The Nation Newspaper

Tag: liverpool

  • Manchester City crush Liverpool 5-0

    Manchester City crush Liverpool 5-0

    Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus scored twice as Manchester City crushed Liverpool 5-0 in the English Premier League at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

    Of course, it was going to end up this way with the visitors forced to play the second half down to 10 men for about 53 minutes.

    The result sends City, temporarily at least, to the top of the Premier League table with 10 points from four games, a point more than local rivals Manchester United.

    Manchester United are at Stoke City later on Saturday.

    Liverpool’s Senegalese striker Sadio Mane was shown a straight red card in the 37th minute for a high challenge on City’s goalkeeper Ederson.

    He had raced out of the penalty area and had to be carried off on a stretcher following the clash.

    City were already 1-0 up at that stage, thanks to a Sergio Aguero goal and they soon made their numerical advantage count when Jesus headed in a De Bruyne cross.

    The Brazilian tapped in his second in the 53rd minute after Aguero unselfishly played him in and Leroy Sane made it 4-0 in the 77th after combining well with Benjamin Mendy.

    Sane completed the rout in injury time with a brilliant, curling left-foot shot from 25 metres into the far corner.

    While the red card was the key moment in the game, Liverpool’s defensive frailties were again exposed as City found it far too easy to open up their back line.

    City manager Pep Guardiola opted for a relatively defensive formation with Kyle Walker and Benjamin Mendy operating as the two wing-backs at the side of a three-man defence.

    With Aguero and Jesus operating in tandem in attack, the formation relied heavily on Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne to provide creative play for City and he delivered in style.

    It was De Bruyne’s perfectly weighted pass that found Aguero’s well-timed run and the Argentine opened the scoring after skipping round Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.

    Liverpool were asking their own questions however with their speedy Egyptian winger Mohammed Salah beating Nicolas Otamendi twice.

    But at both times he was unable to deliver either a testing shot or a precise cross.

    Mignolet had to save with his feet in the 35th minute to keep out a low shot from John Stones after the ball fell to the City defender inside the penalty area.

    Then came the crucial incident — Sane racing towards a long ball forward, Ederson rushing out of his area and stooping towards the ball.

    The Liverpool striker’s high foot striking the goalkeeper in the head.

    Referee Jonathan Moss deemed the challenge reckless and dangerous enough to merit a straight red card.

     The Brazilian received eight minutes of treatment before medical staff carried him off the field and straight to City’s medical facility for checks.

    Jesus then had a header from a curling De Bruyne cross from the left ruled out for offside, before having an assist moments later.

    The pair combined in almost identical fashion to make it 2-0 at the break.

    City had another effort ruled out when Aguero put the ball in the net early in the second half.

    It was however the Argentine’s show of generosity that touched many hearts.

    After latching on to a Fernandinho through ball and facing only Mignolet, he slipped the ball to Jesus for the third.

    It was thereafter one-way traffic throughout the second half.

    The fourth goal came when Sane used the overlapping Mendy to his left and got on the end of the low return pass.

    The German provided a moment of individual brilliance in the final seconds with his superb long-range strike.(Reuters/NAN)

  • Coutinho: Barca put off by 200 million euro price tag

    Coutinho: Barca put off by 200 million euro price tag

    FC Barcelona abandoned their hopes of signing Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool after the Merseyside club demanded 200 million euros (about 183.10 million pounds) for the Brazil attacking midfielder.

    A director at the La Liga side, Albert Soler, said on Saturday the club had no other choice.

    The Spanish transfer window shut on Friday night, with FC Barcelona failing to add to their signings of Ousmane Dembele, Nelson Semedo, Gerard Deulofeu and Paulinho.

    This is in spite of coach Ernesto Valverde stating publicly he wanted a stronger squad after losing Neymar to Paris St. Germain for a world record fee of 222 million euros.

    According to reports in the Spanish media, Barca made a late bid to try and land Angel Di Maria from PSG.

    However, their main target remained Coutinho, who Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp repeatedly insisted was not for sale.

    “Late last night Liverpool priced the player we wanted at 200 million euros, and we decided we would not do it,” Soler told a news conference.

    “It’s a sign of the new era of football, one which isn’t led by clubs. Something has to change. We won’t play along with this new way of understanding football.

    “We didn’t want to risk the patrimony of the club, a club of 150,000 members which needs to be managed coherently and responsibly.

