Tag: Liverpool

Mohamed Salah will leave Premier League champions Liverpool at the end of the season, the Egyptian forward announced on Tuesday as he started a farewell to what the club said were nine “illustrious” years at Anfield.

The 33-year-old arrived from Roma in 2017 and has made 435 appearances for Liverpool to date, scoring 255 goals to be third on the club’s all-time goalscorers chart behind Ian Rush and Roger Hunt.

Salah has won four Premier League Golden Boots and starred for Liverpool in both their 2019/20 and 2024/25 title triumphs, as well as lifting the 2019 Champions League trophy.

His Liverpool honours also include a Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup, FA Cup and two League Cups.

Salah has scored just five Premier League goals this season, compared with 29 in last term’s title-winning campaign.

His Anfield future became the subject of intense speculation after a dramatic bust-up with Liverpool manager Arne Slot in December.

He accused Liverpool of throwing him “under the bus” after he was benched for three games in a row and said he had no relationship with the Dutch boss.

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Salah, in a video on social media featuring highlights of his time with Liverpool, said: “Hello everyone. Unfortunately, the day has come.

“This is the first part of my farewell. I will be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season.

“I wanted to start by saying that I never imagined how deeply this club, this city, these people would become part of my life. Liverpool is not just a football club.

“It’s a passion, it’s a history, it’s a spirit. I can’t explain in words to anyone not of this club.”

Salah, who, in common with many Liverpool players and staff, was deeply affected by the death of team-mate Diogo Jota in a car crash in July, added: “We celebrated victory, we won the most important trophies, and we fought together through the hardest time in our life.

“I want to thank everyone who was part of this club throughout my time here, especially the teammates, past and present.

“And to the fans, I don’t have enough words. The support you showed me through the best time of my career, and you stood by me in the toughest times. It’s something I will never forget and something I will take with me always.

“Leaving is never easy. You gave me the best time of my life. I will always be one of you. This club will always be my home, to my family, and to me.

“Thank you for everything. Because of all of you, I will never walk alone,” insisted Salah in a reference to the Liverpool fans’ anthem.

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Danny Welbeck scored twice as Brighton beat Liverpool 2-1 on Saturday to deal a major blow to the Reds’ push for a Champions League spot next season.

Arne Slot’s men came into the match on the sunny south coast in buoyant mood after hammering Galatasaray 4-0 in midweek to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.

But a goal in each half from the evergreen Welbeck gave the home team a fourth win in five Premier League matches, keeping alive their own hopes of European football next season.

Liverpool were missing both goalkeeper Alisson Becker and forward Mohamed Salah at the Amex Stadium.

And they suffered a further injury blow early in the game when top scorer Hugo Ekitike hobbled off with an apparent dead leg after a firm challenge from former Liverpool stalwart James Milner.

The champions found themselves behind when Welbeck scored his 11th Premier League goal of the season in the 14th minute, nodding home from close range after Diego Gomez headed a cross-field pass back across goal.

That made the 35-year-old former Manchester United and Arsenal forward the top English goalscorer in the league this season.

Liverpool found some rhythm after falling behind, and Alexis Mac Allister went close to an equaliser in the 22nd minute, but Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen got down smartly low to his left to claw the ball away.

However, the visitors were level in the 30th minute after some clever opportunism from left-back Milos Kerkez, capitalising on an error from Brighton captain Lewis Dunk, who paid the price for heading a high ball back to his goalkeeper without looking behind him.

Hungary defender Kerkez nipped in and produced a composed finish, flicking the ball over the stranded Verbruggen.

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Brighton started the second half brightly and were back in front in the 56th minute, with Welbeck again on the scoresheet.

Yankuba Minteh’s pinpoint cross was played into Welbeck’s path by Jack Hinshelwood, and he finished confidently, with the goal confirmed following a VAR check.

Welbeck, who made his Premier League debut for United in 2008, is enjoying his highest-scoring season in the league.

Slot threw on teenager Rio Ngumoha, Andy Robertson, and Federico Chiesa in a desperate search for an equaliser, but it was Brighton who remained the more threatening team.

Defeat leaves Liverpool fifth in the Premier League, two points behind Aston Villa and one ahead of Chelsea, with the top five almost certain to qualify for the Champions League next season.

The club’s Premier League title defence collapsed earlier in the season, but they remain alive in the Champions League and face Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals early next month.

Liverpool’s Brazilian international goalkeeper Alisson posted on social media that he would be “out of action for a while”.

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Mohamed Salah may be experiencing the worst goal drought of his Premier League career but Liverpool manager Arne Slot believes the Egypt striker is paying the price for his own high standards.

