Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has advised Blues wonderkid Estevao Willian to "relax" amid comparisons with legends Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Brazilian teenager is off to a bright start in his maiden campaign at Stamford Bridge, with his latest stellar display coming in Chelsea's 3-0 win over Barcelona in the Champions League.
Tottenham Hotspur now know how much they’ll have to pay to sign Iliman Ndiaye from Everton as they look to add an extra spark to Thomas Frank’s attack.
The Lilywhites went through all the emotions against Manchester United on Saturday afternoon, having initially come from behind to take the lead late on before Matthijs de Ligt’s last-gasp equaliser.
With the North London derby up next, Tottenham have now picked up just one win in their last four games in all competitions and problems are beginning to emerge for Thomas Frank’s side.
That said, Frank chose to take the positives from the draw in a game that saw his side fall behind in the first-half. He told reporters: “Of course, the emotions inside me are high, but I take the positives out of this game. That’s what I believe and how I believe in building a good team and keep adding layers to it.
“Overall, a fine/good performance against a good Man United team which is definitely in flow. We are talking a bit about our, how can you say, level of defensive, attacking threats and to play against a Man United team that play with confidence with Cunha, Amad, Mbeumo and Sesko coming on and we kept them to five shots.
“It’s just another example on the other way around that it’s not that easy to create in the Premier League even though they had all their big boys out there. Second half, I was extremely happy with our response.“
Frank thinks two Tottenham stars are "expendable" with January exit on the cards
The Spurs boss has made his feelings known behind-the-scenes.
ByEmilio Galantini Nov 8, 2025
It was a particularly disappointing afternoon for Randal Kolo Muani, who spurned several chances against Copenhagen in midweek before failing to make his mark against Man United.
The forward’s goalscoring struggles are beginning to become a problem for Spurs, who had been looking at Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers to add an attacking spark before he penned a new deal in the Midlands – forcing the Lilywites to pivot towards Merseyside.
Tottenham learn record Iliman Ndiaye price
As reported by TeamTalk, Tottenham have now been told that Ndiaye will cost them over £70m if they want to secure the winger’s signature from Everton in 2026. This means that the North London club will have to break their transfer record, which was previously set by Dominic Solanke’s £65m move, to add yet another attacking spark.
TeamTalk revealed that Everton have set a premium price in an attempt to keep their star man, saying: “Recent reports have floated a potential £30m price tag for Ndiaye, but TEAMtalk sources close to Everton have dismissed these figures as ‘laughable’.
“Drawing financial parallels to defender Jarrad Branthwaite, whom Everton value at over £70 million, the club has set a premium on the Senegalese international that aligns with market trends for similar profiles.”
That price tag shouldn’t come as a big shock for Tottenham, however, following the impressive start that Ndiaye has made to the current campaign. His skillset was on full show last weekend against Sunderland when he scored a stunning individual goal.
Dubbed “outstanding” by David Moyes after his effort against Sunderland last week, Ndiaye is the type of player that could get Tottenham’s frontline firing on all cylinders under Frank.