    “We are in a market where you pay 50 million for a goalkeeper. We will not play along with a market that may not have lost its way entirely, but something has changed.

    “This (FC Barcelona) board will not put the club at risk.”

    Liverpool did not publicly respond on Saturday.

    But a source familiar with the situation said FC Barcelona’s claim was false and that no value was put on Coutinho because he was never for sale.

    Liverpool maintain that FC Barcelona were always aware of this.

    Soler said Barca’s main problem in trying to acquire new players was that other clubs were trying to get more money out of them following Neymar’s world record sale.

    He also said football was changing as now wealthy countries, rather than the clubs themselves, were calling the shots.

    PSG, who are owned by Qatar Sports Investments, not only acquired the services of Neymar but also signed France forward Kylian Mbappe on a season-long loan.

    The French player is considered the most valuable young player in the world.

    “PSG came to us with 222 million (for Neymar) and that meant everyone knew we had money.

    “When you go to the market and you have a lot of money, the demands made of you are extortionate. We found ourselves in unbelievable situations,” added Soler.

    “What has happened in the market this year takes us to a model of football different to the one we are used to.

    “We used to be the ones that lead the market and now countries and investment funds are leading it. Countries have become the main agents in the football world.”

  • Liverpool sign Oxlade-Chamberlain from Arsenal

    Liverpool sign Oxlade-Chamberlain from Arsenal

    Liverpool has completed the £35million signing of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from Arsenal.

    The 24-year-old passed a medical on Wednesday after the Gunners accepted Liverpool’s bid for a player who made it clear he would not extend his contract beyond next summer, Sky Sports reports.

    Oxlade-Chamberlain has since agreed personal terms on a long-term deal, and the transfer was confirmed at 12:00 p.m. on Deadline Day.

    It is understood the fee could eventually reach £40million with appearance-based add-ons.

    Speaking from England’s St George’s Park base, Oxlade-Chamberlain said: “I’m delighted to have signed for Liverpool and a big thank you to everyone here at the FA that has made this possible, using the facilities. It has been a massive help.

    “I’m not going to say too much. I’m here with England and we’ve got two big games coming up, so I want to focus on them. But I can’t wait to get to Melwood.”

    Oxlade-Chamberlain was used at wing-back in his final few months at Arsenal, and his desire to establish himself in central midfield was a motivating factor in his departure.

    Jurgen Klopp told the Liverpool website: “I hear a lot of talk about positions but let’s talk about the player. He is someone with really good abilities who always gives everything for his team. A player that is positive and willing to take risks to try and make positive things happen.

    “He may still be young but he has a lot of experience in the Premier League, Champions League and for his country. Already he is a very, very good player and I think he has the mentality and desire to get even better – and that excites me.”

     

  • 10 Transfers that could still happen before the end of the window.

    10 Transfers that could still happen before the end of the window.

    1. Fernando Javier Llorente Torres to Chelsea::

    Born 26 February 1985, nicknamed El Rey León is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Welsh club Swansea City and the Spain national team.

    Llorente started his career with Athletic Bilbao, working his way through the various youth ranks and becoming one of the most important offensive players for the club in the following decade, since making his first team debut in 2005. He scored 29 goals in all competitions in the 2011–12 season, and was described as a “Bilbao legend”.

    Antonio Conte has long had an admirer of the experienced forward, with the Chelsea boss having signed Llorente once before while he was Juventus manager. However, Swans boss and former Madrid assistant Paul Clement said on Sunday that “I’m confident of keeping Fernando and I see no reason why I shouldn’t be”. Clement has also previously stated that he’d had reassurances from the World Cup winner that he would not be leaving South Wales. With Swansea’s other big name, Gylfi Siggurdson, having departed for £45m, one would think the Swans will choose to keep Llorente even in the face of big-money offers.

    He has been a subject of a transfer to Chelsea since last season and the rumour resurfaces again and unless Swansea get a replacement for him, they are unwilling to release him.

    Likelihood of the transfer: 50/50

    9.Jamie Vardy to Everton or Chelsea: 

    Jamie Richard Vardyborn 11 January 1987 is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Leicester City and the England national team.

