Dinamo Zagreb are going to extreme lengths to try and re-sign former player Luka Modric from Real Madrid.
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Dinamo try to lure Modric back to clubUse Spanish paper to call for his returnCroat struggling for game time at MadridWHAT HAPPENED?
Dinamo took out a page in the Saturday edition of Spanish publication Marca to call for Modric to rejoin the club this summer. They also made reference to this on a post on X, formerly Twitter, as they stepped up their efforts to sign the 38-year-old.
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Modric is out of contract at Madrid this summer and his minutes have been limited this season, starting just 12 times in La Liga so far. Modric began his career at Zagreb before signing for Tottenham in 2008 so a move does make sense as a potential swansong. Whether it happens remains to be seen.
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Modric, who joined Madrid in 2012 and has since made 522 appearances for the Spanish giants, will hope to feature in Los Blancos' heavyweight Champions League quarter-final clash with Manchester City on Tuesday in the first of two legs.
The report on the allegations of sexual harassment against the BCCI CEO has been handed over to the CoA, who will decide the next course of action
Nagraj Gollapudi21-Nov-2018The Inquiry Committee appointed to probe charges of sexual harassment against BCCI’s chief executive officer Rahul Johri has submitted its findings in a sealed envelope to the committee of administrators (CoA) on Wednesday morning. A decision on the findings is likely to be taken soon, possibly even by the end of the day.Immediately after submitting its findings, the three person inquiry committee, comprising Justice Rakesh Sharma (retired judge of Allahabad High Court), Barkha Singh (former head of the Delhi Commission for Women) and Veena Gowda (human rights activist and lawyer), sat down in a meeting with the two-person CoA headed by Vinod Rai (former Comptroller & Auditor General of India) and including former India women’s captain Diana Edulji.It is understood that the executive summary of the Inquiry Committee’s report will be made public but what happens next is not clear. Till last week there was ambiguity over how the COA would treat the verdict of the committee, whatever the majority result, and whether it would accept or debate it. However, it remains to be seen if both Rai and Edulji would be on the same page if the majority verdict did not find Johri guilty. ESPNcricinfo understands that Edulji, who was not originally not in favour of appointing the inquiry committee, was keen to study the findings and not readily accept them as the final word.It was Edulji who wanted Johri to be removed as soon as an allegation of sexual harassment against him surfaced on October 12 on Twitter as part of the #metoo movement. Rai favoured Johri being given the time to have his say and he was given a week to respond against that original charge. Johri denied any wrongdoing in his response, which led to the appointment of the inquiry committee.The committee – whose original deadline was November 15 – had heard the testimony of several people, including Johri. Also deposing were two women who live overseas and testified via Skype. It is understood that one of the women complainants alleged misconduct while she was Johri’s colleague at a previous media organisation, while the alleged incident with the second woman took place overseas during his tenure as BCCI CEO.
Lewis Morgan destroyed his former club Inter Miami, scoring three and setting up one more in a 4-0 win for New York Red Bulls.
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Morgan scores three against MiamiWas traded by Herons to Red Bulls in 2021Martino's side suffer embarrassing 4-0 lossWatch Inter Miami with the MLS Season PassStream nowTELL ME MORE
Inter Miami were without Messi, but it was their defense that once again let the Herons down on Saturday. For the third time in as many MLS matches, Tata Martino's men conceded early. Having shipped goals to CF Montreal and D.C. United within the first 15 minutes of those games, Miami collapsed even earlier at a rainy Red Bull Arena as the hosts went ahead inside three minutes courtesy of Morgan.
Playing against his former club, the ex-Sunderland striker opted not to celebrate and he would add another goal to his tally in the 51st minute. The Scot then turned creator 15 minutes later as he beat his defender to help set up Wiki Carmona for 3-0, effectively burying Inter Miami.
Morgan, though, wasn't done there, as he completed his hat-trick in the 70th minute, capping arguably the best performance of his career.
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Twice-capped Scotland international Morgan scored seven goals through his two seasons with Inter Miami, having joined the club after featuring for St. Mirren, Celtic and Sunderland prior to making the leap to MLS.
THE MVP
Absolutely no doubt here, as Morgan gets the nod. It was something of a revenge game for the forward, who couldn't be stopped by his former club. Having been one of the bright spots of Inter Miami's initial years in MLS, the club was forced to trade him after being hit with punishments for violating financial rules.
