game and went back to the top of the table, so it feels a bit entitled of me to be unhappy about this. Unhappy is too strong a word anyway, I’m definitely not unhappy, but I am somewhat irked. Irritated even. It’s not that I was demanding we score loads of goals, I just didn’t want to go through the mill again, you know? Can’t we just have an easy, stress free win for once during a run in? If you can’t have it against the worst team in the league then I guess not. This is how the next eight games are going to be isn’t it? This was supposed to be the easy one.
     
    My problem with this game is the first half. We just didn’t do anywhere near enough, despite having virtually all of the ball. How many saves did their keeper make? I can think of one, but maybe there were others. We broke the record for possession apparently, but barely threatened. I just think it was too easy, especially after we went 1-0 up. When it’s like that we often see a lack of urgency. An attitude of “it’s fine, it’ll come eventually”. That’s not how it works though, you have to make it happen.
     
    The urgency we saw after they scored, where was that before? If we’d shown that in the first half we could have gone in 3-0 up and put our feet up in the second half, made a load of subs and kept everyone fresh for the weekend. Instead we had to go to the well again to win it late. 
  • The Reds returned to the top of the table after a 3-1 win over bottom club Sheffield United, but it was considerably more stressful than it needed to be and it needed a late thunderbolt from Alexis Mac Allister to break the deadlock before Cody Gakpo wrapped it up in stoppage time.
     
    TLW Editor Dave Usher is joined by Julian Richards and Paul Natton to reflect on the night's action as well as to discuss the ongoing manager search and preview the huge game at Old Trafford this Sunday.
     
     
     
  • Liverpool and Crystal Palace will clash for the second time in the Premier League this season. The first installment between the two sides was entertaining with the contest ending in a 2-1 win for the Reds. Jurgen Klopp’s enterprising side have rediscovered their mojo this season and have been breezing past opposition with ease.
     
    As of the time of writing, Liverpool currently sit on top of the Premier League with 67 points after 29 games, while Crystal Palace have garnered 30 points from 29 games.
     
    After an underwhelming season last campaign, Liverpool, during the summer, started their squad rebuild and a few exits happened, primarily to the Saudi Pro League. Former captain Jordan Henderson joined Al-Ettifaq alongside club legend Steven Gerrard, while Roberto Firmino and Fabinho headed to Al-Ahli Saudi and Al-Ittihad, respectively. In terms of recruitment, Klopp decided to strengthen the squad with the signing of Hungarian captain Dominik Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig, World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton and Hove Albion, Ryan Gravenberch from Bayern Munich, and Wataru Endo joining the ranks from Stuttgart.
     
    The Reds began their title challenge with a 1-1 draw with Chelsea in their season opener, which that was followed by five consecutive wins against Bournemouth, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Wolves, and West Ham. The first league defeat of the season came controversially at Tottenham before another draw with Brighton. However, Klopp’s side bounced back with victories against Everton, Nottingham Forest, Luton Town, Brentford, Fulham, and Sheffield, and a hard-fought win over Crystal Palace that saw Salah score his 200th goal for the club.
     
    To kick things off in 2024, the Reds have already beaten Bournemouth 4-0 on the road in the Premier League and won the Carabao Cup final with an extra time winner by Virgil Van Dijk sinking Chelsea at Wembley. The Reds also thumped Chelsea 4-1 in the league before losing 3-1 to Arsenal to see their lead at the top reduced. With Jurgen Klopp set to leave at the end of the season, the side will be keen to finish the season on a strong note.
     
    On the other hand, Crystal Palace, who have been quite stable in the Premier League in recent seasons, have not had it all easy this campaign, and that led to the dismissal of Roy Hodgson in February. Austrian Oliver Gasner, who won the Europa League with Frankfurt, was appointed in the veteran’s place and it is remains to be seen whether he can lead them to Premier League safety.
     
    Before the season got underway, Crystal Palace signed Matheus França from Brazilian club side Flamengo, English goalkeeper Dean Henderson from Manchester United, Rob Holding from Arsenal, and Jefferson Lerma from Bournemouth on a free transfer. In return, the Eagles had to release the likes of Luka Milivojevic, Jack Butland, Wilfred Zaha, and Vicente Guaita who left for Shabab Al-Ahli, Rangers, Galatasaray, and Celta de Vigo respectively on free transfers.
     