Salah, 33, has won the Golden Boot four times as the English top-flight’s leading goal-scorer since arriving at Anfield in 2017, the latest in last season’s title-winning campaign. But he has now gone nine league matches without a goal.

That is his worst run in the Premier League, but Slot, speaking ahead of Saturday’s match at home to West Ham, told reporters: “He set his own standards and those are so high and the moment he doesn’t score for a few games people are immediately surprised –- that is the biggest compliment he can get.”

The Dutch boss, whose side are sixth in the table and three points off a Champions League place, added: “We are used to Mo scoring a lot of goals and at this moment in time that is maybe the biggest difference in his performance and game time.

“But we also know this has happened before. I don’t know if it happened nine games in a row, but I’ve had these questions earlier if he didn’t score for three or five, but I know in the end he always starts scoring again.

“He is not our only attacker at this moment in time that doesn’t score as much as we are used to.

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“The focus is totally on him because of everything he did for the club but Hugo (Ekitike) and Cody (Gakpo) haven’t scored that many goals recently as well. It is a team thing which we have to improve.”

Liverpool, meanwhile, announced they had returned to profit after their title triumph last season with a pre-tax surplus of £15.2 million ($20.5 million) that owed much to a £60 million increase in media revenue.

But performance bonuses, plus the contract renewals of high-profile stars such as Salah and skipper Virgil van Dijk, helped leave Liverpool with the highest wage bill in the Premier League as staff expenditure rose by £42 million to £428 million.

That put Liverpool ahead of Manchester City, whose employee costs for the same season were £408 million.

As these figures relate to the 2024/25 campaign, with the accounting period ending on May 31, they do not include Liverpool’s £450m summer spending spree on the likes of British record transfer Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Ekitike.

Liverpool’s chief financial officer, Jenny Beacham, said the figures were welcome but warned tougher times may lie ahead.

“The club does face significant cost challenges, including rises in administrative, staffing and operational costs, alongside the need for us to compete at the highest level of the game, across our men’s and women’s teams.”

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Erling Haaland struck a stoppage-time penalty to earn Manchester City a dramatic 2-1 win at Liverpool on Sunday to reduce Arsenal’s lead at the top of the Premier League back to six points.

City were heading for defeat at Anfield with six minutes to go before Bernardo Silva cancelled out Dominik Szoboszlai’s stunning free-kick to spark an incredible finale.

Haaland put City in front from the spot before the visitors had another goal ruled out, and Szoboszlai was sent off in the same incident after a VAR review.

Victory was City’s first away to Liverpool in front of a crowd since 2003 and applies some pressure to Arsenal’s quest for a first title in 22 years.

“I feel the whole team knew before the game, if we lost it then the title race was probably over,” said Silva. “We felt like we needed to win.”

Defeat delivered another blow to Liverpool’s hopes of Champions League football next season.

The defending champions remain down in sixth and four points adrift of the top five.

These two clubs have combined to win the last eight Premier League titles, but both showed the flaws which have opened the door for Arsenal to potentially end their long wait to be crowned champions of England once again.

Haaland has scored just once from open play in his last 13 games, and an uncharacteristic lack of confidence from the Norwegian showed with the best chance of the first half inside the opening two minutes.

Silva’s clever pass split the Liverpool defence, but Haaland’s shot lacked conviction under pressure from Milos Kerkez, and Alisson Becker was able to save low to his left.

Second-half slumps have been a consistent feature of City’s season and the visitors again faded in the second period until a late flurry saved their title challenge.

“Second half we pressed really high and played good football,” said Liverpool boss Arne Slot. “We have improved so much, but we need to improve the results.”

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Marc Guehi was relentlessly booed after his proposed move to Liverpool from Crystal Palace broke down on transfer deadline day in September.

City took advantage to swoop in last month when they lost two key centre-backs to injury.

Guehi was fortunate to escape with just a yellow card when he dragged down Mo Salah just outside the box in a decision that infuriated Slot.

But it was City who were left fuming at the award of the free-kick, which led to the opener when Ryan Gravenberch went down under minimal contact.

Szoboszlai scored the only goal with an outrageous free-kick when Arsenal visited Anfield in August and produced another stunning strike which clipped the inside of the post before finding the net.

However, the Hungarian went from hero to villain when City levelled six minutes from time.

Szoboszlai played Silva onside as he slid in to volley home Haaland’s header for City’s first second-half goal in the Premier League this year.

Alisson then wiped out Matheus Nunes to concede a penalty, and Haaland kept his cool from the spot to put City in front.