That'll make the fact that it was Morgan who inspired New York Red Bulls to the 4-0 win even more painful. It's been a while since the ex-Celtic striker left and so much has changed for the Herons since, but there's no doubt that he'll have a big smile on his face after taking it to the team that got rid of him.
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THE BIG LOSER
Take your pick. When you lose 4-0, no one covered themselves in glory. No matter where you look on the field, you could find someone on Inter Miami to criticize.
Suarez has bought some goodwill, so we'll give him the benefit of the doubt. The defense… well, plenty has been said about how bad they are. This game surely won't change opinions.
The big loser, though, was probably the midfield. Without the pace of Diego Gomez and Federico Redondo, the Herons simply couldn't cope with the Red Bulls' press. Sergio Busquets was left to fend for himself, with Julian Gressel and Dalton Sunderland unable to help him out.
The defense was terrible and the attack was quiet, but the midfield played a big part in Miami's total collapse.
Manchester United forward Antony's future remains uncertain but a move back to Real Betis looks unlikely currently.
Antony not wanted at Man UtdReal Betis can't afford to keep wingerInterest from Saudi Pro LeagueFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
The Brazilian winger starred at Betis last season after moving on loan but a return to the Spanish club now looks unlikely as they cannot afford to sign him on a permanent basis, according to Sky Sports. Antony is now considering his options ahead of the start of the 2025-26 season but has received interest from two top Saudi Pro League clubs.
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Manchester United are currently trying to offload unwanted players and have managed to send out Marcus Rashford to Barcelona. Antony is now currently part of the club's 'bomb squad' that also includes fellow outcasts Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho and Tyrell Malacia. All four players have been deemed surplus to requirements at Old Trafford and are currently training away from the squad at Carrington and only after 5pm.
DID YOU KNOW?
Antony has also been linked with a move to Bayer Leverkusen, who are currently managed by former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag. The Dutchman has been full of praise for Antony but admitted that: "We're not interested in him at the moment, but we'll see what happens in the future."
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR ANTONY?
Antony is not part of Manchester United's pre-season tour squad and will hope he can secure a move away from Old Trafford in time for the start of the new campaign. The Saudi Pro League may be an option, but it's not clear yet if Antony is willing to head to the Middle East.
Fifties from Harmanpreet Kaur and Richa Ghosh powered India to 201, and UAE barely got going in the chase
Shashank Kishore21-Jul-2024 India all but guaranteed themselves a semi-final spot with a convincing win over UAE in which their middle order got a much-needed hit out and their bowlers plenty of miles.Harmanpreet Kaur top-scored with 66, but it was Richa Ghosh’s sensational late acceleration – she hit an unbeaten 29-ball 64 – that helped India post their first-ever score of 200-plus in T20Is.UAE hardly posed a challenge, even though Esha Oza, the captain, and Kavisha Egodage gave good account of themselves in hitting 36 and 40 not out respectively. That UAE hit more than the 115 for 8 they managed against a lower-ranked Nepal should be confidence-boosting.Despite the loss, UAE aren’t mathematically out of the semi-finals race. A win for Pakistan against Nepal in the evening game should keep them alive.Related
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India vs Pakistan goes cold yet again
India wobble earlyIndia were put in, and they weren’t particularly disappointed. There was the looming threat of their marauding openers – Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana – running away with it once again. But at 52 for 3 inside the powerplay, the opportunity was UAE’s to seize.Among those who fell early, D Hemalatha would’ve been particularly disappointed at having missed out yet another opportunity to make the No. 3 spot her own. In nine innings at that position since the tour of Bangladesh, an unbeaten 41 she made in her first opportunity there remains the highest.Richa on the rampage•ESPNcricinfo LtdTwo nights ago against Pakistan, she was out slicing a lofted hit to point for 14 in a low-pressure chase after the openers had shellacked 85 in 9.3 overs. Here, the openers were up and away quickly with the platform set – India brought up fifty inside five overs. But Hemalatha’s dismissal for 2 after she was bowled attempting a pull off Heena Hotchandani had India wobbling briefly.One of the consequences from Hemalatha batting at No. 3 is that India have had to rejig a batting position for Jemimah