    Vardy began his senior career with Stockbridge Park Steels, breaking into the first team in 2007 and spending three seasons before joining Northern Premier League club FC Halifax Town in 2010. Scoring 26 goals in his debut season, he won the club’s “Player’s Player of the Year” award, and then moved to Conference Premier Club Fleetwood Town in August 2011 for an undisclosed fee. He scored 31 league goals in his first season at his new team, winning the team’s “Player of the Year” award as they won the division.. In the 2015–16 Premier League season, he scored in eleven consecutive Premier League matches, breaking Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record, and was voted the Premier League Player of the Season and FWA Footballer of the Year as outsiders Leicester won the title. Vardy made his international debut in June 2015 and was selected for UEFA Euro 2016.

    It would not surprise anyone were Leicester to cash in on the former factory worker, especially with Chelsea and Everton prepared to pay £40m for his services. Vardy may well feel that this summer is his last chance of a big move, and with Leicester failing to repeat their wonder-season from 2015/16, a move would seem the logical step for the England international.

    Likelihood of the transfer: 50/50

    1. Jonny Evans to Manchester City: 

    Jonathan Grant “Jonny” Evans (born 3 January 1988) is a Northern Irish professional footballer who plays as a defender for and captains Premier League club West Bromwich Albion and plays for the Northern Ireland national team. Evans was born in Belfast and started his career at Green island FC, where he was spotted by Manchester United scouts. He progressed through Manchester United’s football Academy to play in several foreign tours in the summer of 2006. He made his Manchester United first team debut in the 2007–2008 League Cup, becoming a regular first-team squad member the following season. Evans is the second most decorated player in Northern Irish football history with 10 major trophies.

    However Evans’s recently-granted status as West Brom captain means that Tony Pulis is reluctant to sell. Evans himself has just declared loyalty to the Midlands outfit – on Sunday, he stated in West Brom’s matchday programme that “until anybody tells me different, I’m committed to the Albion and I’m only thinking about getting in this team”. As well as rebuffing Manchester City’s bid of £18m, Pulis’s side have also rebuffed a bid of more than £20m from Leicester City.

    Pep Guardiola seems to be angry with the defensive options he has at his disposal and wants to get a defender with a champion’s league experience.

    Likelihood of the transfer: Not Sure

    7.Virgil van Dijk to Liverpool: 

    Virgil van Dijk (born 8 July 1991) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Premier League club Southampton and the Netherlands national team.

    After beginning his career with Groningen, he moved to Celtic in 2013, where he won the Scottish Premiership and was named in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year in both of his seasons, also winning the Scottish League Cup in the latter. In September 2015, he joined Southampton.

    Van Dijk made his international debut for the Netherlands in 2015. After a successful 2016–17 season at Southampton Van Dijk was subject to interest from Liverpool who apologized to Southampton for an illegal approach on the player after having reportedly made his interest in a move to Liverpool clear. On 7 August 2017, Van Dijk handed in a transfer request to Southampton and released a statement along with it, emphasizing his wish to join a different club in the transfer window.

    Van Dijk has repeatedly made it clear he wants out from St Mary’s this summer, handing in a transfer request and even refusing to make himself available for pre-season matches. Mauricio Pellegrino’s side, however, seems utterly unwilling to let Van Dijk’s petulance win out. Their stance – that he is going nowhere – has never wavered.

    Likelihood of the transfer: Liverpool

    6.Renato Sanches to Liverpool or Swansea: 

    Renato Júnior Luz Sanches born 18 August 1997, is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for German club Bayern Munich and the Portugal national team.

    He began his career at Benfica, making his professional debut for the reserves in October 2014 and for the first team in October 2015. In his only season for them, the team won the Primeira Liga and Taça da Liga. He then agreed on a move to Bayern Munich for an initial €35 million, the then highest fee for a Portuguese player leaving the domestic league.

    He made his full international debut in March 2016 and was chosen for UEFA Euro 2016 in France, at the age of 18, making him the youngest Portuguese to play in an international tournament, and the youngest player to win a Euro 2016 Final. He scored one goal during the competition and won the Young Player of the Tournament as Portugal captured the title for the first time in their history. He was the recipient of the 2016 Golden Boy Award.

    Sanches has himself expressed a desire to leave Bayern. Consequently, a clutch of upper-level Premier League sides have attempted to sign him this summer. Liverpool’s overtures have been particularly strong, and Sanches is very much a Jürgen Klopp player: young, hungry and swashbuckling in possession, but Liverpool’s attentions may be elsewhere.