Frank must never start £130k-per-week duo together ever again
Superchargers captain hails form of fellow batters, and stays upbeat after unfortunate Eliminator exit
Matt Roller31-Aug-2025
Zak Crawley shares a joke with Harry Brook in the Superchargers dug-out•Nathan Stirk/ECB via Getty Images
Harry Brook has challenged Zak Crawley and Jordan Cox to back up their performances in the Hundred in order to break into his England white-ball set-up.Brook, whose Northern Superchargers were knocked out of the Hundred on Saturday night after their Eliminator against Trent Rockets was abandoned, took over from Jos Buttler as England’s limited-overs captain in April. He now faces a tight turnaround before the first of their three ODIs against South Africa starts on Tuesday at Headingley, followed by three T20Is against the same opposition.He has spent the last three years playing Test cricket alongside Crawley, and is understood to have pushed hard for Superchargers to sign him on a lucrative £120,000 deal in March’s draft. Brook’s advocacy was rewarded by Crawley’s 280-run season, which left him third in the men’s run charts ahead of Sunday’s final, behind only Cox (327) and Buttler (283).Crawley has played 59 Tests but only eight ODIs – most recently in December 2023 – and is uncapped in T20Is. Cox, meanwhile, won three ODI and two T20I caps last year and was a surprising omission from next month’s squads after his recent form – not least for England’s three T20Is in Ireland, from which Brook, Ben Duckett and Jamie Smith have all been rested.Related
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“Everybody’s in the mix: whoever does well,” Brook said on Saturday night. “He [Crawley] obviously has the attributes that we’re talking about: putting pressure on the bowlers with their good and bad balls; he can manipulate the field really well; he’s good against fast bowling and he’s good against spin. He’s got all the attributes to play white-ball [cricket] for England.”It’s the same with everybody. Everybody’s been talking about Jordan Cox: he’s obviously an unbelievable player, alongside Creeps. You’ve just got to keep on doing it, and be as consistent as you can for a long period of time… It’s good to have competition [for places].”Brook has hardly had a day off since the start of England’s international summer in May but said that he has managed his time well during the Hundred: “I’ve said a million times that England cricket gets my priority. I’ve been trying my best throughout this competition to stay as fresh as I can for England.”Northern Superchargers had never previously qualified for the knockout stages of the men’s Hundred, missing out on Net Run Rate last year, and were denied the chance to reach the final for the first time by the rain on Saturday night. Brook has now won 10 out of 14 completed matches as captain since taking over ahead of last season, and remained upbeat.”It’s unfortunate that we didn’t get through – but that’s cricket,” he said after Rockets progressed to Sunday’s final by virtue of a higher group-stage finish. “We’ve had an unbelievable season. This comp’s been so much fun, playing with some really good lads and alongside Fred [head coach Andrew Flintoff] who is an absolute legend, so I’ve had a lot of fun.”
And which visiting bowler has taken the most Test wickets at one single ground?
Steven Lynch23-Sep-2025I was sorry to hear of the death of John Jameson. In the 1971 Oval Test he was run-out in both innings, how often has this happened? asked James Hamilton from England
John Jameson, who died last week, was a hard-hitting top-order batter for Warwickshire, who also played four Tests for England. In the second of those, against India at The Oval in August 1971, he was run-out in both innings. He’d made 82 in the first, which remained his highest Test score, before failing to beat Ajit Wadekar’s return to wicketkeeper Farokh Engineer, and added 16 in the second before bowler Bhagwath Chandrasekhar deflected a Brian Luckhurst straight-drive into the stumps with non-striker Jameson stranded.Jameson was – and still is – the only England player to be run-out in both innings of a Test. There have been 26 such instances in all: it happened to Australian team-mates Ian Healy and Mark Taylor twice. It has also happened 11 times in women’s Tests.Jameson had also been run-out in the second innings of his debut, at Old Trafford a fortnight earlier. He remains the only man to be run-out in three successive Test innings: Zimbabwe’s Guy Whittall had three consecutive run-out dismissals in 1997 and 1998, but that sequence was interrupted by an innings of 203 not out. Three women have been run out three times in a row in Tests: Betty Wilson of Australia in 1948-49, New Zealand’s Debbie Hockley in 1984, and Jill Kennare of Australia in 1984-85.In Test matches, which team has the highest team total if you add up each player’s career average, and then their highest score? asked William Lee from South Africa
