Elijah Wood, who played Frodo in the original Lord of the Rings trilogy, shared a Twitter post featuring a picture of himself alongside Dominic Monaghan (Merry) and Billy Boyd (Pippin) with the caption “You Are All Welcome Here.” In the picture, he and his fellow hobbits could be seen wearing shirts printed with an elvish translation of the caption along with ears of various Middle-Earth races in a variety of skin tones....
In a one-sided first half, Arsenal took the lead through Ainsley Maitland-Niles in the 11th minute. The hosts hit back in the 14th minute after a confusion among Arsenal defenders in the box saw Firmino tap in from close range. Firmino doubled Liverpool’s lead shortly after the equalizer as he glided his way past Arsenal’s centre-backs and slotted the ball past a helpless Leno. Matters got worse for the Gunners after Sadio Mane and Mo Salah scored in the 32nd and 45th minute respectively, giving the hosts an unassailable 4-1 lead before the interval....
For all of Liverpool’s problems this season, scoring goals had never been one of them. However, Jurgen Klopp’s side is now badly struggling in front of goal, culminating in them losing their mojo in the title race. The Merseyside club looked completely out of touch from start to finish, and never quite recovered after Danny Ings’ second-minute goal. The former Liverpool striker opened the scoring with a deft, looping finish after being set up by James Ward-Prowse from a free-kick....
The Bavarians have recovered from a poor start to their Bundesliga campaign and are second behind Borussia Dortmund as they prepare for their domestic season to resume on January 18 against Hoffenheim. Niko Kovac’s men travel to Anfield on February 19 to face Liverpool in the Champions League round of 16 and Austria defender Alaba said the club is aiming for success on three fronts, with a DFB-Pokal clash against Hertha Berlin also around the corner....
Webb had already given Liverpool a dubious penalty to bring them back into contention, after Luis Suarez went down in the box, before the same player went down again under a strong challenge from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Rodgers was unhappy that his side were not given a second spot-kick to level up the tie and questioned Webb’s performance, having already had troubles with England’s World Cup referee in Liverpool’s defeat to Chelsea in December, Goal report....
Trailing 1-0 at the Britannia Stadium, Brazilian duo Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino struck within two minutes of each other to seal a 2-1 win over Stoke City. Coutinho the PL’s most prolific Brazilian Remarkably, Jurgen Klopp’s men have clawed back 18 points from losing positions this season, more than any other team in the English top flight. To put that in perspective, if not for those gutsy displays Liverpool would currently languish in ninth place, far off Champions League qualification....
It will be the latest episode in the captivating rivalry between Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp. We run the rule over two men whose tactical approaches and high levels of achievement have – and it does not feel too grandiose to suggest this – changed football in the 21st century, as well as one another. THE BUNDESLIGA YEARS Guardiola’s arrival to take the reins of a treble-winning Bayern for 2013-14 came shortly after their rivalry with Klopp’s Dortmund reached its peak....
City’s 98-point haul ultimately bested Liverpool’s 97 – the second and third-highest points totals in Premier League history – after they came from behind to win 4-1 at Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday. It means back-to-back titles for City, who carried a 14-game winning streak through until the end of the campaign as Liverpool’s pressure in the final stretch never wavered. Kompany previously hoisted the Premier League trophy as skipper in 2011-12, 2013-14 and last term, but he feels the scale of the challenge City faced this time around makes the success extra special....
Liga leaders Barca spent most of the last transfer window trying to lure Coutinho to Catalonia but their attempts were in vain, with sporting director Robert Fernandez saying Liverpool demanded 200 million euros ($234.64 million) for the player. Speaking at a news conference ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League Group E game at Sevilla, Klopp said he was unmoved by new media reports in Spain stating that Barcelona will make a fresh approach for Coutinho in the January transfer window....
Pep Guardiola’s side suffered three defeats to the Reds last season in the league and Champions League and, as a result, took a more cautious approach than normal at Anfield. Van Dijk – who conceded an 86th-minute penalty that was missed by Riyad Mahrez – believes City’s more conservative approach was testament to the potency of Liverpool’s attack and the damage it could do to them. “Obviously they were a bit cautious of the way we played and I think we have earned that respect,” he told reporters....