    Crystal Palace have found it difficult to grind out results this season, managing just seven wins all season so far. Their recent form has been quite poor, with a terrible run starting on matchday 12 when Palace welcomed Everton to Selhurst Park in a five-goal thriller that saw the Eagles narrowly lose 3-2 before then losing to Luton Town. A 1-1 draw against West Ham United seemed to be some sort of silver lining for the Eagles but further back-to-back home defeats buried any hope of a resurgence. Things haven't been great for the Eagles but they do have the squad to comfortably beat the drop, hence the decision to draft Galsner in.
     
    Liverpool are on a different level at Anfield, so it will be difficult for Crystal Palace to walk away with anything from this match.
     
    Match tickets
     
    The epic match at Anfield in Liverpool kicks off on Saturday 13th April 2024, at 3 PM UK time.  The magnificent 61,276-capacity stadium with its electrifying atmosphere will host the Premier League title challengers and another side chasing Premier League safety.
     
    Getting tickets for the Liverpool vs Crystal Palace tickets could take a lot of work given the standard of this game. Hence, you are advised to search ticket reselling sites should they be expectedly sold out on each club’s channels. 
    Team news
    Lineups
     
    Liverpool have had several injuries this season and the line up has chopped and changed a lot as a result. Spanish midfielder Stefan Bajcetic has missed most of the season but is nearing a comeback, as are Trent Alexander-Arnold and Diogo Jota. 
     
    At the back, Ibou Konate is now fit again while Andy Robertson will be hoping to have shaken off the ankle injury he piked up on international duty with Scotland. Joel Matip is out for the season due to an anterior cruciate ligament rupture.
     
    Liverpool: Alison Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahim Konate, Virgil Van Dijk, Joe Gomez; Wataru Endo, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai; Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz.
     
    Palace, who have generally been poor this whole campaign, will hope to stay up and come back to fight for some valuable positions next season. As of the time of writing, several key players like Eberechi Eze, Michael Olise, and Rob Holding have been dealing with various injuries. Meanwhile, Cheick Doucoure is ruled out for the remainder of the season with an Achilles injury. However, they have the likes of Edouard and Ayew to call upon for this trip to Anfield.
     
    Crystal Palace: Johnstone, Ward, Anderson, Guehi, Clyne, Hughes, Richards, Lerma, Ayew, Edouard, Eze.
    Prediction
    Liverpool have made Anfield a slaughter ground all season and it will be difficult to look beyond another resounding victory for Klopp’s men in front of the home support. Against Palace here, the Reds have won four of their past five meetings and are in a strong position to claim another win. 
     
    Liverpool 3-0 Crystal Palace
     
  • There are some games where beforehand I’d happily snatch your hand off for a one goal margin of victory. Not many, as usually I’d roll the dice on us getting more than that, but sometimes I think in the build up to a game that I’ll happily take any kind of win. This was one of those games.
     
    Klopp had not beaten De Zerbi in the previous four attempts. I’m not sure exactly why, but Brighton have always given Klopp trouble and especially so since De Zerbi arrived there. Maybe Klopp could have given Dyche a call and asked him for the secret to beating the little gel headed Italian.
     
    So going into this, with the stakes as high as they are, any win was fine by me. I didn’t think for a second it was going to be easy and I was expecting 3-1 or 3-2 with a lot of nervy moments and for the game to be in the balance until late on. I was close enough. It wasn’t comfortable at any point.
     
    Of course we conceded more or less straight away. What was it, 80 seconds or something? Feels like this happens every other week. I know it doesn’t, but it feels like it. It’s tiresome isn’t it? Having to come from a goal down all the time, it’s great when you do can do it but fucking hell, it’s not good for the blood pressure.
     
    It was avoidable from our perspective but it’s a brilliant finish by Danny Welcrap. It starts with an inaccurate pass by Mo. As soon as he shaped to play that pass I thought it was a bad idea, but I’ve seen the replay now and I’ve changed my mind. I thought it was a bad decision at the time but it’s not. Sure, it’s not the safest pass he could have made and there was risk to it, but it wasn't reckless and it defo shouldn’t be leading to a goal.
     
