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    The winning run goes on and the Reds are once again just three points off top spot in the Premier League. It wasn't the most convincing of wins but Sadio Mané's first half strike was enough to sink a game West Ham side who had their chances to equalise but couldn't convert any.
     
    TLW Editor Dave Usher is joined by Paul Natton and Dan Thomas to reflect on a strange game in which several players performed really well yet the team just didn't quite fire on all cylinders.
     
     
     
  • Liverpool is a team with a rich history. The Reds have won the English top tier title 19 times and counting. They are seven-time FA Cup winners and just landed their nine League Cup. The club’s success isn’t reserved for domestic competition, with six European Cup winner’s medals and a famous FIFA Club World Cup trophy proudly displayed at Anfield.
     
    There’s plenty for historians to talk about but football fans worldwide already know this club does not rest on their success. They don’t spend too much time celebrating their achievements because they are too busy pursuing more silverware. More European Cups, plenty more Premier League trophies and another World Cup is needed to keep the 2019 prize company. Many sports betting apps (you can check the list of the top ones here: top-betting-sites.co.uk/mobile-betting-apps/) are already offering odds on Liverpool winning the 2022 UEFA Champions League.
     
    Investment in youth
     
    To protect the long-term future of the club and ensure success going forward, Liverpool invest heavily in their youth programme. They identify and then develop the best young talent in the UK while their scouts work tirelessly to snap up the standouts from France, Spain, Germany and further afield. This is an international club with its finger on the pulse of football.
     
    With the senior squad recently winning the League Cup courtesy of a tense penalty shootout at Wembley and the team in the running for the Premier League title, supporters are full of praise for the Reds. But who are the stars of the future you should be keeping an eye out for? 
     
    With the senior squad enjoying so much success in recent years, it has help lift some of the pressure on young players, allowing them to develop at their speed. In this article, we shine the spotlight on the young guns who have taken aim and are ready to fire and the names to look for this season.
     
    Diaz will be a star
     
    The Liverpool under 23s and the various levels of youth football at Anfield are packed with promising talent. Several eye-catching British-born players are making their way through the ranks and are knocking on the door of the first team, including Tyler Morton, Kaide Gordon and Connor Bradley. The strength in depth that is available to Klopp was shown in Liverpool’s recent 3-1 win over Cardiff City in the FA Cup Fourth Round. 
     
    New signing Luis Diaz came off the bench to make a difference in that match, assisting Takumi Minamino in the build up to Liverpool’s second goal over an opponent struggling for form in the Championship. Diaz is a player who has good perspectives for the game, including the vision to pick a pass and unlock defences. That quality will be key to his journey at Liverpool and having already proven he can do it against Championship opposition, Luis will now be asked to go and prove he can perform in the Premier League. 
     
    It was initially thought that game time might be in short supply for Diaz this season as Klopp goes with his strongest team every week as they battle to overthrow Man City, but the player has already impressed those with a keen eye for Liverpool with pundits and former players predicting he will play a key role in the club’s future success while also playing a key role this season.
     
    One man eager to show his support for Diaz has been Carlos Carvalhal who promised Liverpool fans they’ll see Diaz become one of the stars of the Premier League next season. The Braga manager has seen the player up close and personal, knowing the talents, personality and character of the young man and he believes Liverpool have a huge name on their books.
     
    Carlos continued, adding Luis was the best player in the league before moving to Anfield. He plays on the left side of the pitch but is a player who prefers to use his right foot.
     
    What can Liverpool fans expect from the new arrival? Diaz is a fast, energetic player with a love for scoring goals. He already possesses a winning mentality and knows the expectations of fans in English football. It’s likely that Klopp will bring Diaz on at the right speed but any fears that the Colombian would need to be eased in gradually have been dispelled by his early performances. 
     
    This may have been a signing with next season in mind but it's clear already that Diaz is ready to make in immediate impact.
  • Saving money can be hard and spending the money you have on the right things is even harder. When you're already on a tight budget, it can be really difficult to think of additional ways to save money.
     
    It is always important that you set aside something so that you have savings and an emergency fund for the future. You never know what the future could hold, and it is a great practice to always be prepared for anything. Let’s take a look at 3 ways to beat those month-end financial woes.
     
    1 - Take Out a Payday Loan
     
    This is a great way to get the cash you need in a tight situation. For example, it’s the end of the month, you don’t have any money left and you’ve encountered some unexpended expenses - this can be doctors’ bills, car repairs, etc. When these unexpected situations arise, panic is the first thing to set in, but knowing you have the safety net of being able to take out a Payday loan today and get the money you need at a moment’s notice should calm your nerves. It takes a matter of minutes to apply online and once approved it should appear in your bank account within less than 24 hours. This is an easy solution to a cash flow issue.
    The main requirements are simple:
    You must be 18 years or older
    You must have a government-issued ID
    You must have an active bank account
    You must have an income
     
    And the best part is that there are no credit checks required! Payday loans are typically for small amounts and those unexpected expenses that need to get paid for quickly.
    2 - Cut Back on Unnecessary Spending
    One of the most important things to do in a financial pinch is cut back on unnecessary spending. You would be amazed by how much you spend on unnecessary things. Ordering takeout for lunch, or dinner because you don’t feel like cooking every other day adds up faster than you’d think. Build yourself a budget, cut out the nonsense and stick to it. This way you leave the door open for savings to appear. At the end of the month, you might find that you’ve stuck to your budget so well that you even have money remaining. This can go towards fueling spending for the next month, or towards saving up for something big.
    3 - Switch To Cash For Day-to-Day Spending
    This might seem like a bit of an odd one but trust us. When you have cash, you can physically see how much you are spending and might think twice. Using a card does not come with the same guilt as watching the cash in your wallet diminish. This is a great tool for people who need to physically see their spending in order to keep track of their expenses.

     
    Remember that sticking to a budget is best, but that even in tricky situations there are solutions to your financial troubles. Good luck!
  • For once Everton made a fight of it against City but the outcome was still the same as always. Usually a defeat by City is cause for celebration but this time the Blues were FUMING because 1) they needed the points, and 2) they got absolutely screwed by one of the worst decisions of the season so far.
     
    I say one of, because I still say the non-pen on Jota at Spurs was worse. Interestingly it was the same ref and same VAR involved. Maybe this time they'll face some punishment? Still rankles they got away with that Spurs game while Kevin Friend was punished for giving one in our favour that was nowhere near as egregious. Absolute bullshit how these manc refs get so much protection.
     