The Spanish centre-back has also been linked with Manchester United and Real Madrid in recent months. According to AS, Liverpool have made contact with Villarreal to sign Pau Torres. The Reds are desperate to sign a defender this summer as they look to bolster their squad ahead of next season. Pau Torres has quickly developed into one of the most sought-after young talents in European football in recent years. The Villarreal star enjoyed a breakout season last year, during which he received a call-up to the Spanish national squad....
Carragher believes Pochettino deserved to see out the season The former Liverpool defender believes that Pochettino’s achievements at Tottenham should have been taken into consideration as the Argentine deserved to see out the season rather than being given the sack unceremoniously in mid-season. Also Read: Jose Mourinho set to replace Mauricio Pochettino as Tottenham Hotspur manager Speaking to Sky Sports, Carragher said, Jose Mourinho has been heavilly linked with taking charge of Tottenham and it remains to be seen if the former Chelsea and Manchester United manager becomes Pochettino’s successor at the north London club....
Jurgen Klopp’s men recorded a dramatic 2-1 victory over Tottenham on Sunday to return to the top of the table, holding a two-point lead over a City side who have a game in hand. Mane, one of Liverpool’s stars this season with 20 goals, said his side needed a perfect finish to the campaign to secure a first league title since 1990. “To be honest I think we need to win all of the games, even if it will not be easy,” the Senegal international told UK newspapers....
Salah, who leads Tottenham’s Harry Kane by five goals in the race for the Premier League’s Golden Boot, could have faced a three-match ban had he been charged after appearing to swing an arm towards Martins Indi as they competed for the ball after a throw-in. But the Egypt international made no contact with Martins Indi and the FA has confirmed that a panel of ex-referees decided it was not an incident of violent conduct following a review of the footage....
The Reds have been drawn against La Liga side Sevilla, Russia’s Spartak Moscow and Slovenian champions Maribor for their first Champions League campaign since 2014-15. Reds 4/6 to win Group E Liverpool were knocked out at the group stage that season and Klopp, a finalist with Borussia Dortmund in 2012-13, knows his team must compete for points both home and away. However, the German did concede it was a boost to avoid the competition’s heavyweights....
On Tuesday, the trio combined to devastating effect to hand the Reds a 5-2 victory over AS Roma in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final outing. Firmino set up Salah’s first-half goals while the Egyptian, in turn, assisted the forward’s first effort after helping Mane grab Liverpool’s third. The Brazil international rounded up Jurgen Klopp’s men assault before the visitors tried a comeback through Edin Dzeko and Diego Perotti....
Pulis branded Klopp’s behaviour as “disappointing” and he went on to subtly taunt the German manager when he said,“…but he’s got his opinions and he can say what he wants. We apologise we actually played three longer passes in 99 minutes than Liverpool did in that game.” It was a stromy duel between the two teams which culminated into a 2-2 draw. Albion displayed a very defensive brand of football and an aggressive one too....
The visitors fell behind early on as Leroy Fer initially alleviated the pressure on Swans coach Francesco Guidolin, but Roberto Firmino leveled matters after the break and James Milner converted a penalty to seal a fourth consecutive league win for Liverpool. Swansea, which has not won in the Premier League since the opening day, missed a glorious chance to snatch a draw in stoppage time as Mike van der Hoorn skewed wide from a few yards....
England’s Football Association said the alleged breaches took place in January 2018, when Sturridge was on loan from Liverpool at West Bromwich Albion. Liverpool reacted by saying the 29-year-old Sturridge has “stated categorically that he has never gambled on football.” “Daniel has given his full and unequivocal cooperation throughout this process,” Liverpool said in a statement, “and has assured the club he will continue to do so.” In April last year, Premier League player Joey Barton was banned for 18 months for placing more than a thousand bets on football over an 11-year period, including games he played in....
A nice party, perhaps? Driving lessons, possibly? A trip away with your pals, a new wardrobe, or few hundred quid to spend on yourself? Whatever it is, Harry Wilson can top it. For his, he got a trip to China, a first international start and a first international goal. He got praise from Ryan Giggs and pictures with Gareth Bale. He got headlines, exposure, experience, memories. Many happy returns....
