Liverpool secured their first victory in the new Champions League campaign over AC Milan at the San Siro on Tuesday evening, thanks to goals from Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk and Dominik Szoboszlai.

Arne Slot’s side dominated the game for large spells despite going a goal down early on after former Chelsea ace Christian Pulisic put the hosts ahead after just three minutes.

However, the Reds produced a magnificent display, putting right the wrongs of the weekend’s performance which saw the club fall to a shock 1-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League at Anfield.

Numerous players produced some much-improved performances, helping the club get off to the perfect start for the new European campaign in 2024/25.

Liverpool’s star performers against AC Milan

Cody Gakpo took full advantage of his recall to the starting lineup last night, producing some phenomenal figures despite failing to get on the scoresheet.

The Dutch international registered the assist for Szoboszlai’s second-half strike, whilst completing four dribbles – the most of any player in Slot’s side during the victory.

The 25-year-old also managed to win seven duels, the most of anyone who featured at any point during the outing for both sides, highlighting his impact at both ends of the pitch for the Reds.

Cody Gakpo’s stats against AC Milan (17/09/2024)

Statistics

Tally

Minutes played

68

Assists

1

Passes completed

18/22 (82%)

Key passes

2

Dribbles completed

4/7 (57%)

Duels won

7

Shots on target

2

Stats via Sofascore

Centre-back Konate also produced an admirable display alongside Van Dijk, with the pair starring at the heart of the Reds’ defence once again.

The Frenchman registered a 93% pass accuracy, whilst winning all of the tackles that he entered and making eight recoveries, helping the Reds defence turn around the early deficit in Milan.

However, despite the duo’s respective displays, one first-team member produced yet another dismal showing, with Slot needing to take action upon the club’s return to Premier League football this weekend.

The player who Slot needs to drop immediately

Diogo Jota was lucky to retain his starting spot after his showing against Forest last weekend, which saw him be replaced on the hour mark by fellow forward Darwin Núñez.

However, he started the victory last night, but once again failed to impress, being replaced after 68 minutes – once again by Uruguayan forward Nunez.

The Portuguese international registered two shots during the victory, but also managed to squander both of his efforts, which were both deemed as big chances.

He also only managed 23 touches, which was even fewer than teammate Alisson (27) achieved in the sticks – further showcasing his lack of impact. That makes for even more grim reading when considering that Alisson only actually had one save to make, with much of the play having been dominated by the visitors.

Equally, Jota also lost possession eight times, whilst also only managing to win 13% of the duels he entered – often coming out on the wrong side of the battles with the opposition defenders.

Jota was subsequently handed a 6/10 match rating by the Liverpool Echo journalist Paul Gorst, an indication as to how poor the forward was during the European outing.

There’s no denying the 27-year-old is a talent who has excellent qualities in the final third, but he’s desperately struggled to make any form of positive impact on Slot’s side.

Given his lack of form, Slot needs to take him out of the firing line, immediately replacing him for the league meeting against Bournemouth at Anfield this Saturday.

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Posts ByAngus Sinclair Sep 18, 2024

Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou has revealed that a member of his squad is coming in on his days off to train, as the player sets a “great example” for his Spurs teammates.

Man United vs Tottenham – match preview

The Lilywhites travel to Old Trafford tomorrow after three consecutive wins in all competitions, with Postecoglou’s side putting their north London derby defeat behind them in the last 10 days.

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Spurs sealed their place in the next round of the EFL Cup last week, courtesy of a dramatic smash-and-grab win at Coventry City.

Djed Spence and in-form Brennan Johnson scored in the dying minutes to avoid what would’ve been an embarrassing defeat for Postecoglou, and returned to winning ways in the Premier League soon after with a 3-1 victory at home to Brentford.

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Despite being down to 10 men for the vast majority of the game, Spurs sealed their first win in the Europa League in midweek thanks to their 3-0 drubbing of Azerbaijani champions Qarabag at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Attention now switches to Man United, as Postecoglou prepares his side to take on Erik ten Hag’s Red Devils in a blockbuster clash up north. Star winger Son Heung-min has been praised by Postecoglou this week for setting the tone, but the South Korea international faces a late fitness test.

“Fair to say the boys are fairly tired, the ones who put in a shift,” said Postecoglou on Spurs team news ahead of Man United.

“Apart from Sonny, everybody is okay and Sonny I don’t think is too bad. He wants to train tomorrow, and we will see how it goes and make a decision from there.”

It’s worth noting that Richarlison will miss Tottenham’s trip to Man United, alongside Wilson Odobert, but apart from them and potentially Son, Spurs pretty much have a fully fit squad.

Postecoglou makes Guglielmo Vicario revelation at Tottenham

One player certain to start against United is mainstay No 1 goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who has impressed overall since joining from Empoli on a £75,000-per-week contract.