Pep Guardiola’s men then needed a stunning save from Gianluigi Donnarumma to tip behind Alexis Mac Allister’s deflected shot.

With Alisson remaining forward from the resulting corner, the Liverpool goal was open when Rayan Cherki took aim from the halfway line to roll the ball into an empty net.

However, Haaland and Szoboszlai’s grappling as the ball trickled towards the goal saw the strike ruled out, with a free-kick awarded to City instead, and the Liverpool player given his marching orders.

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Mohamed Salah ended his Liverpool goal drought as the Reds crushed Qarabag 6-0 on Wednesday, booking their place in the Champions League last 16 and easing the pressure on Arne Slot.

Slot’s side overpowered the Azerbaijani underdogs with first-half goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Florian Wirtz at Anfield.

Salah scored the third after the break on his club-record equalling 80th Champions League appearance for Liverpool.

It was the Egyptian forward’s first goal for Liverpool since November 1, ending an eight-game drought.

Salah had been dropped during that barren run, prompting him to claim he had been “thrown under the bus” by the club as he painted a bleak picture of his relationship with Slot.

The 33-year-old made peace prior to leaving for the Africa Cup of Nations in December, and Slot will hope his goal sparks a return to form.

Hugo Ekitike notched the fourth before Mac Allister and Federico Chiesa wrapped up Liverpool’s biggest win in all competitions since 2023, ensuring they automatically advanced to the last 16.

As well as avoiding the play-off round, Liverpool’s third-place finish in the league phase gives them the advantage of hosting the second leg of their last 16 tie.

“I’m very pleased. We know we can still improve in both boxes, but it was a very good performance,” Slot said.

“It’s always important to get the early goals to get the crowd on our side. We know we can do even better.”

Mac Allister added, “We skip two play-off games, which is important in a long season like this. We know that in the Champions League, we’ve been better than the Premier League. We need to see the positives.”

Despite being demolished on Merseyside, Qarabag still qualified for the play-offs after finishing 22nd.

Liverpool’s progress to the knockout stages was essential for Slot, who has faced awkward questions about his team’s troubled campaign in recent weeks.

Slot had hit back at criticism of Liverpool’s five-match winless run in the Premier League after last weekend’s 3-2 loss at Bournemouth, insisting it would still be a successful season if they win silverware.

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But Liverpool fans have grown increasingly frustrated with Slot, whose team trail Premier League leaders Arsenal by 14 points despite winning the title last season and then spending around £450 million ($619 million) on new signings.

Slot acknowledged the “noise” around Liverpool was “fair” and impossible to silence unless they do “special things” in the final months of the season.

The Champions League and FA Cup offer hope of fulfilling that ambition.

Virgil van Dijk was Liverpool’s only fit centre-back after Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez were ruled out, forcing Slot to start Dutch midfielder Ryan Gravenberch at the heart of his defence.

Slot’s defensive options dwindled even further after just three minutes when the injury-plagued Jeremie Frimpong limped off.

But Liverpool were unfazed and quickly put Qarabag to the sword.

Their issues with free-kicks and corners led Slot to dismiss set-piece coach Aaron Briggs in December.

Lewis Mahoney, promoted to replace Briggs, conjured a corner routine that led to Liverpool’s opener in the 15th minute.

Ekitike flicked on Dominik Szoboszlai’s inswinging delivery, and when Van Dijk couldn’t convert, the ball bounced kindly for Mac Allister to nod home.

Wirtz doubled Liverpool’s lead in the 21st minute with his first Champions League goal since arriving from Bayer Leverkusen last year.

The German playmaker took Ekitike’s pass and, with Qarabag backing off, he had time and space to drill home from 18 yards.

Teed up by Szoboszlai’s back-heel, Salah curled a superb free-kick past Qarabag goalkeeper Mateusz Kochalski into the far corner five minutes after half-time.

Ekitike sprinted clear to bag Liverpool’s fourth with a composed finish in the 57th minute.

Mac Allister tapped in the fifth four minutes later before Chiesa slotted in his first goal since September in stoppage time.

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Mohamed Salah made his much-anticipated return to the Liverpool squad on Tuesday following the Africa Cup of Nations as the club prepare to face Marseille in the Champions League.

A smiling Salah was put through his paces at the club’s training centre with the rest of Arne Slot’s squad ahead of Wednesday’s match in France.

The return of the Egypt forward has been a major talking point after he took aim at Liverpool in an explosive interview early last month.

Salah accused the club of throwing him “under the bus” after he was benched for three games in a row and said he had no relationship with Slot.

But he appeared as a substitute in a 2-0 Premier League win against Brighton on December 13, providing an assist, and Slot subsequently said the club had moved on from the furore.

