Next season is the last thing on Liverpool supporters’ minds at the moment with the club through to the Champions League semifinals (where they’ll meet Lionel Messi’s Barcelona) and involved in one of the most exciting Premier League title run-ins ever. However, New Balance launched Liverpool’s jersey for the upcoming season today, and it draws influence from both the past and future of the historic club.
The first goal between Liverpool and Porto at Estádio do Dragão on Wednesday was vital. If Porto scored it, game on; if Liverpool scored it, game over. What’ll be so frustrating for the Portuguese club is that through the match’s opening 25 minutes, the home side had 13 attempts. Porto absolutely bossed Liverpool right up until Sadio Mané had the ball in the back of the net in the 26th minute with the Reds' first shot of the evening.
A couple months out from the 2019 Women’s World Cup, Alex Morgan has been named to the Time 100.
Morgan is one of two footballers named to the list of the 100 most influential people put together by Time magazine. That list includes everyone from Taylor Swift to Donald Trump, Michelle Obama to Ariana Grande, Dwayne Johnson to Emilia Clarke (Daenerys).
Mohamed Salah joined Morgan on the list as the only other soccer player chosen. Other athletes included Caster Semenya, Naomi Osaka, LeBron James, Tiger Woods and (kind of) Ninja.
The Premier League title race doesn’t seem like it will be decided until the final matchday. Liverpool and Manchester City both picked up a vital three points this past weekend, with City winning 3-1 against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park and Liverpool with an emphatic 2-0 win against Chelsea at Anfield.
Manchester City returned to the top of the Premier League table on Sunday morning with a convincing 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace, heaping the pressure on Liverpool ahead of its colossal clash against Chelsea at Anfield later in the day.
That pressure built after Chelsea kept Liverpool off the scoresheet in the first half despite decent opportunities for the misfiring Mohamed Salah and the in-form Sadio Mané, and the Blues posed their own menace on the counter through Eden Hazard and Willian.
On Tuesday night, Liverpool saw off Benfica 2-0 in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal. It was fairly routine for the Reds, who could have scored more but also could’ve conceded a couple. Regardless of the final result, Liverpool was a bit lucky the Mo Salah tackle on Danilo Pereira did not draw severe punishment.
Thorgan Hazard has been a revelation for Borussia Mönchengladbach this season. The Belgian has scored 12 goals and assisted 12 in all competitions in Germany and has attracted suitors from across Europe.
Hazard left Chelsea on loan to Möchengladbach in 2015, where he would earn a permanent stay.
Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Porto at Anfield on Tuesday was a microcosm of the club’s current Premier League form: There were nervy moments, a couple lapses and some erratic finishing from Mohamed Salah, but victory was achieved and it could've been achieved much more emphatically.
Tottenham and Hugo Lloris haven’t had a good week.
Spurs traveled to Anfield to face Liverpool in the hopes of gaining three important points in pursuit of Champions League football. (Spurs were out of the title race a while ago.) The match was particularly open, with end-to-end play a constant throughout.
Liverpool was not at its best, though it scored the first goal of the match through Roberto Firmino.