Rodrigues, who has built a reputation of being a touch player. Hemalatha’s continued lean run could at some point have the team management into reinstating Rodrigues at No.3, considering the lower-order firepower at their disposal.On Sunday, Rodrigues made all of 14 in a 54-run stand with Harmanpreet before picking out mid-off in her first attempt to hit over the top.Renuka Singh Thakur struck early for India•Getty ImagesHarmanpreet, Richa up the tempoHarmanpreet was happy to knock singles and twos early, but upped the tempo soon after the halfway mark, when she welcomed legspinner Vaishnavee Mahesh for back-to-back fours. On 31, she had a steak of luck when a leading edge while attempting to work one into the leg side landed short of backward point.That aside, Harmanpreet seemed intent on taking the innings right till the end. Along the way, she brought out her plethora of sweeps that found different arcs on the leg-side boundary, ranging from deep backward square to wide long-on.The beauty of Harmanpeet’s sweeps is that when on song, she has the ability to take the bowlers and pitch out of the equation; she can hit just as effectively against the turn as she can with it, primarily because of a giant forward stride and how she gets on top of the bounce most times.At the other end, Ghosh made heads turn with some aesthetically pleasing cover drives and lofted hits with the spin. It’s a bit of a misconception that her game is only centered around power. On Sunday, she showed she can hit authentic strokes and find boundaries with regularity without looking to bash the ball.She hit a crisp cover drive off her fourth delivery, and a six two balls later to quickly get into her stride. She was particularly severe on Oza’s gentle long hops, hitting her for four boundaries, including three back-to-back, in the 15th. Ghosh was comfortably the aggressor in the half-century stand off just 32 balls. Yet at 156 for 2 in 17 overs, 200 seemed a long way off.It needed Harmanpreet to tee off in the penultimate over that brought India 17, and Ghosh’s five back-to-back boundaries off Heena Hotchandani’s left-arm spin in a 20-run final over to give India their highest total in women’s T20Is. Ghosh hit 54 of her 64 runs in boundaries (12 fours and a six). UAE’s chase fizzles in powerplay UAE barely made a push for the target. Theertha Satish took nine balls to get off the mark and was the first to fall in the fifth over as she chipped Renuka Singh to mid-off. Pooja Vastrakar had her first wicket six balls later when she beat Rinitha Rajith to hit top of off.Oza held firm without looking spectacular, but showed signs of shifting gears when she muscled Deepti Sharma out of the ground. In Kavisha Edodage, she found some support as their pair added 40, before Oza became debutant Tanuja Kanwar’s first international wicket.Kanwar, who has forced herself into contention on the back of an excellent WPL for Gujarat Giants, lulled her in flight and beat her in turn to have her stumped. She would finish with figures of 4-0-14-1 to cap off a dream debut that didn’t seem likely even 48 hours ago. From there on, the only academic interest left was to see if UAE could narrow the margin of defeat.
Rajasthan Royals, meanwhile, reversed their scoring trend of 2018 by taking off after the Powerplay, whereas Rashid Khan got his bunny again
Nagraj Gollapudi and Srinath Sripath29-Mar-20194:41
I’ve grown in confidence but far from being over-confident – Vijay Shankar
From best to worst – Bhuvneshwar’s fall at deathBhuvneshwar Kumar is counted among the best death bowlers in limited-overs cricket. Is that fact in danger of fast turning into a myth?This IPL, Bhuvneshwar has been the most expensive bowler in the final four overs: 17-20. He has leaked 72 runs in two matches at an economy rate of 18, including 13 boundaries. Three of the five most expensive overs of the tournament have been bowled by him.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe contrast between his numbers with the new ball and death is vast: in Powerplays, batsmen have found it hard to dominate Bhuvneshwar: 20 runs in four overs, conceding just three fours.On Friday, Bhuvneshwar had just given 10 runs in his two-over spell in the Powerplay. With Rashid Khan bowled out, Bhuvneshwar was their key bowler at the death. However, Sanju Samson took advantage of the slow speeds, the faltering in execution of the yorkers, to punch inside-out strokes and pick 24 runs in the 18th over. Then Ben Stokes, who struggled to get going early on, found his range in the final over. Bhuvneshwar’s death overs read 2-0-45-0.Since the 2018 IPL, Bhuvneshwar has given away 210 runs from 103 balls at the death, making him the third-most expensive bowler in the tournament. Compare that with an economy rate of 8.95 in the previous two seasons, and you can get a sense of Bhuvneshwar’s steep fall.Sunrisers max out Powerplay again to set up chaseESPNcricinfo LtdDot balls. Gold dust for bowlers. Gold for batsmen if they can keep the dot-ball