To answer the second part first, the highest theoretical total if everyone in a particular team equalled their highest Test score would be 2367, by the World XI in the one and only “Super Series” Test against Australia in Sydney in October 2005. That side included Brian Lara (highest score 400 not out), Inzamam-ul-Haq (329), Virender Sehwag (319), Graeme Smith (277) and Rahul Dravid (270). It didn’t do them much good, as Australia won by 210 runs!The highest by a national XI would be 2231 by Sri Lanka against Australia in Galle in March 2004. That side included Mahela Jayawardene (374), Sanath Jayasuriya (340), Kumar Sangakkara (319) and Marvan Atapattu (249).The Australian team that beat England in Don Bradman’s final Test, at The Oval in August 1948, had a combined average of 450.46 if you add up their end-of-career figures. This is obviously helped by Bradman’s own 99.94! The largely similar Australian team that defeated India in Adelaide earlier in 1948 had an aggregate average of 448.15. Next comes the West Indian team against England in Port-of-Spain in February 1948, with a combined average of 445.55. That side included the unfortunate opener Andy Ganteaume, who scored a century in his only Test innings so finished with an average of 112.New Zealand’s Ajaz Patel has taken 25 Test wickets at the Wankhede Stadium – is this the most by a visiting bowler on any ground? asked Karan Singh Rathod from India
The New Zealand slow left-armer Ajaz Patel has taken 25 wickets in just two Tests at Bombay’s Wankhede Stadium, including his 10 for 119 in an innings against India there in December 2021.He’s a little way down the list of most wickets on a ground by visiting bowlers, although those above him played more Tests. Three men have taken 35 wickets on a single Test ground away from home: the 19th-century England seamer George Lohmann in four Tests in Sydney, another English bowling genius in Sydney Barnes took 35 in five matches in Melbourne, while the Australian offspinner Nathan Lyon has so far taken 35 in six Tests in Galle.This excludes wickets taken in Tests on neutral grounds: Yasir Shah took 55 wickets in Dubai and 46 in Abu Dhabi in what were designated as home Tests for Pakistan, while Saeed Ajmal picked up 37 in Dubai.Nathan Lyon has 35 wickets in six Tests in Galle, the most for any visiting bowler this century at one venue (not including neutral grounds)•AFPWarwickshire made 190 in the T20 Blast quarter-final without a single six. Was this the highest T20 innings not to feature a single six? asked Dave Henbery from England
You’re right that the total of 190 for 6 by Warwickshire (or Birmingham Bears as I think we’re supposed to call them) against Somerset in the Vitality Blast quarter-final in Taunton earlier this month did not contain a single six. We managed to unearth one higher total from the very first season of T20 cricket, also against Somerset: Glamorgan’s 193 for 7 in Cardiff in June 2003 had no sixes either. We don’t have ball-by-ball details for all T20 matches, but I’d be surprised if there is a higher total without a six.The Bears no doubt wished they’d managed to hit a couple over the ropes, as Somerset ended up winning that quarter-final in the last over, and went on to win the competition, beating Hampshire in an exciting final at Edgbaston a few days ago.Chris Martin is aptly described in his ESPNcricinfo bio as “hard-working with the ball and outrageously feeble with the bat”. He finished with 110 more Test wickets than runs: is this the highest such difference? asked Siddiqui Saleem from the United States
The short answer is yes: the New Zealand seamer Chris Martin finished his 71-Test career with 233 wickets and just 123 runs, a difference of 110. In all he was out 52 times (he also had 52 not-outs), which included 36 ducks – only Courtney Walsh (43) and Stuart Broad (39), who played many more Tests, bagged more ducks in Tests. Martin was also dismissed for a pair on seven occasions, easily the Test record.Martin took the run-difference record from India’s Bhagwath Chandrasekhar, who in 58 Tests amassed 242 wickets and 167 runs, or minus 75. Two other bowlers who took 100 Test wickets ended up with fewer runs than wickets: Bruce Reid of Australia had 113 wickets and 93 runs, while India’s Pragyan Ojha ended up with 113 and 89.Brett Schultz of South Africa took 37 wickets but made only nine runs, while Australia’s mystery spinner Jack Iverson took 21 Test wickets but made only three runs. Pride of place perhaps has to go to the Pakistan seamer Aizaz Cheema, who played seven Tests for Pakistan in 2011 and 2012, and took 20 wickets – but managed just a solitary run with the bat. (Actually he had five innings, and was never dismissed.)Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions
There has now been a new update on Crystal Palace’s pursuit of a “true warrior”, with it being revealed a “good value” January deal is possible.
Palace on course to push for Europe
Palace remain in a strong position to push for European qualification, having taken 20 points from their opening 13 Premier League games this season, although they will be frustrated about Manchester United coming from behind to win at Selhurst Park on Sunday.