    Bradley was miles up the field and I think he may have even been the intended recipient of Mo’s pass. So Brighton broke up that side with Odingra and although we got enough players back to deal with it, we got pretty unlucky as Dom got a foot in to take it away from Welbeck, but Virgil then had to stretch to cut it out and the loose ball fell nicely to Welbeck who leathered it home. 
     
    I don’t think we could do a great deal to stop it other than to not give the ball away in the first place. It’s just one of those things really, but it’s annoying as fuck to keep falling behind in games.
  • The Reds returned to thePremier League summit after goals from Diaz and Salah erased an early setback to see off a tricky Brighton side.
     
    Chris Smith is joined by TLW Editor Dave Usher and Paul Natton to discuss a potentially pivotal day in the title race, with a draw in the City and Arsenal game putting us in pole position for the only fitting end to the Klopp era.
     
    We'll discuss the many permutations of the run-in and (mostly) keep the disappointment about Xabi Alonso's decision to stay with Leverkusen in check.
     
     
  • Conor Bradley believes that his versatility is a reason why he can stay in the team once Trent Alexander-Arnold returns to full fitness.
     
    The Northern Irishman has been one of the revelations of the campaign for the Reds making 18 appearances in all competitions to date this season and not looking out of place one but, be it at a packed Anfield, in the Europa League or at Wembley in a League Cup final.
     
    While the brilliance of Alexander-Arnold is undisputed, there had been a fear that if he was out for a sustained period through injury, the field of back-ups in the squad was quite shallow.
     
    Joe Gomez has shown to be a dependable figure when asked to play that role but he is a central defender by trade.
     
    Calvin Ramsey was thought to be someone that could blossom into the role but unfortunately for him, successive knee injuries put pay to any momentum he would have wanted to build and presently he is barely making the bench on loan at Bolton.
     
    Misfortune for one player is an opportunity for another and Bradley has grabbed his with aplomb from an outstanding season on loan at Bolton last season.
     
    So well has his progress been that Bradley is now seen a very important member of the first team set-up.
     
    The question was posed to the 20 year-old (per The Echo) whether there is a way he can keep his spot in the starting X1 once Alexander-Arnold returns from his own knee injury.
     
    Yes, possibly,” . “Trent is an unbelievable footballer and I think he could play pretty much anywhere.
     
    It is a difficult one (vying for the same position). It is a blessing in a way because I can learn so much off Trent. He has had a similar pathway to me coming through the academy.
     
    “There are so many things I can take from him, the way he plays football, the way he conducts himself everyday and how hard he works.
     
    “It’s difficult obviously coming into one of the best teams in the world and trying to break through and prove that you’re good enough to play every week.”
     
    The academy graduate knows you have to be flexible enough to make the grade and he outlined where he thinks he could be of additional use to Jurgen Klopp in this pivotal time of the season.
     
    “I think it is massive to be versatile. It helps the manager to pick you when he knows you can play in certain positions
    .
    “I played as a winger all the way up through youth football and when I was deployed to play there the other night for Northern Ireland, I really enjoyed it.
     

     
    “It took me some time (to adapt). I was Under-18s when I got moved back and I didn’t really know what I was doing to be honest, but I think I’ve learned quite quickly how to play the full-back role.
     
    “Obviously when you’re playing for Liverpool, you may as well be a winger when you’re playing full-back. You get so much of the ball, in so many attacking scenarios. You get a lot of joy playing higher up.
     
    “I’m still learning my trade, but I think I’m a bit better than I was (at full-back), definitely. I enjoy the challenge of playing new positions and learning about them. It is really good and really important to learn about them and be good at them too.”
     
    There seems to always be a certain time in a mind of a young player when he reaches that moment that sees him undaunted and unaffected by the big stage, where they deserve to stand alongside the likes of Virgil Van Dijk and Mo Salah among others.
     
    Bradley talked about that exact moment for himself.
     

     
    “It was probably that (Chelsea at Anfield) game where I thought, ‘Right, I can do this’. I just need to be consistent with it and try and do things like that as much as I can. That was a big moment for me where I realised that this is possible for me and I can do it.
     
    “My friends were over for the game so they were back at my apartment after the game and I just remember saying to them, ‘What’s just happened?’ It was like crazy. I just couldn’t believe what was happening to be honest with you.”
     
    There are sacrifices you have to make especially when you graduate from the academy and aim to progress into senior Football.
     