count minimal. So far this IPL, Sunrisers have played out the least number of dots in the first 10 overs. It was little surprise then that they are the only team to string together consecutive century opening partnerships.On Friday, in the first half of their innings, barring the fourth over from Jofra Archer which went for three runs, David Warner and Jonny Bairstow hit at least one boundary in every over, backing it up with a single or two, to disrupt Rajasthan Royals’ plans. ESPNcricinfo’s Forecaster had Sunrisers’ win probability up at 74%, only going down to 58% at the fall of Bairstow’s wicket.In their opening match against Kolkata Knight Riders, the Warner- Bairstow combine had compiled 92 runs at the halfway stage. There were 20 dots, 23 singles and 12 boundaries. Against Royals on Friday, they were even better: 115 runs, playing out just 14 dots, 21 singles, and racking up 18 boundaries.In the face of a steep target, Warner exploded against every bowler, as Sunrisers blasted 69 runs in the Powerplay, the highest for the season. They also happen to be the only team to not have lost a wicket in the first six overs. Their run rate of 10.25 in the Powerplay against Royals is vastly higher than the rest of the pack, who have all hovered around the 8.5 mark.Royals reverse 2018 trend, switch on after PowerplayESPNcricinfo LtdRajasthan Royals’ first four overs got them just 22 runs, with the loss of Jos Buttler early on to Rashid Khan. That became 45 by the end of the Powerplay, usually the point when their slowdown began last season. Ajinkya Rahane would struggle to get going with the field spread out, and the rest of their middle order would get choked as a result.Those holes were plugged to a large extent by promoting Buttler to the top of the order, a pivotal point in their season’s turnaround. Buttler made half of Royals’ runs since then, and his five fifties were two more than the rest of their batsmen put together. On Friday night, all that changed. Buttler went cheaply, and it was Rahane who stepped on the gas after six overs. He smashed 50 off 29 after the Powerplay, a strike rate of 172 that was his third-best in IPL history in that period.When Rahane perished going for quick runs, Sanju Samson took it to a whole new level against the lacklustre Bhuvneshwar Kumar, carting him for 24 runs in the 18th over, before Ben Stokes found his range in the final over to raze 21 more against the same bowler.A total of 198, 63 of which came in the final four overs. The complete antithesis of Royals 2018.Rashid Khan comes in early, strikes gold ESPNcricinfo LtdDuring the warm-up before the match, Rashid Khan was spinning the football on his index finger as if it was a needle. Commentator Harsha Bhogle went to check if the finger and the football were glued together. Sunrisers Hyderabad’s most valuable player is used to doing unthinkable things.A short while later, Rashid walked in to bowl the fourth over of the match. It is rare to see him bowl so early in the Powerplay. In fact, only once in IPL history has Rashid bowled before the fourth over of an innings. Before Friday, he had five Powerplay wickets from 96 balls at an economy rate of 6.90.However, the one main reason Rashid came on early was to eliminate the threat of Jos Buttler. Rashid had dismissed the England batsman thrice before in T20s, twice in IPL, while giving away just four runs off eight balls. Add to that the fact that Buttler has faced a fair bit of Sunrisers’ other bowlers, without ever being dismissed against any of them.Buttler was not surprised seeing Rashid though. The first ball was a googly which he read well. The next one, Buttler moved outside the line, attempting a slog sweep, and was bowled around his legs. The ball had pitched on middle and leg, and it held its line to break the stumps. Two balls was what Rashid took to eliminate the most dangerous opposition batsman. Job done, Kane Williamson didn’t bowl Rashid any further in the Powerplay, saving him for tougher overs ahead.
Trent Alexander-Arnold revealed that he has been taking Spanish lessons for a "few months" after his unveiling ceremony with Real Madrid.
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TAA surpised fans by spekaing fluent SpanishRevealed he has been learning for a "few months"Lavished praise on new manager Xabi AlonsoFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Alexander-Arnold’s switch to Real Madrid has officially begun with the defender unveiled as the Spanish giant’s latest summer acquisition. Although his contract with Liverpool was due to expire on June 30, Real Madrid paid a fee to bring the England international to the Spanish capital ahead of schedule, enabling him to feature in the upcoming Club World Cup.
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Alexander-Arnold has signed a six-year contract with the La Liga titans. His deal also includes a staggering €1 billion (£840 million) release clause, which has been the standard for all marquee signings at Real Madrid.