The Eagles fell to a 2-1 defeat against Ruben Amorim’s side, but they will have the opportunity to put things right tonight, when they travel to Turf Moor to take on an out-of-form Burnley side, who have lost their last four Premier League matches.
However, with the likes of Sunderland, Everton and Brighton & Hove Albion all in European contention after impressive starts to the campaign, it is getting congested at the top of the table, and Oliver Glasner’s side are now looking at new additions for the January window.
Last week, it was revealed that a concrete offer had been made for Bayern Munich’s Sacha Boey, who Glasner is a big fan of, according to a new update on their pursuit of the defender from TEAMtalk.
In an interview, journalist Dean Jones said: “Palace have been made aware that there could be a possibility for this one on a permanent deal and it actually could be a good value one. I’m told that is the preference at the moment.
“They [Bayern] don’t have much interest in letting him out on a loan. In the case of a loan offer they may well just hold on to him until the summer instead.
The journalist also went on to clarify that negotiations aren’t currently at an advanced stage, saying: “At this stage I think Palace are just feeling out the terms and understanding the player’s situation.”
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ByHenry Jackson Nov 25, 2025 "True warrior" Boey could be exciting addition for Palace
The right-back certainly caught the eye during his time with Galatasaray, having been hailed as a “true warrior” by members of the Turkish media, and he is very assured in possession of the ball, as displayed by his performance across some key metrics over the past year.
Sacha Boey’s key statistics
Average per 90 (past year)
Passes attempted
73.18 (97th percentile)
Pass completion %
90% (99th percentile)
Progressive passes
6.31 (95th percentile)
That said, the 25-year-old, who rakes in £80k-a-week should probably seek a move this winter, given that he has fallen down the pecking order considerably, being benched for the last three Bundesliga games.
With Palace competing in Europe this season, it would be a smart move to bring in additional strength in depth at right-back this January, and a long-term replacement for Daniel Munoz may be needed regardless, amid interest from Chelsea and Barcelona.
As such, Glasner’s side should make a move for Boey, and it is promising news that a deal could be possible for a reasonable price.
The first Test went England’s way as India squandered their chances at Headingley. Alan Gardner hears from Andrew Miller and Sid Monga about another fourth-innings classic
ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jun-2025England pulled off another memorable fourth-innings run chase at Headingley to take a 1-0 lead in the series against India. But how good were they? And how unlucky were the visitors? On the pod, Alan Gardner was joined by Andrew Miller and Sidharth Monga to discuss Ben Duckett’s brilliant innings, Shubman Gill’s fiery baptism as captain and whether Jofra Archer should come straight into the England XI for Edgbaston.
Ruben Amorim has moved to temper the growing optimism around Manchester United as he insisted that the club’s recent upturn in form is no cause for complacency. The Portuguese coach stressed that his team remain "far from perfection", even though they are currently on a five-match unbeaten run and showed signs of improvement before the latest international break.
A measured rebound, not a revival
United headed into the international break riding a five-match unbeaten run in the Premier League, a sequence that featured a statement victory over Liverpool at Anfield. However, two back-to-back draws against Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur have provided a reality check that there is still enough room for improvement and consistency. Reflecting on the team’s progress, Amorim explained that confidence, born from hard-earned results, has been central to recent performances. Yet his frustration simmered beneath the surface when revisiting their most recent league outing against Spurs.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportAmorim is cautiously optimistic
In an interview with Amorim said, "We are playing better, but we are playing better because we have more confidence, and that starts with good results, for example, against Liverpool. We are getting better, but I can share my feeling: when we finished the game against Tottenham and I was coming back to Carrington, I was watching the game and my feeling was frustration, that we are far from perfection. We are far from being the team that can win every game. So I think we have a lot to do."
The United boss, who is now more than a year into one of the most scrutinised managerial spells in Europe, again pushed back against familiar criticism of his 3-4-3 structure. The formation, he argued, is a convenient scapegoat, one that distracts from the real shortcomings.
