The Nation Newspaper

Tag: liverpool

  • Liverpool’s Salah targets Champions League over individual glory

    Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah says helping the team win the Champions League is more important than any individual award he could receive this season.

    The Egyptian reached the 40-goal mark across all competitions this season in Liverpool’s 3-0 Premier League win over Bournemouth on Saturday.

    He is also leading the race for the European Golden Shoe after an impressive campaign.

    Liverpool beat Manchester City 5-1 on aggregate this month to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League, where they will face AS Roma, and Salah hopes the run can continue.

    “To win the Champions League,” Salah said when asked if he preferred to win the competition or an individual award.

    Read Also: ‘Salah-less’ Liverpool fail to beat Everton

    “If you had a choice, then of course, the Champions League.

    “…To win the Champions League is huge for everyone. I don’t care about the rest.”

    The 25-year-old has scored 30 goals in 32 league appearances for Liverpool in his debut season at the club and is a favourite to win the Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year award.

    Liverpool plays West Bromwich Albion in the league on April 21 before the first leg of their Champions League tie, three days later.

    NAN

  • Liverpool supporters voted noisiest in Premier League

    They have qualified for the semi finals of this year’s Champions league, they may be standing a good chance like the other three contenders, Roma, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich to clinch the prestigious trophy come 26th of May at the NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, but Liverpool have been voted as the Premier League’s noisiest in a poll of over 4,000 Top-flight ,followers, former players and managers.

    The Reds topped the list for the loudest fans both home and away in the survey conducted by Barclays and YouGov, finishing ahead of Newcastle United, Crystal Palace and Manchester United.

    Man united supporters conceded that their arch-rivals had their favourite rival song, although ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ was edged out by ‘I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles’ and ‘Delilah’ – the anthems of West Ham United and Stoke City respectively in that particular category.

    Jose Mourinho has previously complained about the noise levels at Old Trafford, with the Red Devils looking to hand out song sheets at future matches to generate a better atmosphere. The full list of findings according to the monitors will be published in early May. The finding further dismisses the insinuations that Manchester City are the noisy neighbours.

    Meanwhile Liverpool still basking in the euphoria of their feat in the Champions league will resume premier league runs with a home tie against AFC Bournemouth. The Reds are third on the log with 67 points in 33 matches and hope to consolidate with a possible win over the visitors.

    Team talisman Mohammed Salah who contributed in no small measure to Champions league progress will again be on duty against  AFC Bournemouth and will be hoping to continue his goal harvest if unchecked.

    The 39-goal hero is not ruling out the possibility of Liverpool winning the Champions league. Salah who will no doubt be an asset for the Pharaohs in Russia said it is all about one step at a time

    “We can [win it] – we are in the semi-final,” he told CNN. “I always say that we take it step by step, but we are in the semi-final and anything can happen.

  • Roma upset Barcelona, Liverpool demolish City

    Roma staged a stunning comeback from 1-4 in the first leg of the UEFA Champions quarter final pairing with Barcelona to beat the former champions and the Spanish leaders 3-0 and qualify for the semi-finals on goals aggregate.

    Bosnia’s Edin Dzeko started Roma revival in the 6th minute and in the second half, De Rossi scored via a penalty and Manolas completed the coup de grace with a stunning header in the 82nd minute.

    The unexpected turnaround turned the fans at Stadio Olimpico into wild jubilation.

    Liverpool at Etihad Stadium completed their demolition of Manchester City, cruising to the semi-finals on 5-1 goal aggregate, after surviving a nightmarish first half, in which City scored their only goal in two minutes.

    The victory marked the first time since 2008 that Liverpool would qualify for the semi-final of the competition.

  • Liverpool to Supporters: Behave or risk jail

     

    Liverpool may be having the upper hand in today’s second leg quarterfinal Champions league tie billed for the Ethihad Stadium, but most of the Reds supporters will stay behind bars while the game is on unless they comply with club’s pre-match instructions dished out by the club.

    Liverpool won the first leg 3-0 but the victory was overshadowed by unacceptable behavior by the fans including destruction of Manchester City bus.