    For many young players, that means going on loan, and it can go one of two ways. While many struggle to adjust the highly physical nature of the Championship and League One, for others like Bradley, they thrive and it sets them on their way.
     

     
    "That time (at Bolton) moulded me as a player. It is a tough, gruelling league, League One and for me to get 53 games under my belt was really good for me. To get a couple of goals and a couple of assists, too, was good for my confidence.
     
    “It helped me to know I could play ‘men’s football’ and so coming back to Liverpool I was ready to go. It was just unfortunate that I got the injury, but when I came back, I was just focused on trying to do my best and luckily I have had some opportunities.”
     
     
  • Monday Mar 25:
     
    It was the legends game at the weekend. They’re not for me, I’m not a fan of them personally but they seem to make a lot of people happy so that’s sound, each to their own. There was a full house for the game and loads of money was raised for charity, while fans got to see some old favourites and some former players got to play at Anfield again. So it’s all good, it’s just something I want to watch.
     
    I did put it on for the last few minutes though just to see Sven at the end, and I was pretty choked up. The older I get the more sentimental and emotional I’m becoming and I could easily have cried watching Sven out there at the end. I didn’t, but only because I made an effort not to. He fucking loved it didn’t he? Such a nice experience for him to have and well done to the club for sorting that.
     
    It’s also easy to get all sniffy about some of the ‘legends’ and yeah, fair enough, Nabil El Zhar is kind of scraping the bottom of the barrel, but it’s necessary. You’re never going to get 15 or 16 of our greatest ever players, that’s not how it works. So if Gregory Vignal, Mark Gonzalez and Bjorn Kvarme get a game, who’s arsed really? They played for us, they tried their best and if they’d have been good enough they’d probably have wanted to stay here for the majority of their career, so in that regard this is nice for them to come back I think. I’d rather watch them than that fucking Torres rat anyway…. 
     
    You may recall that I mentioned last week how we beat City in the u21 league. Turns out they showed up at our training ground for that game in the first team bus, which is emblazoned with all of the trophies they cheated their way to last season. I’d like to know if they use that bus to travel to all of their games or if that’s just the latest example of how obsessed they are with us. Soft cunts.
     
    Staying with them and their cheating, the M.E.N ran a story over the weekend that’s a little disturbing, as clearly it was fed to that Simon Mullock stooge by City. It was along the lines of how Etihad Airlines are floating on the stock exchange or something, which means they need to make their accounts public. Why is this relevant? Well remember those Der Spiegel leaks when City’s emails were hacked? Some of the most incriminating stuff was how their sponsors were not actually paying the bulk of the money. It was being paid by the Sheik. I don’t remember the exact figures, but the emails showed that Etihad were sponsoring City for massive money, but were only having to pay £8m and the rest of it would be covered by Mansour. We know this is true because why the fuck would City be sending emails saying that kind of thing and potentially incriminating themselves if it wasn’t true?
     
    So it’s a bit of a co-incidence that NOW, after all these years, Etihad are suddenly making this move which will oh so conveniently make their accounts public just in time for City’s hearing with the PL. Those accounts are going to be doctored as fuck, we all know it. If Etihad cook their books, who are they answering too? The state. Who runs the state? The same people who run Man City.
     
    This being leaked to the M.E.N. and the smug tone of the piece makes me think this is just the start of the shit they’re going to pull to cheat their way out of these charges. How can the PL prove any of this if all the companies who sponsor City can just show false accounts because the Abu Dhabi tax office is not going to give a fuck? They’re going to beat these charges because how can you take on a nation state? The only way to stop City is for the other clubs to forfeit games against them. They should have done it years ago, but if they blag their way out of these charges then it needs to happen.
     
    Meanwhile, Richard Keys says Alonso to Liverpool is agreed and that if he was a Liverpool fan he’d be excited. That’s me convinced anyway. Seriously, obviously he knows nothing because whatever talks are taking place will be kept completely under wraps. Liverpool in particular are pretty fucking great these days at playing their cards close to their chest, and Xabi and his agent aren’t going to be running their mouths to people who Keys know either. So Keys knows nothing, which puts him in good company alongside that Pletigoal fraud from Sky Germany.
  • It will be a spectacle when Manchester United welcome Liverpool to Old Trafford in the Premier League. It is a clash between two teams from different cities in the United Kingdom but in the same region. While the Red Devils have blown hot and cold this season, the Reds are firmly in the title race with Manchester City and Arsenal.
     