"I've been saying this for many months, that the formation is not the problem," he claimed. "The formation is the start of something, then it's the dynamic, the confidence, the way we play, how competitive we are. If you look at the games we struggled in this season, it was not about the formation for me. It was the lack of intensity. We need to be perfect in this league to win a lot of games."
Ratcliffe’s support helps, but doesn’t change him
United slumped to a dismal 15th-place finish in the previous Premier League campaign and were branded directionless. Early in this campaign, the pressure returned after an embarrassing League Cup exit to League Two Grimsby Town. It was an upset that revived doubts about his suitability for the job. Yet Amorim has held onto the backing of senior club figures, most notably part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe. While the coach acknowledged that Ratcliffe’s public vote of confidence was vital for the club’s wider stability, he insisted that such endorsements have little bearing on his own approach.
"It's always really important, but it's more important for the fans to understand that we have a clear path, and we are going to do everything and continue that path no matter what," he said. "To be honest, it doesn't change much for me, because I'm not worried about losing my job. I always have that feeling. But if you remember when Jim gave that interview, it settled down a lot around the club. The noise changed completely. That was really important for the team, and if it's important for the team, it's important for me."
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Getty ImagesA legends’ reunion: Cantona, Beckham, Scholes and Co.
As United attempt to build momentum, Amorim is preparing an unconventional move to deepen the club’s cultural grounding. According to sources close to the manager, he intends to bring club icons like Eric Cantona, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Teddy Sheringham, Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke into the fold to offer guidance to younger members of the squad.
The source, speaking to , said: "Throughout his own career, Ruben always loved when former players and legends of the clubs he played for would interact with the team, sharing knowledge, stories, and advice about what it means to represent the club. Coming from Benfica, he understands what real pressure feels like and how to use it to grow, as a man, a player, and now as a leader. He believes these exchanges can help the players make the most of their time at United, both on and off the pitch."
United currently sit seventh in the Premier League table, only two points adrift of the Champions League qualification spots. After a season without European football, the push to return to continental competition remains a priority. Their campaign resumes next Monday night at Old Trafford, where they host Everton.
Liverpool boss Arne Slot has made some candid remarks about his side’s plight in recent weeks. He understands the issues in front of him, and yet the Dutchman is struggling to find a route out of this rut.
A summer of sweeping change was always going to run the risk of taking from Slot’s finely-wrought tactical set-up from last season, when the Premier League was conquered so dominantly in his first year.
Hugo Ekitike aside, it is concerning nonetheless that practically all of the Anfield side’s summer signings have flattered to deceive this far. But it’s more concerning still that so many mainstays are just as far down from the wayside.
The struggling Liverpool mainstays
Liverpool are so open defensively, it is shocking. There is a staggering absence of balance from head to toe, and Slot’s comments, alluding that he is currently unsure how to overcome this issue, have been disquieting for anxious fans.
Even during last week’s resounding Champions League victory over Eintracht Frankfurt, the five-star Reds conceded first and looked wobbly until the hosts’ own defensive fragilities shattered open.
Virgil van Dijk has cut a forlorn figure during post-match interviews, with his side’s four-game skid in the Premier League weighing heavily on his armband.
The 34-year-old has not been at the races of late, needlessly giving away a penalty during the recent league loss to Brentford and altogether failing to marshal his troops, shipping so many goals each game.
Mohamed Salah, too, is toiling, with last season’s leading man reduced in strength and significance this year.
But Salah has still had his moments this season, while Van Dijk remains dominant in the duel and leads the side in an almost understated way: without the Dutchman, this struggling defence would unspool chaotically.
However, another of Slot’s most trusted lieutenants has been in woeful form all year, and he’s beginning to show shades of one Thiago Alcantara, who was immensely talented but frustrating under Jurgen Klopp’s wing all too often.
Liverpool's new version of Thiago
Liverpool signed Thiago from Bayern Munich for over £20m in 2020. Jurgen Klopp and his side had just won the Premier League, and the glittering Spaniard was identified as the perfect technician to open up new dimensions in the centre of the park.