    But ahead of today’s clash billed for 7.45pm Liverpool warned their supporters not to bring to the stadium as those who do so will be picked up by the police.

    The Reds were charged by UEFA for crowd disturbances during the first leg at Anfield and are keen to avoid a repeat of the incidents, which included the setting off of fireworks inside the stadium.

    “Liverpool FC would like to remind supporters that flaring smoke bombs and pyrotechnics are illegal and prohibited,” said the club in a statement posted on its official website.

    “Any individual who is found taking these items into the stadium are liable to arrest.

    “The use of such devices breaches ground safety regulation and poses serious risk of injury to fellow fans and serious health risks.

    “Amnesty bins will be located outside the visiting section of the Etihad on Tuesday,” the club informed

    Meanwhile Man City’s David Sylva remains optimistic that they can turn things around despite the 3-0 defeat.

    The Spain international has promised that Pep Guardiola’s men will be giving their all to rescue their European campaign in the Etihad Stadium return match, still believing they can progress.

    “We’ve had a great season and we always create a lot of opportunities and chances,” Silva told City’s official website.

    “Above all, we are playing at home. One thing I can assure our fans of is that we will be giving 100 per cent on Tuesday evening and we are confident we can turn this game around and progress to the semi-finals.”

    On what went wrong on Merseyside, Silva added: “It was a very difficult game but, in fairness, I thought we started really well.

    “Then they hit us with two quick goals and, at a ground like Anfield, you are always going to be up against it after that. We had a lot of the ball after the break but couldn’t convert any of the chances we had.”

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • ‘Salah-less’ Liverpool fail to beat Everton

     

    Liverpool’s desire to continue the cruise control just after 3-0 defeat of Manchester City the Champions league tie hit the rocks Saturday as they failed to overcome Everton no thanks to the absence of Mohammed Salah. The Reds missed a chance of climbing to the second position on the log after a 0-0 draw at the Merseyside derby

    Salah, who has scored 38 goals in all competitions this season, was absent for Saturday’s clash at Goodison Park due to the groin injury he sustained in the 3-0 victory over Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday, and Liverpool’s second string failed to deliver.

    Dominic Solanke, starting down the middle with Roberto Firmino on the bench, was the main culprit as he wasted the two clearest chances of a drab encounter in front of England manager Gareth Southgate, while Loris Karius only had one Everton effort to deal with across the entire 90 minutes.

    The Toffees approach played a large part in reducing the spectacle and their performance will do little to stop criticism of Sam Allardyce from Everton fans.

    The home supporters would have left happy had Cenk Tosun, Seamus Coleman or Dominic Calvert-Lewin made the most of openings inside the final three minutes, but they had to settle for holding Liverpool to a draw that damages their quest to finish above Manchester United.

    Should Jose Mourinho’s side by any chance win their derby and stop Manchester City claiming the title later on Saturday, they will open up a four-point gap to Jurgen Klopp’s side and retain a game in hand.

    Without the attacking threat of Salah, Liverpool struggled to pose much danger in the final third as Sadio Mane, Solanke and Danny Ings – starting his first game in 916 days – all struggled to find room.

    Patience was key for the visitors and had Solanke done better on the rare occasions the Everton defence was unlocked they would have gone into the break ahead.

    James Milner’s cross from the left was headed wide by the 20-year-old, and when he was gifted a chance six yards out he fired straight at Jordan Pickford.

    Everton finally broke out of their defensive formation midway through the half when Yannick Bolasie cut inside from the left, but his curling effort was superbly pushed around the post by Karius.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Liverpool face anxious wait over Salah injury

    Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has assured club manager Juergen Klopp he’s “all fine, all good’’ after picking up an injury during the club’s UEFA Champions League clash with Manchester City on Wednesday.

    But Klopp admits he is concerned over the fitness of his leading goalscorer after he limped off seven minutes after the interval at Anfield on Wednesday.

    This was after the Egyptian had scored the opening goal in Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Pep Guardiola’s side in the first leg of the quarter-final.

    Klopp confirmed the 25-year-old, who has scored 38 goals for Liverpool in all competitions this season, will be assessed in the coming days.

