Jurgen Klopp thinks Liverpool s lack of rhythm in Sunday s 0-0 draw at Manchester United was caused by the hosts first-half injury crisis.
United had to use all three of their substitutions before the interval at Old Trafford, as Ander Herrera, Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard were all forced off due to injuries.
Liverpool s Roberto Firmino also had his day ended early when he rolled his ankle in a contest that never really got going.
The draw was enough to return Liverpool to the Premier League summit, but Klopp felt the enforced United changes wreaked havoc with his team, adamant it was two points dropped.
It s difficult. It was a strange game, Klopp told Sky Sports. We started really, really well, exactly as we wanted to start.
Then the injury …
Lionel Messi scored one goal and provided two assists as Argentina kept alive their bid to end their 28-year Copa America title wait with a 3-0 quarter-final win over 10-man Ecuador in Goiania on Saturday.
Messi hit the post early before showing composure to find Rodrigo De Paul for his maiden international goal in the 40th minute.
Late on, Messi swooped on a heavy touch from Piero Hincapie to set up Lautaro Martinez – for his second goal in two games before adding one of his own with a superb free-kick.
Argentina extends their unbeaten run to 18 games under head coach Lionel Scaloni. La Tri exit without a win, despite reaching the knockout stage.
Argentina started strong, with Martinez s angled shot saved, while German Pezzella fired into the side-net…
Barcelona should have sold Lionel Messi in the last transfer window, according to the club s interim president Carlos Tusquets.
Messi wanted to leave Barca – where he has spent his entire senior career – in the close season, with the 33-year-old frustrated by the running of the club under previous president Josep Maria Bartomeu.
However, Barca demanded any suitors – reportedly including Pep Guardiola s Manchester City – pay €700million despite Messi attempting to activate a get-out clause in his contract that would have allowed him to leave on a free transfer for a certain period at the end of the season.
Opting against dragging Barca through the courts to force a move, Messi eventually elected to remain and see out the final year of his contract, whi…
Olivier Giroud was Chelsea s match-winner for the second time in as many Champions League games as he scored all four goals in a 4-0 victory over Sevilla that clinched first place in Group E for the Blues.
Giroud, who was making his 50th start for Chelsea, was at his clinical best as he took his tally to 10 goals in his last seven away starts in the competition and ensured Chelsea go into the round of 16 as one of eight seeded teams.
He was the beneficiary of some fine build-up play as Kai Havertz and Callum Hudson-Odoi staked their claim for more regular first-team football in an impressive performance from a changed Chelsea team.
Sevilla went into this game unbeaten in 14 home matches in all European competitions but were scuppered by Frank Lampard s hardworki…
Gianluigi Donnarumma feels he has become a better goalkeeper since joining Paris Saint-Germain after training alongside Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
The Italy international signed for PSG on a free transfer in July after failing to come to an agreement with boyhood club Milan over a new contract.
He was one of a number of additions at the Parc des Princes during the transfer window, the highest-profile of which undoubtedly being Messi s arrival from Barcelona.
PSG already had fellow superstar forwards Neymar and Mbappe in their ranks and the duo, along with Messi, have helped Donnarumma develop both on and off the field.
Training with them makes you improve a lot. Sometimes there are battles that make you grow, he said at a news conference on …
Xavi described his return to Barcelona as the biggest challenge of my career after he was officially confirmed as the club s next head coach.
Barca announced in the early hours of Saturday that former Spain star Xavi had been appointed as Ronald Koeman s replacement at Camp Nou.
Club delegates travelled to Qatar this week to formalise the payment of the release clause in the 41-year-old s contract with Al Sadd, where he has been head coach for the past two and a half years.
Xavi s first senior coaching role in Europe will see him entrusted with steering Barca through one of the most difficult periods in their modern history.
Debts of more than €1.2billion meant the Blaugrana could not afford to sign Lionel Messi to a new contract or make any significant…
Bayern Munich returned to winning ways in the Bundesliga as Robert Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry both scored twice in a convincing 5-1 win over Cologne.
After returning to domestic duties following their Club World Cup success in Qatar with a home draw against Arminia Bielefeld, the reigning champions slipped to a 2-1 loss away at Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend.
However, a 4-1 thrashing of Lazio in Champions League action in midweek proved the catalyst for a first league triumph at their Allianz Arena home since January 30.
Lewandowski s first goal helped Bayern ease into a 2-0 half-time lead and while Cologne briefly threatened a comeback, the returning Thomas Muller made an immediate impression off the bench, providing the assist that allowed the c…
Best Odds: 2/5
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With all eyes falling on Hampden in midweek, England will travel to Scotland when they meet their British rivals for a friendly showdown.
Scotland
Starting with the hosts, marking their return to European Championship qualifying duties with another rampant display over the weekend, Scotland are in the midst of what has become a stunning purple patch. Eventually breezing their way to a 3-0 romp away at Cyprus, the Tartan Army have only continued to gain a string of praise under Steve Clarke. Now within touching distance of booking their ticket to Germany for next year, the one-time Kilmarnock boss certainly finds the mood in his camp at a red-hot high. Remarkably winning each of their five qualifying appearances, the Scots have also pic…
Market: Vitoria win
Odds: 21/20 @
Two sides who find themselves battling it out at the top of the Serie B table, Vitoria will welcome Criciuma to the Barradao on Sunday night.
Starting with the hosts, while Vitoria might have only made their Serie B return this season, Leo Conde’s men have certainly come flying out of the traps since opening the 2023. Last seen putting in another eye-catching display as they secured a 2-1 win away at Tombense, the mood around Barradao appears to be at a red-hot high. Opening June with a thumping display as they cruised their way to a 3-0 romp at home against Ituano, the Bahia-based outfit have collected 10 points from their last four second-tier appearances. Sat at the top of the Serie B table and holding a two-point buffer ov…
Championship clubs’ spending on wages exceeded revenue for a fifth successive season in 2021-22, according to a new report.
Deloitte’s Annual Review of Football Finance found second-tier teams’ combined wages-to-revenue ratio was an astonishing 108 per cent, as clubs continued to chase the dream of reaching the Premier League.
Nottingham Forest, who ultimately succeeded in reaching the top flight at the end of the 2021-22 season via the play-offs, spent almost 200 per cent more on wages than they earned in revenue – £58.6million compared to £29.3m – in their promotion year, according to figures in the Deloitte report.
Championship clubs’ total revenue was up 13 per cent in 2021-22 compared to the season before, reaching £676million.
However…