    The Red Devils have had a roller-coaster campaign under Erik Ten Hag this term, and at some points it has been comical. Harry Maguire, who was one of the worst players at the club last season has now become one of the best players. Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford, who was the main man in attack last season, has seen his form drop so much that youngster Alejandro Garnacho is now seen as United's main threat. However, Rashford has shown flashes of form of late and is now combining well with summer signing Rasmus Hojlund.
     
    Manchester United's disappointing campaign started with their transfer decisions. Following the departures of Anthony Elanga, Dean Henderson, Alex Telles, Eric Bailly, and Mason Greenwood, United welcomed Rasmus Hojlund, Mason Mount, Andre Onana, Sofyan Amrabat, Johnny Evans, and Sergio Reguillon to the club over the summer.
     
    Those mostly poor transfer decisions have haunted them this season, and that has seen them lose embarrassingly to teams like Tottenham, Arsenal, Newcastle United, Manchester City, and Brighton. The smaller teams have also had their bite of the cherry, with Crystal Palace, and Bournemouth humbling them at Old Trafford. Onana has been a shadow of the goalkeeper he was at Inter Milan, making some mistakes which have cost the club. The poor recruitment has left the side in a bad place but they are not totally out of sight as they could finish strong and book a spot in Europe next season.
     
    On the flip side, a couple of positives for the Red Devils include beating Chelsea 2-1 and thrashing Everton 3-0 at Goodison Park before a goalless draw at Anfield with Liverpool. Apart from that, they got knocked out of Europe completely before losing to Forest and West Ham on the road. United sit just outside the top 5 and a run of fine results could propel them to greater heights before the season comes to an end.
     
    Meanwhile, Liverpool are enjoying a fine season, currently sitting second in the Premier League on goal difference with 64 points as of the time of writing. During the summer, the team experienced notable departures, primarily to the Saudi Pro League. Former captain Jordan Henderson joined Al-Ettifaq alongside club legend Steven Gerrard, while Roberto Firmino and Fabinho headed to Al-Ahli Saudi and Al-Ittihad, respectively. 
     
    Other exits included Naby Keita to Werder Bremen after the expiration of his contract, Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain headed off to Besiktas, James Milner to Brighton and Hove Albion, Fabio Carvalho on loan to RB Leipzig, and Arthur Melo, who left at the end of a challenging loan spell. Marquee signings strengthened the squad, with Hungarian captain Dominik Szoboszlai arriving from RB Leipzig, World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton and Hove Albion, Ryan Gravenberch from Bayern Munich, and Wataru Endo joining the ranks from Stuttgart.
     
    The Reds started their Premier League campaign with an entertaining 1-1 draw against Chelsea, followed by five consecutive wins against Bournemouth, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Wolves, and West Ham. Notably, Liverpool beat Newcastle with Darwin Nunez pulling up heroics after captain Virgil Van Dijk was sent off early in the game. 
     
    The team faced their first defeat in a dramatic loss to Tottenham Hotspur, ending with nine men due to red cards for Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota. Subsequent matches included a 2-2 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion, victories against Everton, Nottingham Forest, Luton Town, Brentford, Fulham, and Sheffield, and a hard-fought win over Crystal Palace that saw Salah score his 200th goal for the club. 
     
    The defeat at Arsenal allowed the Gunners to close the gap on them at the top and Manchester City have also got back to their feet. It is a three-horse race now and the season is nearing its end. More importantly, Liverpool are currently high on confidence and they could go all out for the win in this particular fixture. 
     
    Match tickets
     
    The epic match at Old Trafford in Manchester kicks off on Saturday 6th April 2024, at 3 PM UK time. United’s 74,031-capacity stadium will be playing host to this fixture between two foremost Premier League teams.
     
    Getting tickets for the Manchester United v Liverpool tickets could take a lot of work given the standard of this game. Hence, you are advised to search ticket reselling sites should they be expectedly sold out on each club’s channels. 
    Team news
    Line-ups
     
    Goalkeeper Andre Onana returned from AFCON duties with Cameroon a new man and has been doing much better with United since then. United have struggled with injuries this season, although Tyrell Malacia, Luke Shaw, Mason Mount and Victor Lindelof could make their return before this game. Meanwhile, Anthony Martial, who just underwent surgery, could be available for this fixture. 
     