    Read Also: Liverpool stun Manchester City with 3-0 win at Anfield

    This is ahead of their English Premier League clash against local rivals Everton at Goodison Park.

    “About Mo, I don’t know at the moment,” Klopp told reporters. “He came to the sideline and said he feels sometimes, something. That was enough for me to not even ask the doctor how he was. So, we immediately took him off the pitch.

    “After the game I asked him and he said, ‘I will be good, it will be fine’. But now we have to wait for the real diagnosis, not Mo’s self-diagnosis.”

    Liverpool will defend their three-goal advantage against Manchester City in the return leg at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.

    NAN

  • Manchester City find their “perfect’’ match with Tinder deal

    English Premier League leaders Manchester City have swiped right on a unique deal with dating app Tinder, both organisations said on Thursday.

    A day after a 3-0 loss to Liverpool in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, Manchester City announced the signing of a multi-year partnership with Tinder.

    Reports in the British media claim the deal is worth millions of pounds.

    The commercial deal will see the dating app team up with the club’s men’s and women’s sides along with sister club New York City FC.

    “Tinder is a huge global platform which, just like football, is bringing millions of people together every day all around the world,” City Football Group’s Chief Commercial Officer Tom Glick said in a statement on the club’s website.

    “Football is all about a community of fans, sharing moments, emotions and passion for the sport they love.

    Read Also: Liverpool stun Manchester City with 3-0 win at Anfield

    “Together with Tinder, we have a great opportunity to explore how we can combine Tinder’s significant appeal and reach with our global audience… We believe this will be a perfect match for Tinder and for City.”

    Tinder is a dating app owned by Match Group Inc.

    It marked the beginning of the partnership by flying a blimp in City’s club colours — light blue and white — along with logos of both organisations in Manchester on Thursday.

    The app has also changed its social media icons to match the club’s colours to show support ahead of City’s potential league title-clinching derby against bitter rivals Manchester United on Saturday.

    “Football is a sport where anything can happen at any moment,” Tinder’s VP Partnerships David Wyler said.

    “We wanted to be true to the game and do something unexpected by surprising the fans and our users with news of our partnership in a fun and creative way.”

    NAN

  • Liverpool stun Manchester City with 3-0 win at Anfield

    Liverpool ripped apart Manchester City with three goals inside the opening 31 minutes as they won their UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg tie 3-0 on Wednesday.

    Anfield has witnessed many memorable European nights over the years and this will take its place among the most spectacular.

    A simply devastating first-half display was crowned with goals from Mohamed Salah, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Sadio Mane.

    The tie may not be over, with 90 minutes remaining at the Etihad on Tuesday.

    But Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp, who has enjoyed more wins over Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola than any other manager, will be delighted as his commitment to attacking football was amply rewarded.

    Liverpool are the only team to have beaten Manchester City in the English Premier League this season.

    That was with a thrilling 4-3 victory in January, and they repeated the formula of that success by attacking City’s defence from the outset.

    Roared on by a particularly vocal home crowd, Liverpool put the English Premier League’s champions-elect under intense pressure from the first kick and it took just 12 minutes for them to crack.

    After a Manchester City corner-kick, James Milner launched the ball forward, Salah broke from the halfway line and played the ball inside to Roberto Firmino.

    His shot was blocked by Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson but Firmino pounced on the loose ball and slipped it to Salah, who fired home.

    City responded with a swift counter-attack of their own but Leroy Sane, who had broken from deep, screwed the ball wide when he could have played in team mate Kevin De Bruyne.

    Liverpool were rampant though and harrying Manchester City off the ball in midfield when Milner won back possession and moved it straight to Oxlade-Chamberlain.

    The former Arsenal midfielder unleashed an unstoppable drive from 25 metres to make it 2-0 in the 20th minute.

    Manchester City were now reeling and looked nothing like the team that has marched so convincingly to a 16-point lead in the English Premier League.

    Then, it was not long before Juergen Klopp’s side made it 3-0.

    Salah floated a teasing cross from the right towards Mane, who rose above the Manchester City defence to power a header past Ederson and send the Anfield crowd into delirium.

    Manchester  City came out brightly after the break though, finally managing to find some composure with their passing.