    I’m not going to waste any time talking about the game itself as I didn’t watch it live and after seeing the handball incident all over twitter I was even less inclined to watch. The one comment I’ll make is that this is more evidence that City aren’t all they are cracked up to be. This narrative about them being so fucking amazing needs to stop. They needed proper shit VAR decisions to bail them out against Wolves, Arsenal and now Everton, and let’s not forget that VAR almost came to their rescue last week too before Spurs went and won the game all over again.
     
    It’s hard enough competing with the financial doping but we also have to deal with officials doing them regular favours too.
     
    This is really simple. It’s something I said loads of times last season. The reason officials are giving some of these decisions is because they want to, or as in this case, don’t want to. This is nothing new but it has become much more obvious now because of VAR. Previously there was always that element of doubt because, y’know, refereeing is incredibly difficult and bad decisions are a natural consequence of the job. Refs make mistakes, but VAR was supposed to fix that. It hasn’t, because refs are human beings and human beings often have bias and favouritism. 
     
    Sometimes this isn’t so obvious because often these are decisions that could go either way. Whichever way they give it, someone is going to be upset, but most of the time they will call it as they see it. Not all of the time though. And not all referees. 
     
    Some of them are dodgy as fuck, with Kavanagh easily at the top of that list. Previously refs could hide behind the excuse of being shit, but VAR has removed that safety net. Paul Tierney can still hide behind it, not least because the referee on the pitch does not always have a good enough view to make certain calls. So like I said after the Spurs game, this isn’t on Tierney, it’s on the twat in the VAR room who didn’t help him out and instead left him out there facing the music.
     
    There’s no hiding place now when you can view incidents from multiple angles and slowed right down, and still somehow completely fuck it up.
     
    So Chris Kavanagh didn’t make a mistake (as Mike Riley told Everton in the laughable apology he gave them). There was no mistake, he knew what he was doing and he ensured he got the outcome he wanted. I don’t even see how there can be any doubt about that. Firstly, literally everybody else who saw the incident - including some of the most pro-Man City people out there - said it was handball. The only person who disagreed was Kavanagh.
     
    People can speculate over his reasons and suggest his bank account needs checking etc but I just think it’s a case of some referees favouring the team they support, which also includes punishing teams who are a threat. So when Kavanagh is stiffing us in that Spurs game, he’s doing so because it helps City. 
     
    The real question is how the fuck are all these refs from Manchester and surrounding areas being allowed anywhere near City and United games? It’s just a huge conflict of interests. The nearest football stadium to where Kavanagh grew up was Man City. He either supports them or has friends and family members that do. It shouldn’t be allowed, but when a South Yorkshire copper was allowed to ref Liverpool games and repeatedly make controversial decisions against us, then this shouldn’t really surprise anyone.
     
    Corruption comes in many forms. It isn’t just brown envelopes or payments mad to offshore accounts. Sometimes it isn’t even about money. That non-decision at Goodison was absolutely not an honest mistake, because nobody is that incompetent. I know some will say that Kavanagh and others ARE that incompetent but it’s just not the case. They haven’t been plucked off the street and made referees. They’ve worked for years at it and worked their way up the ladder to reach the top of their profession. There is absolutely no way someone as qualified as that is viewing that Rodri incident and not seeing a handball. No way. He knew it was handball but he didn’t give it. Why? We can only guess at that.
     
    I don’t give a fuck about Everton getting screwed over. In fact I welcome it. But it screwed us over too, so that’s pissed me off. Hopefully that doesn’t prove decisive as I’m sick of missing out on titles because of corrupt calls in City’s favour. Remember the Sterling offside in 2014 that was about five yards on? Then there was the Kompany tackle on Salah that should have been a red card in 2019.
     
    I don’t think we’d specifically look back at this Goodison one if we narrowly miss out on the title (personally I’d still be blaming the Leicester defeat, as that was something we could control), but we’d certainly be entitled to. In an ideal world it won’t come to that, but Everton will be relegated because of it. They’ve spent large chunks of the last eight years championing the cause of City, so this would be so ironic even Alanis Morrisette would be raising an eyebrow.
     
     
     
    Moving on, and Bielsa’s reign at Leeds came to an end after they were beaten at home by Spurs. It took only 10 minutes for Spurs to go ahead when Sessegnon crossed for fellow wingback Doherty to convert. Kulusevski added another five minutes later, He looks good him. They signed him after missing out on Diaz but he’s done well. He’s no Diaz, but he’s definitely given Spurs something.
     
     
    Robin Koch *sniggers* then hit the post as Leeds tried to hit back, but Kane volleyed in number three and it was threatening to get completely out of hand. Leeds were just wide open, as they have been for weeks. Maybe things would have been different if Dallas had wasted a glorious opening presented to him by that clown Lloris. That was so bad, by Lloris and also Dallas. James then wasted a great chance too before Son put them out of their misery.
     
    So that was the end of Bielsa then. I’m a little surprised the Leeds board did it because there was no fan pressure involved. In fact, most Leeds fans seem to disagree with the decision and I absolutely get that. The fella put them back on the map and deserved the chance to see out the season and try to keep them up. Their chances of safety have not been increased by getting rid of him because the new fella now has to implement his own style of play, which is going to be quite the upheaval for the Leeds players as no-one else plays the way Bielsa does.
     
    They might yet stay up if they get their injured stars back for the run in but that wouldn’t vindicate the decision because Bielsa would have picked up point with his full squad. He just hasn’t had it all season.
     
    As for Spurs, they followed this up by losing to a Championship side in the FA Cup. “Very Spursy, it’s in their DNA” said Roy Keane, before adding contemptuously “you can’t trust them”. He’s not wrong, and Keane’s utter disdain for Spurs never fails to amuse me.
     
    Leeds are in trouble but so are Brentford, who lost at home to Newcastle. They were reduced to ten men very early on when Da Silva was sent off for an accidental but certainly dangerous bit of play. It was a weird one as he wasn’t trying to make a tackle, he wanted to plant his foot and then pirouette away from his man but he succeeded only in planting his foot on the shin of Matt Targett. 
     