    Manchester United XI: Andre Onana; Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Harry Maguire, Johnny Evans, Diogo Dalot; Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo, Christian Eriksen; Alejandro Garnacho, Rasmus Hojlund, Marcus Rashford.
     
    For Liverpool, Joel Matip is out for the season due to an anterior cruciate ligament rupture but other injured stars might be back for this one. Trent Alexander-Arnold has an outside chance of making it, while Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones should be available following lengthy layoffs. The game will probably come too soon for Alisson Becker though.
     
    Liverpool: Caoimhin Kelleher; Joe Gomez, Ibrahim Konate, Virgil Van Dijk, Andy Robertson; Alexis Mac Allister, Wataru Endo, Dominik Szoboszlai; Mohammed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz.
     
    Prediction
     
    Manchester United recently overcame Liverpool in a dramatic FA Cup tie that was settled with the last kick of extra time, so they will go into the game with renewed confidence.
     
    However, Liverpool, even with numerous injuries, have shown the capacity and determination to compete for the title in Jurgen Klopp’s final season with the side. This encounter might just end in a stalemate, but Liverpool desperately need the three points and will need to find a way to finally beat United having twice failed to do so this season.
     
    Manchester United 2-3 Liverpool
  • After our midweek stop at Wigan to check in on the excellent progress of Luke Chambers, TLW heads to Yorkshire to see how Fabio Carvalho is coming along at Hull City.
     
    There is little doubt that the Portuguese U21 international has natural flair and talent, but for him it has been all about putting that together consistently.
     
    It is something that the attacking midfielder was able to do during the 2021/22 season with Fulham where he played a major part in their promotion to the Premier League and was a member of the PFA Championship Team of the Year.
     
    A move to Liverpool then eventuated and after a positive start highlighted by a dramatic late winner against Newcastle, it only went downhill from that point, so much so that he only made four appearances once the calendar ticked over into 2023.
     
    That lack of momentum continued into the new campaign which can only be described as a horror loan spell at RB Leipzig where he made just 14 appearances with three starts. Indeed the biggest headlines he caused was when he claimed  in a interview that Jurgen Klopp “had used him in a wrong position on the left hand side instead of his preferred role as a Number 10”.
     

     
    So a mid-season return  Liverpool eventuated and the 21 year-old was then sent to Hull where he joined Reds teammate Tyler Morton.
     
    It has been a decision that has proven dividends with Carvalho thriving under the management of Liam Rosenior.
     
    In recent days, Carvalho has mentioned that he will be back at Liverpool for pre-season training which will be under a new manager but also wanted to publicly state that there was no issue with Klopp saying that the manager “ Didn't have the greatest confidence in me, but he always helped me a lot and pointed out what I needed to do better and what I shouldn't do.”
     
    Just like he did for Tyler a few months back, Ant Northgraves from @Hull_and Back provides an expert analysis on how Fabio has been progressing.
    _________________________________________________________________________________________
     
    Fabio has been a fantastic addition to the Hull City squad. It was clear when he first arrived that he hadn’t played much football, but soon got up to speed with the style of play and formed some strong connections with the attacking players in our squad.
     
    I believe we’re still yet to see the best that Fabio has to offer, but considering that he has 4 goals in 11 games and isn’t at his best yet is only promising for us. He loves to pick up space in that “number 10” role, linking up with his teammates with clean, intricate passing and a keen eye for a shot.
     

     
    We are asking a lot from him at the moment, as we’re struggling to play with a natural striker so Carvalho is often used as a “false 9” to occupy that focal point and score goals. However, he is playing that role very well at the moment.
     
    If I was to be critical, he should have more assists to his name. 0 assists in all 11 games is a surprising stat, but I feel like it’s only a matter of time before he gets a few. Perhaps not having a striker to feed the ball to is the issue, but as long as he’s scoring goals then it isn’t particularly a concern.
     

     
    Overall, in the short time that Fabio has been here he has been an absolute delight. He is more than happy to join in with the club’s community efforts, speaks well in interviews and seems to be really enjoying the atmosphere here at Hull City, seemingly forming some good friendships. He’s already been a big part of our play-off push and fingers crossed he is a part of a potential Wembley visit come the end of the season.
     
    And a question to finish, Would you consider loaning him back next season?
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