    Likelihood of the transfer: Swansea.

    5. Shkodran Mustafi to Inter Milan: 

    Shkodran Mustafi born 17 April 1992 is a German professional footballer who plays as a central defender for English club Arsenal and the Germany national team.

    He began his career in the youth ranks of Hamburger SV and English club Everton, where he made one substitute appearance in two-and-a-half-years before leaving to Sampdoria in January 2012. He signed a five-year deal at Valencia in August 2014, and moved to Arsenal for a reported £35 million two years later.

    Mustafi made his full international debut against Poland on 13 May 2014, and was part of the German teams that won the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. Mustafi joined English club Arsenal for an undisclosed fee, reported to be in excess of £35 million. He made his debut in Arsenal’s 2–1 Premier League win over Southampton at the Emirates Stadium on 10 September. Mustafi beat Bacary Sagna’s record unbeaten start of 17 games at the club in Arsenal’s 3–3 draw against Bournemouth with his 18th game without defeat. The former Sampdoria player is believed to be yearning for a return to Italy’s warmer climes, with Inter Milan heavily linked to the German international. Though the Nerazzurri were rumoured to be interested in signing Mustafi on loan with an option to buy him later, Arsenal would prefer a permanent transfer after paying Valencia £35m for his services only one year ago. But unless Inter suddenly decide to cough up a bucketful of cash, it looks as if Mustafi won’t be leaving the Emirates any time soon.

    Likelihood of the transfer:  Unlikely

    4.Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Chelsea or Liverpool:

    Alexander Mark David Oxlade-Chamberlain born 15 August 1993 is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for Premier League club Arsenal and the England national team.

    After rising to prominence with Southampton during the 2010–11 season aged 17, he signed for Arsenal in August 2011. Scoring twice in his first three matches for the club, Oxlade-Chamberlain became the youngest English goal scorer in UEFA Champions League history and has also claimed a regular place in the England Under-21s team. Fans have nicknamed Oxlade-Chamberlain “The Ox”, derived from the first part of his surname, as well as his physical tenacity and powerful playing style.

    Oxlade-Chamberlain made his debut for the senior England team on 26 May 2012 in a 1–0 win against Norway in a friendly. Following this, he received a surprise call-up to the England squad for UEFA Euro 2012, becoming the second youngest player ever to represent England in the European Championships behind Wayne Rooney.

    Although the 24-year-old was offered an improved contract in early July, his rejection of it clearly signalled his desire to leave. Boss Arsene Wenger has expressed a desire to keep the England winger, but there is a sense that Oxlade-Chamberlain is replaceable, unlike a certain Chilean forward. Antonio Conte and Jurgen Klopp are thought to be extremely keen on signing Oxlade-Chamberlain, with the ex-Southampton man’s versatility appealing to the Italian. It remains to be seen exactly how much Chelsea are willing to pay for a player with a dubious injury record, however.

    Chelsea agreed a $35m deal to buy him from Arsenal on Tuesday but Oxlade reject the chance to play for Chelsea and chooses to prefer waiting for Liverpool to make their offer for him.

    Likelihood of the transfer. Likely Liverpool

    3. Danny Drinkwater to Chelsea:

    Daniel Noel Drinkwater born 5 March 1990 is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Leicester City and the England national team. He has previously spent time on loan at Huddersfield Town, Cardiff City, Watford, Barnsley, and played for Manchester United, and has played internationally for England at under-18, under-19 levels.

    Drinkwater had his most successful year as a professional, scoring seven goals and being named to the PFA Championship Team of the Year alongside teammates Kasper Schmeichel and Wes Morgan, as Leicester were promoted to the Premier League after winning the Championship. On 17 June 2014On 25 August 2016, Drinkwater signed a long term contract to remain with the club to 2021.

    Leicester city are currently insisting on £40m for Drinkwater, having rejected a £25m bid from Chelsea earlier this month. Chelsea believes, however, that Leicester city are just waiting to sign a pre-emptive replacement for Drinkwater before cashing in. Even in this age of inflated transfer fees, £40m seems too much for a player who is struggling to make the England squad. It is difficult to believe that Foxes are standing in the way of a move should the Blues mount an offer north of £30m

    Likelihood of the transfer.50/50

    2.Alexis Sanchez to Manchester City:

    Alexis Alejandro Sánchez, also nicknamed El Niño Maravillaand “Ardilla”, was born 19 December 1988, also known as simply Alexis, is a Chilean professional footballer who plays as a forward for English club Arsenal and the Chile national team.