    It’s one of those that you don’t view as a red card on first view because of the unusual nature of it, but when you look at the replay it’s a definite red and Mike Dean took typical pleasure in brandishing it with a flourish. 
     
    It was the first time Brentford managed to hit the Targett in weeks. What? That’s what you pay your subs for folks.
     
    Joeli N’ton headed Newcastle in front with only his second goal of the season. His first was against Brentford too. They should be relegated just for that really. Willock made it 2-0 with his second goal in consecutive games. He shushed the crowd too. Getting fucking cocky now are we after going six months without a goal? Appalling lack of self awareness. You can take the lad out of Arsenal….
     
    Christian Eriksen made his first appearance since the Euros, which was a nice moment. Hopefully he can help them start picking up some points to take them clear of Everton.
     
    Villa ended their recent bad run with a win at Brighton. Not much in the game, chances for both teams but as usual Brighton wasted most of theirs. Cash put Villa in front with a brilliant strike from distance. You could say that was…. the Money Shot. God, I’m on form here. 
     
    Watkins wrapped it up in the second half. Brighton’s early season form seems a long time ago now. Well, it is a long time ago I suppose, but yeah it feels like they’ve been pretty shit lately. We play them soon so that’s good news.
     
     
    Burnley picked up a really good point away at Palace. That’s not a game I thought they’d get anything from and they fell behind early as Palace started like a house on fire. 
     
    Burnley equalised seconds after the break when Lennon’s cut back was deflected into his own net by Milovojevic. That’s how it stayed but they might have won but for a great save by Butland to deny Weghorst. The Big Dutchman had a goal ruled out for offside while at the other end Zaha hit the post. I’ve got high hopes for Palace when they play City soon on MNF. They’ve got so much pace and skill in wide areas and if Zaha is on it they’ll give City problems. That Olise is fucking boss too, I really like him.
     
    Southampton’s sneaky good run of form continued with a Friday night win over Norwich. Che Adams’ scruffy effort set them on their way. The game was just chance after chance for Southampton but they weren’t taking them and Norwich could have levelled through Hanley. That was a wake up call and Romeu’s stunning half volley made the game safe late on.
     
    They also beat West Ham in the cup in midweek and scored some cracking goals in the process. They’re having a good season on the sly. That Ralph Hasselhoff is a good coach, although I feel uneasy about saying that considering he’s had two 9-0 losses in the last couple of seasons. He can fuck off nicking Klopp’s post match celebration though. Not cool.
     
    Speaking of not cool, the Hodge took Watford to Old Trafford and went home with a point after a somewhat fortuitous 0-0 in which United should have scored half a dozen.
     
    Nemanja Matic still gets games for Man United and I find that hilarious. He was finished about five years ago yet somehow they’re still wheeling him out. There was a Juan Mata sighting the other week too in their FA Cup defeat by Boro. That shocked me as I had no idea he was still there. I thought he’d been shipped off to MLS or Qatar ages ago.
     
    Ronaldo had a goal ruled out for offside and that annoyed me to be honest. It was offside and it’s a good spot by the linesman, but he should be keeping his flag down there just for the ‘bantz’ of letting Ronaldo do that lame “SIIIIUUUUUUU” thing which is then copied by 40 year old virgins in United shorts all over the world. If I’m a linesman I’m never flagging against him, just let him celebrate and then have VAR shit all over it.
     
    Finally, Sunday’s only league game saw Wolves travel to London to take on West Ham. Both teams harbour slight hopes of nicking a top our spot but Wolves had make like very difficult for themselves with two losses to Arsenal in recent weeks. They deserve nothing after capitulating at the Emirates last week so I’m glad West Ham beat them, the Arteta enabling pricks. 
     
    Soucek got the only goal of the game which was a blast from the past. Remember last season when he was scoring every week? Feels like he hasn’t scored at all this season. This result, coupled with the Mancs drawing, means West Ham are just two points off fourth now having played the same number of games.
     
    If they weren’t playing us this weekend I’d be wanting them to win, but as soon as this weekend is over I’m all in on the Hammers getting fourth. I can’t stand their owners or manager, but seeing Moyes beat United to fourth spot is just too funny a prospect to root against.
  • It ended up a bit closer than it needed to be but overall that was good. I enjoyed it. Making 10 changes against Premier League opposition (even if its the bottom side) is always a risk and has the potential to go wrong, but it never ceases to amaze me how it doesn’t matter how many changes we make now, we still look like Liverpool. 
     
    That won’t always translate to results, but even when it doesn’t you can still recognise the usual style and patterns of play. It’s just different personnel, and often those coming in are not at the same level as the ones being replaced. That was the case here. Minamino on his best day isn’t Mo Salah, yet he didn’t need to be. Because the best version of himself is pretty fucking good isn’t it?
     
    I absolutely love that we can bring in players like Taki, Kostas, Gomez, Konate, Jones, Div etc and still keep getting results. We won the League Cup doing that and hopefully we can do the same in the FA Cup too. 
     
    The only player to keep his place from the weekend was Hendo. Not sure if that’s a compliment or something else really. He was only able to play in this because he was subbed after an hour or so against Chelsea, but then it’s also a sign of his importance that he was selected to provide stability and balance to a team with so many changes in it.
     
    I think the main reason for his inclusion was that Klopp didn’t particularly want to include Tyler Morton from the start in a game when so many other players had been changed. It’s also possible that Morton wasn’t 100% fit after being forced off in a u23 game at the weekend. Either way, Hendo was needed and he delivered.
     
    The opening exchanges were a bit cagey and Norwich had one or two moments where they might have done something, but Pukki blew their best chance and we dominated the half. 
     
    Taki put us ahead with a smart finish after a nice move. There’s lots to like about that goal, especially the link up between Jones and Tsimikas which was prevalent the entire half. The cross from Kostas was into a good area but there was no real danger until Jota cleverly backed into the defender to allow the ball to run past them both into the path of Origi.
     
    Div controlled and then showed good awareness to not even think about trying to turn and shoot and instead rolled it sideways to the open Minamino, who controlled and then lashed it home. He was delighted, as he always is. What a guy.
     
    His second goal was even better. A left wing corner cleared everybody and Taki collected at the back of the box before leathering a shot in off the near post. Quality strike that. What a guy.
     
    We had other chances in the half, the closest of which saw Curtis hit the bar with an effort that conjured up memories of his derby winner. Curtis completely ran the game in the first half, he was different class and I think this was a big statement from him. 
     
