Slot: ‘Nothing else matters’ if Liverpool win league titleOwen suggested cup exits left ‘bitter taste’ on season Arne Slot has hit back at Michael Owen’s suggestion that the Premier League title would not be enough for Liverpool this season by insisting nothing matters more than becoming champions of England again. The former Liverpool striker was taken to task by Virgil van Dijk after the Merseyside derby on Wednesday for claiming the campaign was “building into something really special” until Slot’s team exited the Champions League and lost the Carabao Cup final. Owen agreed it would still be special for Liverpool to win the title for a record-equalling 20th time but with the caveat that the two cup defeats in six days would leave “a bitter taste”. Continue reading...

Slot welcomes move and says officiating has been ‘OK’Everton defender booked for challenge on Mac Allister The Premier League referees’ body, Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL), has acknowledged that Everton’s James Tarkowski should have been sent off early on in their defeat at Liverpool. Arne Slot welcomed the move on Thursday after Tarkowski was only cautioned for a reckless challenge on Alexis Mac Allister. The referee, Sam Barrott, gave Tarkowski a yellow card and David Moyes conceded the defender was fortunate to stay on the pitch. PGMOL believes the video assistant referee, Paul Tierney, should have recommended a review. Continue reading...

It has been an odd, slow bicycle race of a season, but this is hardly the fault of Arne Slot’s impressive league leaders There was an extraordinary moment in the seconds after Diogo Jota had scored the only goal of this Merseyside derby, as the home supporters seethed and writhed, bodies tumbling, a wave of noise barrelling around the Anfield stands. At which point a lone middle-aged man could be seen emerging from the seats, waving his fists in the direction of what must have been the fourth official, making wild but oddly precise spectacles gestures with his fingers, all the while being hurled back by the combined efforts of three men in orange jackets. Continue reading...

Liverpool manager Arne Slot disputes the decision to only award a yellow card to Everton's James Tarkovski for his tackle on Alexis Mac Allister in his side's 1-0 Premier League win in the Merseyside derby at Anfield.

The 246th Merseyside derby was as much of a cathartic release for Liverpool as another step closer to a 20th league title. Arne Slot’s side cleansed themselves of recent torment against Everton and two deflating cup defeats with a hard-fought but deserved victory courtesy of Diogo Jota’s fine individual goal. A maximum of 13 points is all that is required from the remaining eight games of the season to put the Premier League trophy on display at Anfield once again. There was a determination to seize control of the derby from the start by Liverpool and, unlike the previous two encounters at Goodison Park, a composure in possession that enabled them to do so. The painful Champions League exit and deserved Carabao Cup final defeat that preceded the international break, plus of course memories of their last run-in with Everton 49 days ago, may also have fuelled the hunger and intensity of a team closing in on the Premier League title. Continue reading...