    After his debut season of first-team football with Cobreloa, Sánchez was signed by Italy’s Udinese in 2006. Following successful loans at Colo-Colo and River Plate, he began playing in Serie A. In 2011, he was signed by Barcelona for £25 million, becoming the most expensive transfer in Chilean football history.Sánchez signed for Arsenal in July 2014 for a fee reported to be £31.7 million, making him the third-most expensive signing in the club’s history after Mesut Özil and Granit Xhaka.He has been a full international for Chile since 2006, and has earned 115 caps, making him the team’s joint most capped player of all-time, alongside goalkeeper Claudio Bravo. With 38 goals, he is La Roja’s highest top scorer of all-time. He also played in two FIFA World Cups (2010and 2014) and the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, as well as three Copa América tournaments, winning two of the latter.

    Two major factors point towards the Chilean’s departure from North London in the next few days. First, as has been widely reported, his wage demands are astronomical. Manchester City are perhaps the only club in the world willing to lavish Sanchez with in excess of £400,000-a-week. Secondly – and this is perhaps bound up with his wage demands – Sanchez’s commitment to Arsenal has seemingly faltered as time has elapsed. In July he claimed to be ill in a less-than-convincing Instagram post after Arsenal had expressly stated he was returning to training, and on Sunday he was spotted seemingly laughing on the bench while the Gunners were being thrashed 4-0 by Liverpool.

    Likelihood of the transfer: much unlikely

    1: Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona:

    Philippe Coutinho Correia born 12 June 1992 is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder and winger for Premier League club Liverpool and the Brazil national team.

    Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Coutinho showed prodigious talent and excelled in Vasco da Gama’s youth system. He was signed by Italian side Internazionale in 2008 for €4 million and subsequently loaned back to Vasco, where he became a key player. He made his debut for Internazionale in 2010 and was seen as the “future of Inter”, but struggled to establish himself in the first team and was loaned to Spanish club Espanyol in 2012.

    In January 2013, he was signed by English team Liverpool for £8.5 million. He flourished at Anfield; his combination of vision, passing, dribbling and long-range strikes earned him the nickname Little Magician from Liverpool fans and teammates.  After he was named in the 2015 PFA Team of the Year, Brazilian legend Pelétipped Coutinho for a “great future”.

    Coutinho made his senior debut for Brazil in 2010 at the age of 18. He has since made over 20 appearances and represented the nation at the 2015 Copa Américaand the Copa América Centenario.

    The fleet-footed playmaker has been linked with Nou Camp for the entire summer, or so it seems. Reports in Spain suggest Liverpool’s hardline stance against selling Coutinho has softened in recent days, but the Reds would still rather refuse to sell the Brazilian than leave complex transfer negotiations to the last minute. A struggling Barcelona are prepared to offer well in excess of £100m to secure the Brazilian’s services, emboldened by their £200m windfall from Neymar’s PSG move, but the sticking point remains Fenway Sports Group’s willingness – or lack thereof – to sacrifice Liverpool’s star man

    Likelihood of the transfer: Unlikely

     

  • Arsenal loses Chamberlain to Liverpool in £40m Deal

    Arsenal loses Chamberlain to Liverpool in £40m Deal

    With less than 30 hours to go in the transfer market Liverpool have reportedly agreed a £40m deal to sign Arsenal and England midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

    Oxlade-Chamberlain has started each of Arsenal’s four games so far this season despite telling manager Arsene Wenger he would not sign a new contract.

    He has made 198 appearances for Arsenal since joining them from Southampton in August 2011.

    The fee would have been Liverpool’s club record deal, but the Reds have agreed to sign RB Leipzig’s Naby Keita next summer for £48m.

    Chamberlain, 24-year-ol,  rejected a move to Chelsea on Tuesday after a fee had been agreed.

  • Liverpool suffer Lallana injury blow

    Liverpool suffer Lallana injury blow

     

    Adam Lallana is set for up to two months on the sidelines after suffering a thigh injury, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has confirmed.

    The England midfielder, who missed part of the back end of last season with a hip problem, will be absent for the start of the Reds’ Premier League campaign after sustaining this latest blow in Wednesday’s Audi Cup final loss to Atletico Madrid.