    He’s been up and down in recent months and questions have been asked of him. It’s a kick in the teeth to not be making the bench, but it must be even more difficult to be left out of a final squad despite putting in a top performance against Leeds a few days earlier.
     
    So this was an important game for him I think. How would he react to the disappointment of Wembley? The answer was resounding. He was sensational. I don’t know if he went out there thinking he needed to prove something but I don’t think that’s how it looked. He didn’t appear to be trying to force anything, he just played with a freedom that we haven’t always seen. He definitely made a statement and I’m buzzing for him as there are few bigger Curtis fans than me.
     
    Unfortunately he picked up a bit of a knock and was withdrawn at half time. Initially I wondered if this was pre-arranged and that he was starting this weekend. It would make sense. Give him 45 minutes and let Harvey also have a half. I would have preferred to have seen them play together but that will have to wait I guess.
     
    Hopefully Curtis isn’t going to miss any games as I want him to build on these last couple of performances to really go on and show what he can do. Harvey was good when he came on too. 
     
    The second half started the way the first had ended but we didn’t get the third goal that would have completely ended any Norwich resistance. Not that there was much resistance, not until late on anyway. 
     
    The second half was a little frustrating really as I wanted a hat-trick for Taki and I’d have liked a Divock goal as well. And Jota. I always want Jota to score. He should have too. He headed over when usually he’d score from there. He had another effort blocked after a brilliant run that took him past three defenders, and then he slipped over at the vital moment after Taki had done superbly to find him.
     
    The tempo dropped after Hendo was replaced by Morton. That’s nothing that Morton did, it’s just a combination of things really. A much changed line up, a 2-0 lead, a flat atmosphere (the second half was virtually silent at times) and no Hendo to ensure everyone’s standards remained where they should be.
     
    So Morton did fine but the tempo of the game dropped and Norwich began to get a little encouragement, especially after they made some changes that gave them a bit more verve higher up the pitch. Rowe brought a brilliant save out of Alisson after skinning Milner and that seemed to breathe some life into them.
     
    They pulled one back with 10 minutes to go when Rupp scored from the edge of the box. Not great from Gomez who backed off and allowed him to shoot. Not only that, but by backing off like that he obscured Alisson’s view of a shot that didn’t even find the corner. Normally Ali saves that easily but he just didn’t see it.
     
    It’s frustrating because for most of this game he looked great. Quick, sharp, strong, composed, just looked like the old Joe. There were a couple of slack passes that were intercepted though and maybe he needs to knock the long balls off. He’s not Virgil, not everyone can do that and there’s no shame in it. You don’t see Matip or Konate doing those either. 
     
    The Norwich goal prompted Klopp to immediately summon Mané and Diaz from the bench in case we needed a third goal. The last thing he wanted was extra time and in fairness it never looked likely as the lads tightened it up and if anyone was going to score again it would have been us. And probably Diaz, who was dynamite again.
     
    So on to the next round then. How strong a line up we’ll field will depend on who we get in the draw but the squad is so strong currently that we should have enough to deal with whatever fixtures we have. When you see players like Kostas, Div, Konate, Minamino and the rest just slot in and do what we need them to, while allowing others to put their feet up to stay fresh for the run in, it’s fucking exciting isn’t it?
     
    We’re in the hunt for a quadruple because of that. Without the contributions we’ve had from the fringe members of the squad we’d have no chance. The likes of Salah, Van Dijk, Thiago, Trent, they’re the rock stars. Then you’ve got Fabinho, Hendo, Joel, Robbo, Jota, Mané etc….. and then there’s the other guys.
     
    Let’s hear it for the other guys.
     
    Star man is Minamino but it would almost certainly have been Jones had he not gone off so early. 
     
    Next up West Ham. We’ve a score to settle and we’ve got a fully rested starting eleven. I can’t wait for that one, not least because I’m just excited about any chance I get to see Diaz play. I think he’ll tear West Ham a new one on Saturday.
     
     
    Team: Alisson; Milner, Konate, Gomez, Tsimikas; Henderson (Morton), Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jones (Elliott); Minamino, Origi (Mané), Jota (Diaz):
  • The Reds keep on rolling. No cup final hangover here as Kloppo made 10 changes and the squad did its job with a routine win over the Canaries. Taki Minamino continued his cup heroics with two more goals while Curtis Jones dazzled in the first half before picking up a knock that ruled him out of the second.
     
    Chris Smith is joined by Ian Brown and TLW Editor Dave Usher to go through the talking points of this one, while there's more reflection on Sunday's Wembley win and specifically some of the post match stuff we didn't cover on the last pod. There's also a look ahead to the weekend's clash with West Ham and one of the lads reveals he's been having recurring dreams about a certain former Uruguayan striker.
     
     
     
  • After a thrilling 120-minute stalemate, Liverpool FC went on to upset Chelsea 11-10 on penalties at Wembley on Sunday. More than 30 players, including some from the club's Academy, came through Jürgen Klopp's hands as Klopp led his team to the Carabao Cup, this victory over Chelsea was special for Liverpool’s captain, Jordan Henderson. 
     
    Liverpool FC are happy and the team are feeling confident after claiming the victory at Wembley stadium, the team are in good shape and are in excellent form, Liverpool FC might snatch the Premier League title from Man City after an exciting title race, football fans thought that the title race was over in December 2021, but Liverpool are not far away from being top of the table. You can support Liverpool FC in their remaining fixtures throughout the 2021/2022 Premier League season with these uk bookmakers listed at Goldenbet, you can easily wager on the team as well as punt on your favourite Liverpool players.
     
    Jordan Henderson in a post-match interview said “We’ve used all the squad from the start of the competition, the first team and Academy have all chipped in, which makes it even more special really. It’s very special to win trophies for this football club, no matter what the competition. It was a great opportunity for us and thankfully we’re on the right side of it. It’s always difficult when it goes to penalties, it’s never nice, but I thought the lads overall deserved to win.”
     
    To bring an end to Liverpool's decade-long quest to win the League Cup for a ninth time, the usual "Hendo Shuffle" appeared as he accepted the trophy. Ten years ago, the Liverpool midfielder was there at Wembley when the Reds beat Cardiff City on penalties for the first of his three trophies with the club.
     