There have even been claims that Spurs could make Vicario their future captain, akin to how Hugo Lloris wore the armband for years before ultimately moving on. Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Friday, Postecoglou has claimed that Vicario comes in on his days off to work and sets a “great example” for the rest of the squad.

“He has been great since the day he arrived,” said the Spurs boss.

“Criticism is just part of the nature of football these days. We have had a few under the spotlight. I included him in the leadership [group] this year, I have just seen his growth. He is one of those guys who is really positive. He comes in every day wanting to work, he comes in on his days off wanting to work.

“He is a great example for everyone and a great human being as well. I thought he could add something to our leadership group. It’s great for him to get the armband last night and I thought he rose to the occasion. He was big for us. He hasn’t had to make too many big saves in the first few games for us but we needed him for a couple last night and he was great.”

Sunderland sit at the top of the Championship summit after a dramatic opening four league games, with Regis Le Bris' men yet to taste defeat in the second tier.

Convincing wins against the likes of Portsmouth and Sheffield Wednesday stick out, with an impressive ten goals notched up so far, but it's also been a staunch defensive effort from the Black Cats that has helped contribute to a flawless start with just one solitary strike conceded.

Le Bris has also found a lot of joy from using a whole host of homegrown talents so far, with the likes of Chris Rigg and Dan Neil standing out as tenacious talents in the middle of the park, who have both come through the academy structure at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland's impressive track record with youngsters

Sunderland are becoming known for being a club that happily gives youngsters a chance to shine, even if they're not entirely the Wearside club's own work, as seen in Jobe Bellingham starring for the Black Cats ever since waving Birmingham City goodbye.

But, it's Rigg who is really winning himself plaudits recently in central midfield, with Le Bris starting the bright 17-year-old in three of the four league fixtures that have come his side's way so far.

He has more than justified his starting spots under the former Lorient boss too, with his showing away at Pompey last time out seeing him win four duels as an energetic presence in the middle, alongside taking one effort at Will Norris' busy goal.

Away from Rigg, who is just now blossoming into a top performer at senior level, Neil has been a consistent starter for Sunderland now over a number of seasons, despite only being fresh-faced himself at 22 years of age.

Neil has even been trusted with the captain's armband under the new French manager's early reign to date and performed like a leader in that big 3-0 win over Wednesday by completing two tackles and winning three duels.

Now onto 152 games in total in the senior team, Neil will hope he can kick on and help his side stay near the top of the league this season, having had to sit out the trip to Fratton Park last match owing to suspension.

Both Rigg and Neil show to those aiming to make it big in the Sunderland first-team through the youth structure that it is possible – as the likes of Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund now amazingly sniff around for the 17-year-old – with 19-year-old gem Harrison Jones keen to follow in their footsteps soon.

Harrison Jones' numbers at youth level

Jones could well end up being Sunderland's next leader in the middle of the park over time, akin to Neil, as the teenage ace is already wearing the captain's armband for the U21s.

He is a deserved skipper too, with 27 U21 appearances now next to his name, with an ability in his game to score even whilst operating as a central midfielder. That's certainly similar to Neil who has ten senior goals tallied up.

Jones

27

7

1

Rigg

13

0

0

Neil

45

2

1

Comparing Jones' development to Rigg and Neil's, his numbers at academy level right now blow his counterparts out of the water when they were still learning the ropes as talents for the future.

Regardless, Jones only has one brief cameo in the men's team to date, in contrast to Rigg and Neil playing week in week out for Le Bris.

Yet, he was gifted a spot on the substitutes bench last match versus Pompey and will aim to break into the first-team sooner rather than later, having been referred to as a "diamond" by U21 coach John Hewitson recently.

The future is certainly bright at Sunderland when it comes to the next wave of youngsters coming through, but also when it comes to more immediate hopes in the Championship, as promotion dreams begin to be imagined.

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Liverpool fans would have been entering into this weekend’s Premier League contest versus Nottingham Forest with expectations that their side would cruise to a win, especially when you consider the fact Arne Slot had guided his confident Reds side to three league wins from three prior.

However, football can be a funny old game and it would be the visitors who would surprisingly walk away from Anfield with all three points, courtesy of a Callum Hudson-Odoi strike deep into the second 45 minutes.

That would silence the Anfield masses watching on, who would have been very disappointed with the collective showing against Forest being so lacklustre, as the likes of Mohamed Salah, among others, had a very rare off-day.

Salah's performance vs Forest

Salah was nowhere near his sumptuous best against Nuno Espirito Santo’s underdogs, having completely torn Manchester United to shreds at Old Trafford just the game before this shock loss back on home turf.

Out of five dribble attempts on the day, the usually electric and tricky Egyptian would only complete one as Forest managed to keep him at bay, whilst the quiet Reds number 11 would only muster up two on-target efforts as well at Matz Sels’ constantly targeted net.

