Leaders three points from clinching Premier League titleFull-back’s winner was first goal for club with his left foot Arne Slot said it is “ridiculous” to dispute Trent Alexander-Arnold’s commitment to Liverpool after he scored the only goal at Leicester to push his club closer to a 20th league title. The 26-year-old, who is expected to join Real Madrid on a free this summer, fired in his first left-foot goal for his boyhood club on his return from an ankle injury to secure victory and condemn Leicester to relegation. Alexander-Arnold, who scored within five minutes of replacing Conor Bradley, is poised to join Real on a long-term contract when his Liverpool contract expires. He celebrated at Leicester by removing his shirt and placing it on the corner flag nearest to the away fans, and following the match he soaked up their adulation after Virgil van Dijk ushered him towards them. Alexander-Arnold, who joined Liverpool aged six, has won every domestic trophy with the club, plus the Champions League. Continue reading...

Arne Slot praises Trent Alexander-Arnold after the Liverpool defender scores a rare left-footed effort that puts the Reds one win away from winning the Premier League.

It was the 76th minute when Trent Alexander-Arnold whipped off his No 66 shirt to exhibit his cartoonish torso, ran towards the pocket of giddy Liverpool supporters and spread his arms as wide as humanly possible, as if to say: “Well, isn’t this what you came for?” In many ways, yes, Alexander-Arnold’s vicious, unerring strike earned an inevitable victory over a team that lost hope a long, long time ago. “And now you’re going to believe us, we’re gonna win the league,” sang the 3,292 travelling supporters. The only thing is they’re going to have to wait that little bit longer. The crown could arrive as early as Wednesday if Arsenal lose at home to Crystal Palace. Before a ball had been kicked almost all of the juice of this match had been slowly siphoned out over the course of Arsenal’s victory over Ipswich 134 miles away at Portman Road. Arne Slot said he caught the first 10 minutes before heading into a pre-match meeting and boarding the heavily-branded team bus to the King Power Stadium. Continue reading...

Premier League crown could be clinched on Sunday but the lack of jeopardy in recent weeks is the fault of others Arne Slot was denied the perfect Feyenoord ending by PSV, when his team finished seven points behind their rivals, albeit having won the Dutch Cup. Eleven months on, he is poised to mark his first season as Liverpool’s head coach by becoming a Premier League champion and could seal the trophy by defeating a PSV and Manchester United legend, Ruud van Nistelrooy, and confirming Leicester’s relegation. Thoughts of spite will not enter Slot’s mind, however. He has been reserved since arriving at Anfield, but fans would revel in completing a merited title triumph at the King Power on Sunday. The added needle is much needed because Liverpool’s superiority has made the title race tedious. Others are to blame for that. Continue reading...

‘It was emotional because of Hillsborough anniversary’Slot says focus is on getting two more wins, not contracts Arne Slot said Liverpool’s only focus is on securing the two wins needed to secure the Premier League title after Virgil van Dijk indicated his contract saga could be resolved this week. Van Dijk gave Liverpool a fortunate victory over West Ham with an 89th-minute header and celebrated by kissing the badge on his shirt in front of the Kop. The captain’s goal means Liverpool require only six points from the remaining six games to seal the championship. Continue reading...

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot says it is the "hardest time" to work in the Premier League following a dramatic 2-1 win against West Ham which leaves his side a maximum of six points away from the title.

If Van Dijk joins Egyptian and stays at Liverpool, Arne Slot can focus on refining his squad rather than filling two voids A flinch towards the ball that drew in Ollie Scarles, a duck to get out of the way of it and a spin and burst that took him away from the 19-year-old. Perhaps his cross on the run with the outside of his left foot was intended for Diogo Jota rather than Luis Díaz, who converted, but it hardly mattered. At the very least the ball had been delivered with an awkward shape that took it away from the goalkeeper into an extremely dangerous area. And it wasn’t about the cross anyway; it was about the turn. It may be that in two years’ time as a 35-year-old Mohamed Salah clanks about, huffing and puffing, slowing down attacks and generally getting in the way, there will be questions asked about why Liverpool gave him a two-year extension. But nobody at Anfield on Sunday was doubting the deal. It’s not just that this was Salah’s 55th goal involvement of the season, it was the nature of that spin, the imagination and the execution; there are very few players who could conceive of such a move, let alone pull it off. Even if Salah’s legs do begin to fail him, having a few months more of that improvisational potential feels worth it. Continue reading...