    “I can’t believe it’s 10 years on, it’s mad to think it was 10 years ago we won it and to come back and win it again was really special. Really special. I never take for granted playing for this football club and how special that is. To be winning trophies is extra special. The fans deserve it, the players deserve it. It was a fantastic day and hopefully this can give us a little kickstart for the last few months of the season because there’s a lot of football to be played.”
  • The Premier League is inarguably the most exciting football league in the whole world. Other football leagues typically have maybe two teams in a title race, and some don’t even have a title race at all.
     
    However, the competition in the Premier League is on another level and this can be seen by how close some of the seasons have been over the years. This season, Manchester City seems to be the team that is most likely to win the title and this is because of the genius of Pep Guardiola who seems to create golden success no matter which club he goes to.
     
    However, many football fans will know that Liverpool should not be discounted either; along with Manchester City, the two clubs represent some of the best clubs in the world at the moment. Currently, City are favourites to win the league given their point advantage. A common activity amongst bettors is to place bets on who will the season, and there is no doubt that many bets have been placed that back City as the season winners. Alternatively, those who don’t trust City to finish the job can play at sites not on gamstop instead if they want a different gambling experience.
     
    Whether City can finish the job or not will certainly be a discussion to be had, especially considering their recent defeat to Tottenham Hotspurs who defied expectations to be the league-leaders in an incredible 3-2 win at the Etihad. This means that City stays where they are in the table, but as Liverpool still have yet to visit the Etihad for the reverse fixture there is no doubt that Liverpool could theoretically win the league if they keep up their excellent performances. Looking at City’s last five games, they have dropped points in two of them. On the other hand, Liverpool have won the maximum number of points out of their last five. 
     
    Despite having a shaky start to the year seen by the injuries of Diego Jota and Roberto Firmino, the Reds have since bounced back and are now enjoying a winning streak of six Premier League games. Despite this, everyone knows that the competition heats up around this time of the year. Teams who are near the bottom of the table start to give everything to try to avoid relegation, while mid-table teams also do the same in the hopes of edging into that coveted fourth spot. This increased competition will affect both City and Liverpool, and the jury is still out regarding which team manages to deal with this change better.
     
    There are 12 games left in the season, so we are by no means near the end of the story. Both teams have time to pull away from each other, but there is no doubt that the most important match that most will look forward to is the clash between Liverpool and City in April. Given that these two teams can perform consistently when they want to, it's likely that the winner of this game will dictate who ends up lifting the trophy in a few months. However, only time will tell and football fans will have to sit back, relax, and wait to see what happens.
  • Playing slots has always been a popular pastime across the world. A huge turning point in the industry was the growth of the internet in the 1990s and beyond. 
     
    Now, players no longer had to travel to a ‘brick and mortar’ venue to enjoy the games. Instead, they could browse thousands of different slot titles from the comfort of their home. 
     
    Things have only gotten better from consumers in recent years. For instance, the increased smartphone ownership rate means that players can load up their favourite games on the move. 
     
    All you need is a reliable internet connection and playing your favourite online slots is just a few clicks away. Not bad right? 
     
    If you are yet to join the online slots community, you may feel some trepidation about giving it a go. You needn’t have this anxiety, though. 
     
    Sure, there is plenty of information out there and this may seem overwhelming. However, the basics could not be simpler.  
     
    Don’t believe us? Simply check out our one-stop guide into how to get the best online slots experience below. 
     
    How to choose an operator 
     
    Before you can start playing online slot games, you will first need to select an operator. This could be an online casino or even a sportsbook in some cases. 
     
    There are literally hundreds of different choices in this regard and cutting through the noise to find the cream of the crop can be hard. Saying that, as long as you follow a few basic steps, you should not find it too challenging. 
     
    Welcome bonuses
     
    The first thing you will notice when you begin to shop around for an online slots provider is that they all have a welcome bonus. This can also be described as a sign-up offer, but it means the same thing. 
     
    Essentially, it is a reward for choosing the online casino or sportsbook over the hundreds of others on offer. It is likely to either be a deposit boost of free spins. 
     
    Deposit Boost - your first deposit or first few deposits will be increased by a %. Eg: £50 first deposit with a 100% deposit bonus would leave you with £100 to play with in total.  Free Spins - A set number of free spins on a featured online slot. Will likely come with wagering requirements.   
    So, how do you work out which one is best for you? 
     
    If you do not want to be hamstrung by having to play a specific game, it is better to opt for a deposit boost. This will allow you to browse the operator’s game library, playing whichever titles you wish. 
     
    Saying that, if you like the game that the free spins are being offered on, it could be better to go for that. It’s completely your choice. 
     
    Some operators may even offer a combination of both rewards in their sign-up offer. 
     
    Other important factors 
     
    Of course, a good welcome bonus is not the only thing you should be looking for in an online casino. There are many other factors that will ensure you have a good slots experience. 
     
    Customer service - are they quick to respond to any queries? Security - what measures have they put in place to keep your personal information safe? Loyalty bonuses - do returning players get rewards?  Choice of games - how big is their library of titles?   
    Checking all this yourself can be a chore. Fortunately, there are countless website who review operators so you don’t have to. 
     
    How to choose a game 
     
    Once you have selected a reliable place to play, the next step in ensuring a great online slots experience is choosing the right game. More and more titles are brought out every week, with every niche catered for. 
     
    Genre 
     
    These days, there is an online slots title covering every theme you could possibly imagine. From Ancient Egypt to science fiction, and from football to blockbuster films, you will find something to interest you. 
     
    It is tempting to only play slots that cater to your interests. At the end of the day, the most important thing in any online slots experience is having fun. 
     
    However, there are several other things you should consider before settling on your go-to game.
     
    Paylines 
     
    The number of paylines a game has is something you should take into account when selecting a game to play. A payline is essentially a winning combination. 
     
    The most basic, fixed 3x3 slots have just three. This makes them ideal for beginners who have not quite got to grips with playing just yet. 
     
    Other titles, particularly modern grid slots with exploding symbols, can have literally thousands of different paylines. Once you increase your experience, you will likely want to test your hand at these games. 
     
    It can be a bit chaotic at times, but it is extremely fun at the same time. 
     
    RTP 
     
    Another thing you must take into consideration is a slot’s return to player, often abbreviated to RTP. RTP is measured as a percentage and it is an expression of how much of their money a player would win back if they played a slot infinitely. 
     