    He will also miss out on their bid to reach the Champions League group stages, having been drawn to face Hoffenheim in the play-offs on Friday.

    “This is certainly not news we would have wanted,” Klopp told the club’s official website.

    “Unfortunately, the damage is such that it will likely mean Adam is out for a couple of months not weeks, so I think we can pretty much rule him out of August and September.

    “Beyond that we will monitor and wait and see. He is a boy with a world-class attitude to everything professionally and he has always come back in good time from injury setbacks since I have been here, so we will see.”

    According to Klopp’s timescale on Lallana’s recovery, he would miss at least six top-flight matches, including against Arsenal and Manchester City.

    Liverpool begin their domestic season at Watford on August 12, while they travel to Hoffenheim three days later and host the Bundesliga club the following Wednesday.

  • Liverpool announce £8m signing of Andy Robertson

    Liverpool announce £8m signing of Andy Robertson

    Liverpool have officially unveiled defender Andy Robertson as their latest summer signing after the Scotsman completed the formalities on his £8million move.

    Taking to their official website and club social media accounts Liverpool proudly presented Robertson in the famous red shirt.

    Robertson will take the no 26 jersey at Anfield next season and is widely expected to push for a regular starting spot in Jurgen Klopp’s side.

    The move sees midfielder Kevin Stewart head in the opposite direction, with the Tigers announcing his arrival on a three-year-deal.

    Speaking in the aftermath of the completion of the move, Robertson told Liverpoolfc.com: ‘It feels a wee bit surreal just now. Obviously I’m delighted. There’s been a lot of speculation over the last couple of weeks but I’m glad that the deal’s finally been done and I’m a Liverpool player.

    ‘My family are proud of what I’ve achieved so far and they’re all over the moon with the move, as well as me of course. We’re all just looking forward to being part of the Liverpool family now.

    ‘There’s not many, if any, more special clubs than Liverpool. When you grow up as a kid you dream of playing with big clubs such as Liverpool and to make that a reality is a dream come true for me.

    Manager Klopp was also complementary on his new signing, praising Robertson’s style while showing an admiration for the player’s journey.

    The Scotland international posed for a series of pictures in the famous red shirt of his new club

    ‘For Andrew this is another big step on what has been a quite incredible personal journey in a very short space of time,’ said Klopp.

    ‘I love his story; where we has come from professionally to reach this point.

    ‘When you speak to him it is clear why he makes his progress. He has a burning love for playing football – he really loves the game.

    ‘His attitude is outstanding – absolutely outstanding. His talent and skills – also very, very good.

    ‘He has experience of this competition, the Premier League, and he has the mentality and quality to get even better,’ he added.

     

  • Solanke scores for Liverpool in league Asia Trophy

    Solanke scores for Liverpool in league Asia Trophy

     

    Dominic Solanke scored his first goal for Liverpool to help secure a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League Asia Trophy on Wednesday.

    The England Under-21 international fired in a brilliant strike in the 61st minute to open his Liverpool scoring account after his summer move from Chelsea.

    Divock Origi netted the second 18 minutes later to set up a meeting with Leicester in the final of the tournament in Hong Kong on Saturday.

    Palace will face West Brom after they were beaten on penalties by the Foxes in the first match of the day at the Hong Kong Stadium.

    New Palace manager Frank De Boer opted for three at the back in his first match against Premier League opposition, with Andros Townsend and Jeffrey Schlupp as wing-backs.

    The duo, along with the lively Wilfried Zaha, provided Palace’s attacking outlets, although they were on the back foot for much of the match.

    Daniel Sturridge had Liverpool’s first chance in the 13th minute when his shot from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s low cross was blocked by Scott Dann.

    Sturridge’s clever backheeled pass then teed up Adam Lallana, but he blazed over the bar.

    The pacey Mohamed Salah looked threatening for the Reds and fired a left-footed shot over after cutting in from the right.

    Keshi Anderson saw a shot saved at the other end after a reverse pass from Townsend, before Wayne Hennessey kept out an effort across goal from Sturridge.

    Liverpool made a raft of changes at the start of the second half and one of them, Philippe Coutinho, went close with a shot from outside the box in the 54th minute.

    Solanke broke the deadlock on the hour mark when he collected Origi’s clever flick and fired across goal and into the bottom corner.