When Liverpool fans next congregate at Anfield in two Sundays’ time it should be for an occasion they have craved for 35 years: to celebrate a league title triumph in person. A dramatic late victory over West Ham, secured by Virgil van Dijk’s 89th-minute winner, left Arne Slot’s side needing a maximum of six points to claim a record-equalling 20th league championship. The destiny of the Premier League title will be confirmed next Sunday should Arsenal lose at Ipswich and Liverpool win at Leicester. If not, two more wins will make sure for the Anfield club. Leicester and Tottenham come next. They can feel it. Liverpool were second best for much of the second half against Graham Potter’s visitors and indebted to Alisson for delaying an equaliser until a Van Dijk error forced Andy Robertson to concede an own goal in the 86th minute. But the Liverpool captain atoned in style and celebrated a precious winner by kissing the Liver bird on his chest. A new two-year contract to follow that of Mohamed Salah should be confirmed soon. Continue reading...

Minute-by-minute updates from this 2pm BST kick-offPremier League table | Top scorers | Email Simon Team news is in, and here are the names in the frame this afternoon: Liverpool: Alisson, Bradley, Konate, van Dijk, Tsimikas, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Salah, Jones, Diaz, Jota. Subs: Jaros, Kelleher, Endo, Szoboszlai, Chiesa, Gakpo, Elliott, Robertson, Quansah. West Ham: Areola, Todibo, Mavropanos, Kilman, Wan-Bissaka, Soler, Ward-Prowse, Scarles, Kudus, Lucas Paqueta, Bowen. Subs: Fabianski, Coufal, Fullkrug, Luis Guilherme, Alvarez, Rodriguez, Soucek, Emerson Palmieri, Ferguson. Referee: Andrew Madley. It is not a question of who will win the Premier League title but how it will be won: at a canter or with Liverpool testing the anxiety levels of their supporters once again? The answer should become clearer after West Ham’s visit. A catalogue of individual errors resulted in the end of Liverpool’s 26-game unbeaten league run at Fulham last weekend and left Arne Slot’s team still needing 11 points to secure the club’s 20th league championship, although the total will be fewer should Arsenal drop any more points. West Ham, Leicester and Tottenham, Liverpool’s next three opponents, present the more straightforward route to victory than trying to get over the line against Chelsea, Arsenal, Brighton and Crystal Palace in the final four games of the season. Anfield could be an apprehensive place on Sunday and will be looking to the team’s experienced leaders to get the job almost done. Continue reading...

Liverpool are aiming for a first trophy under Arne Slot while Newcastle United have a chance to win a first trophy in 56 years in Sunday's Carabao Cup final.

Europa League reaction, England squad news and moreGet in touch: you can mail Dom with your thoughts Hello and happy Friday all! We’re approaching another big weekend in the domestic football calendar – the final one before the March international break and one that includes two cup finals, with the Women’s League Cup and Carabao Cup showpieces taking place. After a fairly successful showing from British clubs in Europe (Liverpool aside) attention quickly turns back to league action for most sides. Arne Slot’s side, of course, have the chance to lift their first silverware of the post-Jürgen Klopp era when they take on Newcastle at Wembley on Sunday. The first half of a domestic double for the Dutchman? Continue reading...

The central defender has taken advantage of an injury crisis to take the right-back spot and has the chance to pick up a second League Cup winner’s medal against Newcastle A few millimetres to the right and Jarell Quansah would now be acclaimed for heading Liverpool into the Champions League quarter-finals and, according to Luis Enrique’s prediction for the winner of an outstanding last-16 tie against Paris Saint-Germain, onwards to Munich. Fine margins ensured the defender’s wait to make his mark under Arne Slot moves on to Wembley. Barring an unexpected selection decision from the Liverpool head coach on Sunday Quansah will start as an emergency right-back in the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle. Trent Alexander-Arnold is set to miss out with an ankle injury sustained against PSG on Tuesday, the second choice, Conor Bradley, remains sidelined with a hamstring problem and Slot’s third option, Joe Gomez, will not return from his own hamstring issue until the final weeks of the season. In many respects it is the opportunity Quansah has been longing for since the opening weekend of the season. Here it is, with the second League Cup winners’ medal of his young career at stake. The duel between the reinforcements, with Harvey Barnes likely to replace the suspended Anthony Gordon on Newcastle’s left flank, could prove significant. Continue reading...

Liverpool's impending coronation as Premier League champions means Arne Slot's season will go down as sensational but Euro exit and uncertainty over stars' futures means there's still a lot for the Anfield boss to deal with

Liverpool are set to play in the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle on Sunday as Arne Slot bids to win his first trophy since arriving at Anfield, with the Reds having an instant chance to bounce back from their Champions League exit