Last week, Slot said he welcomed Salah’s return, refusing to divulge the content of his conversations with the 33-year-old, whose team finished fourth at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Slot said before Saturday’s 1-1 draw against struggling Burnley he was unsure whether the forward would face Marseille.

But on Tuesday afternoon Liverpool said Salah had been named in the 20-man squad for the trip to France.

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“Mohamed Salah is included having returned to the club after representing Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations,” a statement on the club’s official website said.

Liverpool are currently ninth in the league phase of the Champions League.

The top eight qualify automatically for the last 16 while teams placed from ninth to 24th face a play-off round.

Salah is Liverpool’s third-highest goalscorer of all time with 250 goals in 421 appearances, winning two Premier League titles and the Champions League since joining from Roma in 2017.

He signed a lucrative new two-year contract last year as he played a starring role in guiding Liverpool to a record-equalling 20th English top-flight title.

But he has been a shadow of his former self during Liverpool’s struggles this season, managing just five goals in all competitions.

Liverpool’s Premier League defence collapsed with a run of six defeats in seven matches starting in late September.

The club are now unbeaten in 12 games in all competitions but remain 14 points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal.

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Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said the Premier League champions have to improve a woeful record defending set-pieces if they are to continue an upturn in form.

The Reds only edged past bottom-of-the-table Wolves 2-1 on Saturday after conceding a 12th league goal in 18 games from a set-piece.

No team has conceded more, and, at the other end, Liverpool have only scored three times from set-pieces, excluding penalties, themselves.

That minus nine differential is their worst in any Premier League season.

“The fact is we’ve conceded too many set-piece goals and we don’t score enough,” said Van Dijk.

“It’s something we have to improve. I would say at least 75 percent of the time, or even more, it’s not even about the first contact. It’s the second phase that is the killer.

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“Is it a mental thing? I hope not. If that’s in your head then it’s an issue. Personally, it’s not in my head.”

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has bemoaned his side’s dead-ball defending for much of the season.

But the Dutchman sees signs of progress overall as Liverpool beat nine-man Tottenham and Wolves in their last two matches despite conceding from a corner in each of them.

“Unfortunately we’re maybe the only team that hardly ever scores from a set-piece and, even worse, we constantly concede,” said Slot.

“But then, I think I said two, three or four weeks ago, we have to make sure that when things go against us – it could be a set-piece, it could be other things – we still need to find a way to win.

“In the last two games we conceded from a set-piece but we were able to win and that hasn’t happened many times this season. That’s progress for me, but it’s obvious there are more things for us to improve and this is definitely one of them.”

Despite a string of unconvincing performances, Liverpool are on a seven-match unbeaten run.

Three consecutive league wins have lifted Slot’s men back into the top four, but they remain 10 points adrift of leaders Arsenal.

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Tottenham manager Thomas Frank has hit back at Arne Slot after the Liverpool boss criticised Micky van de Ven for a “reckless” tackle that left Alexander Isak with a broken leg.

Defender Van de Ven crashed into Isak with a sliding tackle in a failed attempt to stop the Sweden striker scoring in Liverpool’s 2-1 win at Tottenham on Saturday.

Isak, who limped off after Van de Ven’s challenge, underwent surgery on an ankle injury that included a fibula fracture.

The 26-year-old is expected to be sidelined for at least two months after the injury to his left leg.

Slot launched a scathing attack on the centre-back when he faced the media on Tuesday, saying he was guilty of a “reckless challenge”.

“If you make that tackle 10 times, I think 10 times there’s a serious chance that a player gets a serious injury,” he said.

But Frank defended his player in his own press conference.

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“I obviously disagree in many ways,” he said. “We are talking about a defender that will do everything he can to avoid the goal.

“It is a transition, there is a ball down the side, and he is doing everything he can to block the shot, so he is sliding.

“Unfortunately, Isak plants his foot so it makes it look worse than it is, but that is a natural action for a defender.

“Put it this way, if my defender does not do that, they are not true defenders.”

Frank said Van de Ven would not put an opponent’s health at risk with a dangerous foul.

“Reckless challenge? I don’t think you see anything like that from Micky,” he said.

“I see him as a very fair and competitive player. That’s one thing. I know the two players have sorted it out, so that’s a good sign.”

Tottenham’s defeat against Liverpool added to the mounting pressure on Frank.

The former Brentford boss has struggled since arriving in north London in the close-season to replace the sacked Ange Postecoglou.

Postecoglou ended Tottenham’s 17-year trophy drought by winning the Europa League, but the poor domestic form that haunted the Australian has continued under Frank’s watch.