How a fully-fit Thiago would have done for the Merseysiders across a prolonged period, we will never know. Thiago retired after four seasons with Liverpool, making only 97 appearances, all told. His final year, 2023/24, yielded just one off-the-bench display against Arsenal.
It ended up being a disappointment, such was Thiago’s quality, and now, in different circumstances, Alexis Mac Allister threatens to become the club’s new version.
Mac Allister’s current struggles are not of his presence on the sidelines, but rather, the 26-year-old’s inability to impress in Slot’s system thus far.
He was largely immense across his first two terms in red, but the tough-tackling, slick-passing Mac Allister seems to have lost his physicality and athletic robustness. He is a shadow of himself.
For a player whose completeness and control in the engine room has paid such big dividends for Liverpool in the past, this is a concern, and offers shades of Thiago in that he is arguably the most technically gifted midfielder at the club and yet is proving to be a “huge disappointment” in this regard, according to one Premier League analyst, who drew attention to him being the “Thiago-type” in Slot’s team and yet struggling to muster the requisite technical levels.
Thankfully, Mac Allister has been among Liverpool’s most impressive performers since signing, and there is as much an expectation as an anticipation that he will swiftly return to form and spearhead this new chapter.
During the early phase of the 2023/24 campaign, TNT Sports pundit Joe Cole hailed Mac Allister as a “superstar” of a midfielder whose dynamism and sharp-mindedness allowed him to “play anywhere” across the field.
Applying that theory should see the Argentina international thrive as the perfect cog in the middle of the Slot machine, easing Liverpool away from their current bother. Mac Allister has been anything but the solution, with his output on the decline across most every metric in the top flight.
Alexis Mac Allister in the Prem for Slot
Stats (* per game)
24/25
25/26
Matches (starts)
35 (30)
8 (7)
Goals
5
0
Assists
5
1
Touches*
55.8
43.1
Accurate passes*
35.5 (87%)
28.4 (85%)
Key passes*
1.3
0.8
Dribbles*
0.5
0.0
Ball recoveries*
4.2
3.1
Tackles + interceptions*
3.3
1.8
Total duels (won)*
4.9 (48%)
2.3 (44%)
Stats via Sofascore
Right in the thick of things in midfield, Mac Allister cannot be expected to emerge on top across every duel he contests. But he’s proving far less willing to engage in combative situations, with mismanagement, residual issues from an affected early-season setback and the absence of confidence that comes from
The good part is that Mac Allister has proven his quality across a number of campaigns in the Premier League, and he’s a world champions with his nation besides.
But we can’t hide from the fact that he hasn’t been pulling his weight, and what’s more concerning is that Liverpool lack an alternative who can provide Slot’s system with the full package in the way he can.
With this in mind, it’s paramount that Mac Allister revives his quality in the middle of the park and lifts the champions back to the standard they were playing at before. Otherwise, this new Thiago-esque reputation will only harden across the looming wintry months.
Move over Salah: Slot's 5/10 Liverpool star is the new Jordan Henderson
Liverpool’s crisis deepened as they were condemned to a fourth successive Premier League defeat at Brentford.
ByAngus Sinclair Oct 26, 2025
They were deemed to have overshot the time limit by four overs and Afridi, Pakistan’s captain, accepted the sanction without contest
ESPNcricinfo staff13-Nov-2025Pakistan have been fined 20 per cent of their match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate in the first ODI against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, the ICC said in a statement on Wednesday.Match referee Ali Naqvi imposed the sanction after Shaheen Afridi’s side was found to be four overs short of its target in an innings that ultimately took over four hours to complete. Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct states that players are fined five per cent of their match fee for each over their side fails to bowl within the allotted time.Pakistan had one extra fielder brought into the ring after the 46th over of Sri Lanka’s innings as the first ODI went the distance. Wanindu Hasaranga’s half-century kept the visitors in the hunt until the final over of the contest despite looking like Pakistan would coast to victory after Sri Lanka lost their seventh wicket still 88 runs adrift.Related
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The charge was levelled by on-field umpires Alex Wharf and Asif Yaqoob, with Sharfuddoula acting as third umpire and Rashid Riaz as fourth. Afridi accepted the sanction without contest, meaning no formal hearing was required.The second ODI was supposed to take place on Thursday. However, some Sri Lanka players expressed a desire to leave on Wednesday night following a terror incident in Islamabad, the city they are staying in. It led to a late-night meeting between the PCB chairman and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Sri Lanka’s players, who were ultimately persuaded them to stay when the SLC threatened any players who left with disciplinary action. As such the second and third ODI’s were pushed back a day, and the following T20I tri-series, which also includes Zimbabwe, will begin a day later.