    Anything over 98% is considered a high RTP, while slots between 95% and 97.99% have a medium RTP. Anything that falls below this has a low RTP. 
     
    You may be wondering why anyone would ever play a low RTP game and this brings in another concept: volatile. Volatile slots genuinely have less predictable but higher payouts, making them tempting to play. 
  • One down three to go. Of course we had to do it the hard way as nothing is ever easy with us in finals.
     
    This one was particularly excruciating though as that penalty shoot out felt like it would never end. Neither team deserved to lose this one and for a long time it looked like neither would. Until Kepa ended the impasse.
     
    You often need luck to win finals and that was certainly the case here. We were just about the better side but Chelsea probably had more clear chances. They also had THREE goals disallowed for offside. Two of them were clear enough, one of them was as close as it gets. We had one ruled out too, a decision not everyone is happy about but I have no complaints. More on that later.
     
    In addition to the disallowed goals Chelsea missed some glorious chances. So did we, probably quite as many though. How on earth did this end goalless? It’s as good of a 0-0 draw as you’ll see. I thought it was a great game, really absorbing, full of incidents and chances and there wasn’t really any lull in it at any point. Maybe extra time things dropped off a bit as players got tired, but this was a pulsating game with two great teams going toe to toe.
     
    We won and I’m obviously made up about it, but if we’d lost I wouldn’t have had any complaints as it really was one of those coin flip games. Chelsea played us really well once again. There’s absolutely nothing between us in three meetings this season now. It’s a good job they’ve dropped loads of points to shite teams or they’d be as much of a threat as City.
     
    We have a clear edge over them up front although we didn’t show it in this game, mainly because Sadio wasn’t as clinical as we needed him to be. I thought he played well apart from the lack of a goal, but I agreed with the decision to take him off even if he didn’t. Again, more on that later.
     
    The starting eleven was exactly what most expected. At least it would have been had Thiago not injured himself in the warm up. Keita replaced him and Elliott then found himself promoted to the bench. Both he and Curtis had been left out completely, as had Joe Gomez. Brutal for all of them, and it was noticeable that neither Jones nor Gomez seemed to play much of an active role in the post match celebrations. Not everyone can be like Kostas I guess.
     
    It does seem a little strange that Elliott wasn’t on the bench initially yet he ended up going on to replace Hendo while Ox was left kicking his heels. I’m not questioning that decision, in anything I’m questioning why Ox was preferred for the bench when he is clearly behind Harvey in the pecking order. 
     
    Losing Thiago was such a body blow though. It completely knocked the stuffing out of me just prior to kick off. I wasn’t exactly full of confidence beforehand but I had us maybe 60-40. After losing Thiago that dropped to 50-50. Which as it turned out was pretty accurate.
     
    The game kicked off and we saw Thiago absolutely distraught on the bench, being consoled by Allison. I think if I was as upset as that then Alisson would be the person I’d want consoling me too. You’re not going to get anyone better, he’s just such a great fella. Gutted for Thiago though, and also for us if he’s out for any length of time. Still no word on the injury so let’s just hope for the best.
     
    We didn’t start well, which may well have been because of what happened to Thiago. Nothing specifically relating to Keita, more just the shock of losing Thiago and how it may have unsettled our preparation. Chelsea were the better side in the opening 15 minutes, of both halves actually, but then we took over and had periods of domination before they hit back again.
     
    Chelsea had the better chances early on but we looked threatening too, mostly because Diaz had Chalobah on toast and was just beating him for fun. Chelsea’s threat came from the late runs of Mount and Pulisic to beat our high line, while most of what we did came down the left with Robbo and Diaz.
     
    Pulisic had the first clear chance of the game but was denied by Kelleher. The shot was more or less straight at him but he still showed good reactions to keep it out. It wouldn’t be the last time. That chance came in part because Robbo chased back in to cover Mount and ended up playing Pulisic onside.
     
    It was a recurring theme, although not specifically with Robbo as the one deepest. Our line was all over the place for spells in that first half.
     
    Our best chances fell to Sadio. He produced a woeful header that went miles wide from a brilliant pick out by Trent. He just didn’t time that right at all but it looked like he lost his bearings. That’s one where you need to flick your head at it to direct it goal wards, but he just headed it straight at the corner flag. Weird.
     
    He wasted a glorious chance not long after though when Mendy could only parry a good effort by Keita. Sadio was first to the loose ball and didn’t really do much wrong other than not lift his shot a bit higher to take the keeper out of the equation. Mendy did incredibly well to save that but nine times out of ten it hits his hands and goes in. This was the one unlucky time when it goes over the bar.
     
    What I loved about that was after the ball goes over, Sadio is gutted and Diaz just runs over and picks him up, hugs him and gives him encouragement. I absolutely love him already, he’s fucking boss. He tormented Chelsea in this game and every time he got the ball he looked like he’d do something. He also set a record for the number of no look passes in one game. He was totally overdoing it to the point that it was just fucking hilarious. 
     
    Good stuff by Naby on that chance though. He had a quiet start but then got involved in a couple of incidents that had Chelsea players wanting him sent off. The first was a joke. He was in a foot race with Mount and was struggling, but he did a good job of using his body to get between Mount and the ball. As he was moving across his arm accidentally caught Mount in the face. There was nothing in it, a complete accident and not a swinging elbow, but Mount made a big meal of it and Chelsea players surrounded Stuart Attwell demanding he do something. He did. He gave us a free-kick.
     
    Not long after there was another clash involving Keita. This time is was Chalobah on the receiving end. Not an elbow though, it was studs right to the bollocks. It looks bad on the moment of impact but when you watch the whole incident it’s just a case of two players going with a foot up for a bouncing ball. There’s no intent from either other than to win the ball and it could just as easily have been Keita on the receiving end. There’s nothing in that for me, and Attwell and VAR agreed. 
     
    Pulicis then had another shot that stung the palms of Kelleher after our back line was all over the place again. This time Virgil dropped to deal with Havertz and Matip was about 20 yards higher up, which left Pulisic loads of space to run in without being off.
     
    Another sweeping Chelsea move soon after ended with Mount shooting inches wide when he simply has to score. Didn’t deserve a goal simply because of his hair. What the hell is going on with that?
     