WHAT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD SAID
During the unveiling ceremony, Alexander-Arnold surprised many by delivering his entire speech in fluent Spanish. It was a polished performance that showcased his effort to integrate into Spanish life and Real Madrid culture from day one. He later revealed in a press conference that he had been studying the language for "a few months" in preparation for the move.
"I think he [Perez] was happy with the amount of Spanish I was able to speak, which I think surprised a lot of people," said Alexander-Arnold.
"For me, it was important to be able to do that and it shows that the intent I have got is to come here and have a good start, to get off on the right foot and to achieve something straight away, starting with the Club World Cup."
DID YOU KNOW?
In his first media appearance in Madrid, Alexander-Arnold also took time to reflect on one of his idols and the current Real Madrid manager, Xabi Alonso.
"He is someone who probably impacted my game a lot growing up, seeing him pass a ball. I explained this to him as well," he said.
"Watching him pass a ball – seeing it influenced me to go and train harder at that and have a great hunger to be able to do that and to set standards. Of course, we have not had chance to formally meet yet. We will have a proper chat I am sure over the next few days and be able to talk about what he expects from me.
"It's not just me who is new here. He is a new manager who has got to get his ideas across to the whole team, which might take some time. But he has shown how amazing he is – managerial wise and as a player. His knowledge of football is there in abundance. I am excited. I will be a sponge around him, trying to soak up all the information I can to learn from him."
Despite sparkling knocks by Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, Royal Challengers Bangalore remain win-less in IPL 2019 after five matches
Sruthi Ravindranath in Bengaluru06-Apr-2019A couple of coincidences basically wrote the script for Friday’s match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders. Two weeks ago, Andre Russell had helped Knight Riders get 53 off 18 in the chase against Sunrisers Hyderabad. He faced a similar equation on Friday night against Royal Challengers. Last season, MS Dhoni hunted down 105 off 48 balls against the home team in Bengaluru. This time, Knight Riders were were also chasing a target of 206, with Russell in the middle.After AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli’s fireworks had kept the fans on their feet for most of Royal Challengers’ innings, it seemed like the side was finally going to taste their first win this season. But it took just one Russell innings, and some blunders in the middle from Royal Challengers, to undo their batsmen’s efforts as Knight Riders stole a stunning win in the 19th over. Here’s how it all turned the wrong way for the hosts.Sloppiness on the fieldDropped catches, misfield, conceding too many extras: Royal Challengers did it all. During Knight Riders’ innings, Navdeep Saini missed a chance to pluck the dangerous Chris Lynn out for 1 after he had top-edged a ball over the keeper’s head. With Lynn going on to lay the foundation for Knight Riders’ big chase, the missed chance proved to be a costly one.Much later, Lynn had raced to a 28-ball 42 when Marcus Stoinis tempted him with a wide delivery which he hit over Mohammed Siraj at sweeper cover, who failed to hold on to it. At this point, Knight Riders were very well on course, with their run-rate close to 10. While the drop itself wasn’t costly – Lynn added only one more run before he was dismissed in the next over – the missed opportunity came at a time when Royal Challengers were losing momentum and under the pump, and it left captain Kohli fuming.Where was Moeen?Lynn’s vulnerability to spin is no secret. In T20s since 2015, he’s been dismissed 33 times by spinners and averages just about 30 against them. Yet, Kohli brought in legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal only in the sixth over, and by then, Lynn had already dominated the Powerplay.And even though spinners, specifically left-arm spinner Pawan Negi, impeded the scoring in the middle overs, Kohli was still persistent about bowling his quicks even with the experienced Moeen Ali – who did not bowl a single over – in the mix.Negi, who was introduced only in the 10th over of the chase, went on to pick Robin Uthappa and Lynn and had 2 for 20 at the end of his third over. Royal Challengers’ have left themselves open to questions about their lack of planning but Kohli, speaking to the host broadcaster after the match, suggested that just giving his team-mates some space would help them come back stronger.Fast bowlers show no chill at deathDeath bowling has always been one of Royal Challengers’ major concerns. The Knight Riders’ win was the ninth time a team had won an IPL game when over 90 runs were needed off seven overs. And surprisingly – or perhaps not – Royal Challengers were the bowling side on six of those occasions.Particularly on Friday, Royal Challengers’ quicks seemed to lack composure towards the end, even when the opposition needed a steep 66 runs off 24 balls.It all started when Mohammed Siraj bowled his second beamer on the fourth ball of the 18th over, which meant he couldn’t bowl any more in the match. Russell had smoked that ball for a six. Stoinis replaced Siraj, and from there, the home side lost whatever control they had. Two more sixes were smashed in the next two balls and the game turned in Knight Riders’ favour.Tim Southee, who was brought in to bowl the next over, with 30 required off 12, was misfiring throughout. Russell feasted on ones that were short, wide too full or on a length. Southee also didn’t try and cramp Russell for space, offering generous width instead. That over pretty much sealed it – 29 runs came off it and Knight Riders then needed just one to win off the final over.