This was a night for three points. Liverpool’s staggering decline this season cannot be understated, and following a succession of disappointing draws against Sunderland and Leeds United, a one-goal win over Inter Milan at the San Siro could bear dividends going forward.
It was a strange contest on the VAR front, with Ibrahima Konate’s first-half header ruled out before Florian Wirtz won a match-winning penalty late on, adjudged to have been pulled to the ground by Alessandro Bastoni. Dominik Szoboszlai stepped up and converted.
Liverpool have returned to the top eight of the Champions League. Liverpool’s defensive line has been so porous this season, leakier than Old Trafford roofing, but Arne Slot has employed a more compact and pragmatic system in recent fixtures. Back to basics.
However, the Reds’ highly talented forward players are still, as a unit, flattering to deceive, and improvements are needed there.
How Liverpool's forwards played at San Siro
Post-match, Slot detailed Liverpool’s emphasis on shutting up shop in recent weeks. Mixed results on that front, but there has been a concerted plan all the same, and it came to fruition against Serie A champions Inter Milan.
Szoboszlai’s penalty aside, Liverpool amassed 0.56 xG in the second half, as opposed to just 0.12 before the break. Slot’s tactical tweaks were on the money in Italy, but the Premier League champions are still struggling to get a tune out of record signing Alexander Isak, who huffed and puffed but was unable to achieve anything of note in the final third before being withdrawn after the hour mark.
This is a world-class striker, but he needs better creative connections. Curious, then, that he was replaced by Wirtz, who nestled into the ten spot and changed the game, finding pockets of space and placing the Nerazzurri defenders under pressure, creating a chance, winning both of his duels and enjoying neat interplay with Ekitike and Szoboszlai in particular.
Anfield plays host to a crucial Premier League tie against Brighton & Hove Albion this weekend, and it’s crucial that the German playmaker starts at the expense of a star who still hasn’t clicked together this season.
Slot must drop 6/10 Liverpool star
So many Liverpool stars have flattered to deceive this season, and Alexis Mac Allister has been one of the most disappointing. The 26-year-old has played at such a high level since joining the Merseysiders from Brighton in 2023, but he’s lacked bite and energy and eloquence in the engine room.
Deployed in a more advanced role against Inter, ostensibly to ease his defensive struggles and build-up problems this season, the £150k-per-week talent did actually prove dependable in stifling the hosts’ threat, but he lacked the completeness that fans have come to expect, unable to effectively service the forwards.
The Liverpool Echo acknowledged Mac Allister’s defensive contribution, handing him a 6/10 match rating, but they also drew attention to the Argentine’s attacking effort, leaving something to be desired on that front.
Minutes played
90′
Goals
0
Assists
0
Touches
46
Shots (on target)
0 (0)
Accurate passes
32/37 (86%)
Chances created
0
Crosses
0/0
Recoveries
2
Tackles won
1/1
Duels won
6/8
There has been a suffocating air of frustration around the South American’s performances this term, and most of that is because Liverpool fans know how good he can be.
But he’s offering little right now, and though he completed his defensive duties with diligence, there was a lack of dynamism and sparkle that will hinder the Anfield side going forward. He didn’t attempt a dribble and neither did he create a chance. Wirtz must play at the weekend.
Ultimately, Liverpool still have many, many creases to iron out, but this was a step in the right direction. However, Liverpool’s emphasis on compactness cannot come at the expense of pre-existing creative problems, and Wirtz must start at the weekend; that much is clear.
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