Tottenham are languishing in 14th place in the Premier League ahead of this weekend’s trip to Crystal Palace, but Frank remains confident he can turn the tide.

“This is one of the biggest clubs in the world so it makes it a bigger and different challenge,” he said.

“Where this makes it extra challenging is we also play Champions League and Premier League at the same time. We are trying to improve when at 100 miles per hour.”

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Alexander Isak is expected to be out of action for two months after fracturing his leg against Tottenham, with Liverpool manager Arne Slot accusing Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven of making a “reckless challenge”.

The Swedish striker was injured in a tackle from the defender in the act of scoring the opening goal in Saturday’s 2-1 victory and limped off the pitch.

Liverpool said in a statement on Monday that the forward had had an operation on an ankle injury that included a fibula fracture.

“It’s going to be a long injury, for a couple of months,” Slot told reporters on Tuesday, “So, yeah, that’s a big, big, big disappointment for him. And as a result, also of course for us.”

Arne Slot described Van de Ven’s tackle as “reckless”.

“I think I said a lot about the tackle of Xavi Simons (sent off earlier in the game for Spurs), which, for me, was completely unintentional, and I don’t think you will ever get an injury out of a tackle like that.

“The tackle of Van de Ven, if you make that tackle 10 times, I think 10 times there’s a serious chance that a player gets a serious injury.”

Isak’s injury is the latest setback for the forward after he signed from Newcastle for a British record £125 million ($168 million) in September.

A dispute with Newcastle meant he did not have a proper pre-season programme and arrived at Liverpool well behind his team-mates in terms of fitness. His season was then interrupted by a groin injury.

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The 26-year-old has scored just three goals in 16 appearances since completing his protracted move to Anfield.

Isak’s absence will be a major blow for Reds boss Slot, with Mohamed Salah at the Africa Cup of Nations and Cody Gakpo not ready to return from a muscle injury until early in the new year.

It leaves Slot with Hugo Ekitike, who has five goals in his past four games, and the little-used Federico Chiesa as his only senior forwards.

Liverpool, whose Premier League title defence collapsed after a shocking run of results, have climbed to fifth in the table after extending their unbeaten league run to five games.

Isak’s injury raises the prospect of Liverpool moving to boost their attack in the January transfer window, with Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo linked with a move to Anfield.

It may also change the conversation around Salah, who had been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia following his recent claim that he had been thrown under the bus by the club and no longer had a relationship with Slot.

Salah’s rant, which came after he was left on the bench for three successive matches, prompted Liverpool to leave him out of the squad for a Champions League match at Inter Milan.

But he returned to action as a substitute against Brighton before leaving for international duty.

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Arne Slot said Liverpool have “moved on” from the furore caused by Mohamed Salah’s explosive outburst at being dropped and are showing signs of growing into the side he wants to see.

The Reds begin what could be up to a month without Salah, who is representing Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), away at Tottenham on Saturday.

After a run of nine defeats in 12 games, Slot has steadied the ship in a five-game unbeaten run, during which Salah did not start a single game.

“Actions speak louder than words. We moved on,” Slot told reporters on Friday, referring to his decision to bring Salah on as a substitute in last week’s 2-0 victory over Brighton.

“Now he’s at the AFCON playing big games for himself and the country. All the focus for him is over there and there should not be any distraction of me saying anything because we moved on after the Leeds interview and he played against Brighton.”

Despite a difficult second season for Slot in England, Liverpool sit seventh in the Premier League and would move into the top four with victory against struggling Spurs.

The English champions transformed their squad over the summer transfer window, spending nearly £450 million ($602 million) to bring in Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong, and Milos Kerkez.

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Apart from the impressive Ekitike, all the new signings have struggled, and Slot conceded he had been overly optimistic over how long it would take for his new-look squad to perform consistently.

“I think we are getting closer and closer to the team I want us to be and that has gone with ups and downs,” said the Dutchman.

“But for me, that makes complete sense because all the changes we’ve made during the summer, and we made them on purpose because we thought we needed to.

“If I’m completely honest, maybe I didn’t expect it to take maybe as long as it did, but, looking back on it, reflecting on it now, I think I’ve been too positive because if you go with a new group where not all of them are completely ready to play every single game, 90 minutes in this intensity, you have to adapt.

“Sometimes he can play, then he cannot play. So it takes maybe a bit of time, and we’ve been very unlucky.”

Joe Gomez and Cody Gakpo will miss the trip to Tottenham due to injury, but Slot is hopeful that Dominik Szoboszlai will be fit to start. Frimpong returns after a two-month absence.

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