Likewise, the tenacity and energy usually apparent in the 32-year-old’s game wasn’t there, with just two duels won from nine attempted, as Forest’s gameplan to stifle the usually free-flowing Reds attack worked to perfection.

There will be somewhat of an inquest now after this sobering defeat, involving many of the first-teamers that had sparkled under Slot in August, with Salah receiving a 5/10 rating post-match by Liverpool Echo journalist Ian Doyle, who labelled his showing as “frustrating” on the whole.

It wasn’t only the former Chelsea man that let himself down in this slim loss, however, with Dominik Szoboszlai also way off the pace, after really coming into his own under Slot in previous Premier League clashes.

Szoboszlai's performance vs Forest

Heading into this contest, the Hungarian midfielder would have been over the moon with his early season form, having looked lively under the new Dutch manager with one assist notched up from four league games.

However, everyone is prone to having a bad day at the office as was seen in the ex-RB Leipzig man’s showing at the weekend, with the midfielder squandering possession a dire 18 times in total which then helped the away side to build up more confidence.

Stat

Szoboszlai

Minutes played

90

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Expected goals (xG)

0.16

Expected assists (xA)

0.08

Touches

75

Accurate passes

46/59 (78%)

Possession lost

18x

Stats by Sofascore

Looking at the table above, Szoboszlai’s performance lacked that killer pass to unlock the rigid Forest defence, with 75 touches of the ball and 46 accurate passes resulting in nothing of note being created, with a poor 0.08 next to his name in terms of xA.

In stark contrast, the below-par Reds number eight would amass 11 fewer accurate passes versus Erik ten Hag’s bewildered Man United side but managed to pick up an assist, as his display in that game was more on the front foot – like the rest of his on-fire teammates – and less pedestrian.

The 23-year-old would also fall victim to a low 5/10 rating from the Liverpool Echo after the dust had settled on the shock loss, with Doyle stating that Szoboszlai made ‘too many wrong decisions’ on the day that proved costly.

Slot could well have to rejig his line-up after such a disappointing defeat, therefore, with Szoboszlai potentially one name on the chopping block up next, as Liverpool begin their Champions League journey versus AC Milan this coming Tuesday night.

It wasn’t going to be all smooth sailing for the Reds under a new managerial regime, with the first bump in the road out of the way, as the likes of Salah and Szoboszlai are now well aware that they will have to step up their game.

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The Reds fell to a shock defeat at Anfield on Saturday afternoon.

ByEthan Lamb Sep 14, 2024

Former Portugal coach Fernando Santos has hailed Cristiano Ronaldo for 'securing his future' by moving to Saudi Arabia.

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Article continues below

Article continues below

• Santos praised Ronaldo's Saudi move
• Compared Al-Nassr to European clubs
• Al-Nassr face Al-Akhdoud on Thursday

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The 2016 European Championship-winning coach spoke highly of Ronaldo as he praised the 39-year-old's decision to move to the Saudi Pro League in 2023 and "secure his future". Santos also boldly claimed that Al-Nassr is "no different" from any club in the European game.

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• WHAT FERNANDO SANTOS SAID

  Speaking on Egyptian Channel 1 (via ), Santos said: "Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr is an incredible decision, but it is a unique experience, and Al Nassr is no different to European clubs. The atmosphere in Saudi football is wonderful. Cristiano is a world-class player and was looking to secure his future."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Ronaldo has faced criticism and trolling over his jibe at Ligue 1 during his speech at the Globe Soccer Awards last month, where he said: "The Saudi Pro League is better than Ligue 1, of course. I'm not saying that because I play here. I don't care what people think about it. Players should come here and they will see quickly. Just try to do sprints at 38, 39, 40 degrees…Come and you will see. If you don't believe me, come. In France, they only have PSG, everyone else is finished. Nobody can beat them because they have the most money and the best players."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR CRISTIANO RONALDO?

  The ex-Manchester United and Real Madrid star is all set to take to the field for Al-Nassr this week after a well-earned winter break. The Saudi giants will face Al-Akhdoud in a league clash on Thursday.

Marnus Labuschagne emerged from isolation and cracked a massive double century with a record score for Glamorgan’s 2nd XI ahead of his final few weeks in county cricket.Labuschagne and his Queensland team-mate Michael Neser had been forced into ten days isolation having been deemed a close contact of Glamorgan batter Nick Selman who tested positive for Covid-19.The period did not expire soon enough for either to feature in the current County Championship match against Sussex, but Labuschagne found himself a spot for the seconds against Northamptonshire where he cracked 276 off 268 balls with 32 fours and four sixes – beating the previous Glamorgan 2nd XI record of 267 held by Ian Thomas from 2003. For good measure he had also taken three wickets in the first innings.