    He went even closer early in the second half when he got in behind us again and this time hit the post. The ball then rolled right across the face of goal to safety. It was weird because everyone seemed to stop and I was expecting the flag to be up but it wasn’t and the replay showed he was well onside. Not great from us again but in fairness Mount timed that run to perfection. 
     
    Next Mo ran clear and linked over the keeper, but didn’t get enough on it and Thiago Silva cleared off the line. Mo should do better there. I thought he’d ran offside but he was just on and that was the moment where he would normally step up. It was the one clear sight he had and it’s not a co-incidence that it came from a Chelsea mistake at a moment when he was on the other side of the field to Rudiger, who plays Mo as well as anybody.
     
    We’d regained control of the game at this point and were all over them. Mo won a free-kick off Alonso and when Trent played it to the back post Sadio nodded it back across goal for ol’ Big Bird to steam in and head home. I didn’t even see a hint of anything wrong with that so that was a full on celebration, no holding back in the way I’ll often do these days because of VAR.
     
    The players were the same. There was nothing dubious about that goal and when it said there was a check for offside I wasn’t worried because I knew both Sadio and Joel were fine. Then I saw Virgil blocking James, and I immediately knew it wouldn’t stand. The same thing happened the other week with Maguire blocking someone off while standing offside. You can’t do that as you’re interfering with play.
     
    Virg doesn’t really do much other than stand still, but he also has a little grab at James. Even without the grab that might still have been disallowed, but with it there’s no way that goal is going to count. James might not have even got back to win the header, in fact he probably wouldn’t have, but there was a chance he might and that’s enough to cancel the goal. 
     
    I didn’t even get mad about it as I agreed with the decision. It’s upsetting that we’ll probably see the same thing happen in the next few weeks and the goal will count, but that doesn’t alter the fact that Attwell got this right. And it was Attwell, as VAR didn’t make the decision they just told him he needed to see for himself. 
     
    Attwell is known as being one of the worst refs in the country. But he had a really good game. He let the game flow, was very reluctant to issue cards (too reluctant in the case of that Azpilacueta tit) and the only complaint I have is how lenient he was with Kepa in the shoot out. But again, I’ll get to that.
     
    The disallowed goal was a blow but we were looking really strong at that point and I felt that the goal was coming. Diaz was sensational and Sadio led the line really well. Diaz ran clear and was denied by Mendy. So close to being a great goal but his final touch took him a fraction wide and it wasn’t a great angle to shoot on his left side. So exciting though, he was unplayable.
     
    It caught up with eventually though and right at the end of normal time you could see he was cramping up. We’d used three subs by that point as Klopp had made a triple change with about 10 minutes or so left. Hendo made way for Elliott, Keita for Milner and a furious Sadio was replaced by Jota.
     
    I felt for Sadio but what choice did Klopp have? Mo is never going to be the one subbed and Diaz was the best player on the pitch. We needed a goal Sadio hadn’t taken the chances that came his way and we had Jota in reserve. In theory it was the right decision. In hindsight, we’d have been better leaving Sadio on a bit longer as Jota looked rusty.
     
    Diaz stayed on for the start of extra time but Matip was replaced by Konate. A smart move. Chelsea had introduced Lukaku and Werner so the extra speed and physicality of Konate was useful. He was really good I thought.
     
    It was just so draining. Every time it felt like we were in control Chelsea would have a spell where they created a good chance or two. Extra time was slightly less manic but there was that absolutely mad scramble when Diaz and Robbo both nearly scored only to be denied by Mendy, and then there was Mendy making that brilliant save from Virgil’s header.
     
    Then Diaz eventually made way for Origi and I won’t have been the only one expecting Divock to have a Divock moment. It never arrived though and in truth never looked likely. He didn’t get a sniff of a chance as without Diaz (and Mané) we lost a lot of the thrust we’d had up to that point.
     
    Overall our subs weakened us but Chelsea’s probably did too. Werner is fucking shite. I’ve said it for ages so this is nothing new. I’m pretty sure Timo in German means Stuart, and Werner translates as Barlow. All he has is speed, but what good is that when after all these years of playing football he still doesn’t know how to stay onside? Thick as fuck him.
     
    As for Lukaku, he was a danger because he times his runs much better. We did a good job overall of stopping the service to him but it did look like he’d done us when he ran through and scored. On first look I didn’t think he was offside and was fully expecting the VAR check to confirm my fear. Even when they paused it he still looked onside, but it’s one of those where the shoulder of the leaning forward is ahead of the foot of the last defender. 
     
    Havertz had one ruled out for offside too but that one was clear. I can’t even remember the third one they had, I just know there was three. 
     
    Ok, I’ve just had a look and it was Havertz again. He wasn’t offside but Lukaku and Werner both were (Werner by three yards) and Werner was the one who crossed it, so yeah defo no goal there.
     
    Lukaku went close with a close range stab that Kelleher reacted well to block with his foot. That was a real heart in mouth moment that one as it was really late on. Can’t actually remember if that was normal time or extra time, as there was so much going on I’ve lost track. Either way, it was probably the biggest moment of the game actually, given the timing of it. “Kweef” defo justified his inclusion, even if he didn’t save any pens. His performance in the game itself was class.
     
    Tuchel had been itching to get Kepa on before the end of extra time and when he did I was thinking how funny it would be if he made a mistake that led to us scoring before the final whistle. He didn’t, but we’d have the last laugh over him eventually.
     
    Usually I’d have sympathy for a keeper in his situation, but honestly, fuck him. He thought he’d come on and be the big hero, with his gamesmanship on literally every single one of our pens. That was weak from Attwell. After he’s delayed the first pen you have a word. If he does it again on the second you book him, and you say if he doesn’t wind his neck in then he’s getting another yellow.
     
    Instead he allowed him to delay every kick. He’d fix his shinnies, he’s mess with his laces, and even when he wasn’t doing that he was standing on the edge of the six yard box, eyeballing the taker. Which is fine. It’s his right to do it, but it’s the ref’s job to stop it. And Attwell just kept going up and telling him to get on his line.
     
    Compare that with Kelleher, who just went and stood on his line and waited for the kick. Fair play won the day for once. Kepa thought he’d get into the heads of some of our lads but it just didn’t work because they’re so strong mentally. 
     