    Palace struggled to create chances despite an impressive display from Zaha, who vented his frustration after being clipped from behind by Marko Grujic.

    Minutes later Grujic shot wide from distance before Origi scored Liverpool’s second, finishing from close range after Coutinho’s shot was blocked.

     

     

  • Six people charged over 1989 Hillsborough disaster

    Six people charged over 1989 Hillsborough disaster

    Britain’s state prosecution service on Wednesday announced criminal charges against six people over the 1989 Hillsborough soccer stadium crush in which 96 fans died.

    The victims, all Liverpool supporters, died in an overcrowded, fenced-in enclosure at the Hillsborough stadium in Sheffield, northern England, during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.

    Police at first blamed the tragedy on drunken fans, an explanation that was always rejected by the families of the victims and the wider Liverpool community.

    Relatives campaigned for justice for the 96 for decades.

    “I have decided that there is sufficient evidence to charge six individuals with criminal offences,” said Sue Hemming, head of the special crime and counter-terrorism division at the Crown Prosecution Service, in a statement.

    Relatives of the victims, who were told of the decision to bring charges in private shortly before it was made public, were seen embracing outside the building where they were briefed in Warrington, northern England. One man pumped his fist.

    Hemming said that David Duckenfield, a former police chief superintendent who was in charge of police operations at Hillsborough on the day of the disaster, was charged with the manslaughter by gross negligence of 95 men, women and children.

    “We will allege that David Duckenfield’s failures to discharge his personal responsibility were extraordinarily bad and contributed substantially to the deaths of each of those 96 people who so tragically and unnecessarily lost their lives,” she said.

    He was not charged over the death of the 96th casualty, who died four years after the disaster, because of legal time limits that were in force at the time.

    Norman Bettison, a former police chief constable, was charged with four offences of misconduct in public office relating to telling alleged lies about his involvement in the aftermath of the disaster and the culpability of fans.

    “Given his role as a senior police officer, we will ask the jury to find that this was misconduct of such a degree as to amount to an abuse of the public’s trust in the office holder,” said Hemming.

    The other people were two other ex-police officers, a lawyer who had acted for police, and a safety officer at the Hillsborough stadium.

    Charges included perverting the course of justice, contravening safety regulations and misconduct in public office.

    The defendants, other than Duckenfield, will appear at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on August 9 for a first hearing in their prosecution.

  • El Hadji Diouf:’Mr Senegal ‘bigger than ‘Mr Liverpool

    El Hadji Diouf:’Mr Senegal ‘bigger than ‘Mr Liverpool

     

    El Hadji Diouf’s long-running war of words with former Liverpool captain and team mate Steven Gerrard has been reopened.

    There has never been much love lost between the pair, who played together for two years at Anfield.

    And the dispute between the two has now been running for almost a decade, 12 years after Diouf ended his miserable spell on Merseyside.

    But, speaking to the BBC, the retired 36-year-old, declared he had ‘no problem’ with Liverpool’s Under 18s manager Gerrard, before taking an inevitable swipe.

    ‘I have no problem with him,’ Diouf said. ‘He [Gerrard] is a strong character and I am a strong character.

    ‘Stevie G was a very good player. People like him in Liverpool but he never did anything for his country.

    ‘I am Mr El Hadji Diouf, Mr Senegal but he is Mr Liverpool and Senegal is bigger than Liverpool and he has to know that.’

    The feud between the two began back in 2007, when Gerrard wrote about Diouf in his autobiography.

    ‘I wasn’t Diouf’s No 1 fan,’ the 37-year-old wrote in his book.

    ‘Being around Melwood and Anfield I knew which players were hungry, which players had Liverpool at heart. Diouf was just interested in himself.

    ‘His attitude was all wrong. I felt he wasn’t really a***d about putting his body on the line to get Liverpool back at the top.’

    Diouf responded five years later, calling Gerrard ‘jealous’.

    ‘Gerrard was jealous of me back then as I had the world at my feet. There’s no one more selfish… he doesn’t care about anyone else.

    ‘Gerrard would rather Liverpool lost and he scored. The old Liverpool guys can’t stand him. I won’t even start with [Jamie] Carragher.’

    In 2015 he made the outrageous claim that Gerrard ‘has never liked black people’, which the former Reds captain immediately rebuked.