    Liverpool were unable to get back into their first-half rhythm and they suffered a blow when Salah went off injured in the 52nd minute.

    Guardiola’s side were back in their familiar role of controlling possession, but were struggling to create chances with Sane wasting a promising opening at the back post.

    It was one of a series of frustrations for the German left winger.

    It was also a miserable night for Sane, who was superbly handled by young Liverpool right back Trent Alexander-Arnold.

    The night was completed when Sane was ruled offside as he broke down the left and crossed for Gabriel Jesus to put the ball in the net.

    Yet the fact that Manchester City’s late pressure was accompanied by audible tension from the Liverpool fans was a reminder that the tie is not over.

    Few teams could overturn a 3-0 deficit against Liverpool but Guardiola’s side is certainly one of them.

    Reuters/NAN

  • City better prepared to foil Liverpool trio, Gundogan

    Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan believes they are better prepared to cope with Liverpool’s attacking trio in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals at Anfield on Wednesday.

    City’s 4-3 defeat at Liverpool in January was their only loss against an English Premier League (EPL) side this season.

    It came courtesy three goals in nine second-half minutes from Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, who have combined to score 75 goals in all competitions for Liverpool this season.

    “There’s a lot of respect, because all three have scored plenty of goals and they’ve also set up many more,” Gundogan told British media.

    “Liverpool are still the only team that’s been capable of beating us in the Premier League. But we’re aware why this happened, although we performed pretty well that day.

    “Obviously, going back to Anfield for the first-leg game is a great motivation for us.

    “We’d like to get a great result in the first leg and then dominate the game in the second leg, in front of our fans.

    Read Also: Hazard, Liverpool trio listed for PFA award

    ” That’s what we want to do and, if we achieve that, then I’m sure we’ll make it into the next round.”

    Gundogan spent four years playing under Liverpool boss Juergen Klopp who managed Borussia Dortmund before moving to England.

    It was a period with the German club winning the Bundesliga title, German Cup as well as reaching the 2013 Champions League final.

    “Juergen is a terrific coach and he’s capable of motivating his team ahead of every game.

    “And he’s proving all that again with Liverpool – their attack is incredibly strong. So they aren’t an easy team to beat but we need to do so,” Gundogan added.

    City could wrap up the EPL title with a win over local rivals Manchester United on Saturday before facing Liverpool in the second leg at the Etihad Stadium three days later.

    NAN

  • Klopp predicts fiery UEFA Champions League clash against Manchester City

    Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp insists “there will be fire” when the Merseyside club faces Manchester City in Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League showdown.

    The German said his confidence was hinged on the fact that his team, at their best, were capable of defying the odds to reach the semi-finals.

    Manchester City visit Anfield in the first leg of their quarter-final tie, resuming a rivalry which has seen 12 goals scored in the last two meetings between the teams.

    “If I had the choice to watch a UEFA Champions League game on Wednesday I would watch this one,” Klopp told reporters.

    “It is about tactics, but there will be fire in the game. So, that’s cool. And it’s at Anfield anyway. So, a good atmosphere to watch.”

    Liverpool suffered a 5-0 league defeat at the Etihad Stadium in September after forward Sadio Mane was sent off.

    But they exacted their revenge with a 4-3 win at Anfield in January, which remains City’s only English Premier League defeat of the season.

    In spite of the defeat, Pep Guardiola’s side remains 16 points clear at the top of the standings.

    Klopp accepts it will be difficult to knock Manchester City out over two legs in Europe.

    “Did we think before the first game we would lose 5-0? No. Did we think before the second we would win 4-3? No. But do we know we have a chance? Yes,” he added.

    “Actually that was clear before, but they are the favourites. We should finish the game with 11 first of all, that would be cool. We know it’s difficult.

    “At specific moments we are on a similar level, but they have been much more consistent, and that’s why they are higher in the league. We see our chance, but we know it will be unbelievably difficult.”

    Both teams warmed up for the tie with away league wins over the weekend.

    Liverpool cemented their third-place position in the table with a 2-1 triumph at Crystal Palace, while Manchester City eased to a 3-1 victory over Everton at Goodison Park.(Reuters/NAN)