    Our pens were mostly brilliant. Milner drilled it into the bottom corner and Fabinho dinked up the middle. Outrageous. Then up stepped Van Dijk. To my shame I wasn’t confident. I just wasn’t expecting him to take one, I didn’t like his run up and I was so fixated on that I didn’t even notice what was happening with Kepa. He was stood on one side of the goal trying to psych Virgil out. Anyone else, literally anyone, would have just put the ball in the vast space Kepa had left. 
     
    Not Virgil though. He just leathered it into the side Kepa was guarding, right in the top corner, and then glared at him with utter contempt as if you say “don’t try that shit with me, junior”. The absolute swag and self belief you need to do that, in that moment. I’m blown away by it. Some people are just built differently to the rest of us. 
     
    Then it’s Trent. Again, I’m worried. Why? Because he doesn’t normally take them. I didn’t know that the takers had been chosen based on tests they’d done in training, involving heart monitors and electrodes wired to the brain. Virgil and Trent were two of the calmest so they made the five.
     
    Then it was Mo. Again, I feared the worst. I was worried about the narrative you see. Salah missing against his old team after not having his best game. I didn’t like the potential for that storyline. Mo stepped up and smashed it right in the corner. Another sensational pen.
     
    So on we go into the ‘others’. We had Div and Jota so thats strong on paper, but by now I’m not thinking straight and I’m expecting all of ours to miss and all of theirs to score. What I wasn’t banking on was Kepa diving the wrong way almost every time. Div and Jota didn’t even need to end the corners. Robbo sent him the wrong way too. Robbo had looked petrified but that was clearly just concentration, because he didn’t panic at all.
     
    Then Harvey. Oh no, I couldn’t have handled him being the one to miss. Yet I didn’t really think he would. There’s always a fear but mostly I just thought he’d score and it might even be the winning pen. Narrative you see. It would have been a great story. He scored, but so did Chelsea.
     
    Fucks sake. And then up stepped Konate. And what a horrendous pen that was. Everything about it was wrong. He rushed the run up, his body angle was awful, he telegraphed where it was going, it wasn’t in the corner and it was almost the perfect height for a keeper. Thankfully it was just high enough that although Kepa got a hand on it, he couldn’t keep it out. That was the one bad penalty we had though. It was also the only one Kepa had a sniff of, whereas Kelleher guessed right quite a bit and got close to two or three.
     
    Then it was his turn to take one. Weirdly, I was relatively calm about that. No idea why, I just had confidence in him. And it wasn’t misplaced. Top penalty from a lad who has such a cool, calm demeanour about him. Nothing fazes him does it?
     
    And so to Kepa. He was never scoring that. The narrative was against him. A keeper brought on at the end of extra time specifically with the brief of saving penalties, and every single one of our lads had scored against him, including Kelleher. This was never going to end well for him after that. 
     
    His penalty was brutal too. Often when you see a penalty go over the bar it looks like it’s gone miles over until you see the replay from the side and realise it’s actually quite close. The angle is deceptive but usually those pens don’t miss by much. This one was MILES over though. 
     
    And so it was over. Wild scenes of celebration at Wembley with the players and staff charging about everywhere. As for me, I slumped back into my seat like Admiral Ackbar at the end of Return of the Jedi when the Death Star was destroyed.
     
    There’s far too many great moments from the celebrations for me to list all them, but highlights are Klopp dancing, Alisson taking a random kid up to lift the trophy with them and then spending time talking to him and his family (what a special fella he is), Kostas just going completely mental and making sure he filled the Josemi role by never leaving Hendo’s side, and the scenes in the dressing room with Ljinders showing his moves and then Pete Krawietz just randomly strolling into shot clapping and dancing. For some reason, that made me laugh more than anything else.
     
    The celebrations won’t have been too mental because we’ve got big games coming up, starting with Norwich in the cup this week. The lads have a taste for silverware again now but on Wednesday it’s likely to be most of the players that were overlooked who we will be relying on. It’s vital that they have the right attitude.
     
    The likes of Ox, Curtis, Joe especially. They seemed to take it harder than most. Poor Ox just looked sad when he lifted the trophy. Not in a sulky way, I’m sure he’s delighted we won but he probably felt a bit distanced from it because he wasn’t involved. That’s the hard part about having a big squad, you need to deal with disappointed players and my gut feeling is that Klopp has quite a few of those he’s going to need to work his magic on.
     
    Even Sadio, who was definitely distancing himself from the celebrations at the end. When the team was posing for the photo with the trophy, he took himself off and was stood to the side. He’s an emotional lad though and it sometimes gets the better of him. I’m sure he’ll be fine but he definitely looked like he had a bit of a cob on.
     
    Football is a strange old game though. I can remember Michael Owen being fuming about being left out of the League Cup Final in 2001. Then look what he did in the FA Cup Final a few months later. He scored in the UEFA Cup Final too I think. Similarly, Robbie started the League Cup Final and scored but was then livid when he was benched for the FA Cup Final.
     
    It’s the nature of the beast. You can only start eleven, you have nine subs so if everyone is fit we’re going to have four disappointed players. The likes of Curtis and Gomez just need to keep their focus and be ready because you never know when they’re going to be needed. 
     
    And Sadio might need to get used to being subbed or left on the bench more than he’s used to as well if Diaz keeps performing like this. He’s the star man by a mile for me. I think Virg got it from the sponsors and maybe he deserved it just for the penalty alone, but Diaz was different class. If he’s this good now when he’s still settling in, how good is he going to become?
     
    That signing feels like it was a real turning point in our season. It gave everyone a massive lift and we haven’t looked back since he arrived. We just need to keep this roll going now as we’ve got so much momentum with us there’s a 2001 feeling about it, only this time we’re in a title race as well.
     
     
    Team: Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Matip (Konate), Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Henderson (Elliott), Keita (Milner); Salah, Mané (Jota), Diaz (Origi):
  • It's Liverpool in a final so it's never straightforward, but this one was even more dramatic than usual. Somehow it was 0-0 after a pulsing 120 minutes of football that saw countless chances for both sides and four goals ruled out by VAR. Even the dreaded penalties struggled to break the deadlock until Chelsea 'keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga eventually missed with the 22nd kick of the shoot out to finally separate the two heavyweights.
     
    TLW Editor Dave Usher is joined by John Gallagher and Julian Richards to relive all the drama as Klopp's men claimed what will hopefully be the first leg of an historic quadruple.
     
     
     
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