It is almost a foregone conclusion that Liverpool will win this year’s Premier League. With the Reds boasting a 12-point lead with nine games to go, all signs are pointing to a record-equalling 20th league title.
While there is plenty of football to be played and nearest challengers Arsenal are still to visit Anfield, Liverpool being crowned champions may not happen for a few weeks yet.
But when could Arne Slot’s side put the title beyond mathematical doubt? And which clubs could face the daunting prospect of handing the Anfield giants a congratulatory guard of honour? Here, we look at the most likely scenarios.
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ByStephan Georgiou May 20, 2024 How many points do Liverpool need to win the Premier League title?
As it stands heading into April, Liverpool have a 12-point advantage at the top with 27 still up for grabs. This means the Reds can accumulate a maximum total of 97 points for the season – which would be far more than enough to claim their first title since 2020.
Meanwhile, their closest challengers, Arsenal, can only achieve a maximum of 85 points if they win all of their remaining games – which includes a trip to Anfield in the second week of May.
Assuming the Gunners go on a run at the business end of the campaign, Liverpool would require 86 points. That means five wins and a draw from their final nine games is all it will take.
Rank
Team
P
W
D
L
GD
PTS
Liverpool
29
21
7
1
+42
Arsenal
29
16
10
3
+29
When can Liverpool win the title?
Liverpool star Curtis Jones celebrates
Liverpool can seal the title within their next six games regardless of Arsenal’s results. If they were to win at least five of their next six games, this currently marks their clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge as a potential party date.
Of course, if Arsenal drop points between now and then, Liverpool could already be celebrating a deserved title triumph.
One slip from the Gunners could pave the way for an Anfield coronation with fans against Tottenham Hotspur on 27th April.
If all of Liverpool’s closest challengers were to fully implode, the Reds could become champions in as little as two weeks when they face West Ham on 13th April – though Arsenal would have to lose to Fulham, Everton and Brentford for that to happen.
And with lots of points to be won and lost, there are still a number of possibilities when it comes to being confirmed as champions, including sealing the championship against Arsenal themselves.
Date
Liverpool
Arsenal
1st April
Fulham (H)
2nd April
Everton (H)
5th April
Everton (A)
6th April
Fulham (A)
12th April
Brentford (H)
13th April
West Ham (H)
20th April
Leicester (A)
Ipswich (A)
26th April
Crystal Palace (H)
27th April
Tottenham (H)
3rd May
Bournemouth (H)
4th May
Chelsea (A)
10th May
ARSENAL (H)
LIVERPOOL (A)
18th May
Brighton (A)
Newcastle (H)
25th May
Crystal Palace (H)
Southampton (A)
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ByStephan Georgiou Mar 29, 2025 Who could be giving Liverpool a guard of honour?
Should Liverpool win every match between now and the end of the season, at least three teams will be giving them a guard of honour to mark their title success.
The first of these teams could be Arsenal, who would be Liverpool’s first opponents should both title rivals win all their matches from here on in until the Reds become uncatchable.
Even more likely to commemorate Liverpool’s glory pre-kick-off are Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace, with the latter visiting Anfield on the final day, when the home side should be presented with the trophy.
Can Arsenal catch Liverpool?
Arsenal manager MikelArteta
It would take a catastrophic collapse from Liverpool for the Reds to be denied from here – on a par with Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle United side from the mid-1990s.
Mikel Arteta’s team would also likely have to achieve perfection to keep the pressure on the league leaders, and the Gunners have hardly been consistent this term despite their current placing in second.
One omen that could give the Gunners hope is that Liverpool also led the table with nine games to go last year (albeit by just two points), only to dramatically drop out of the title race by claiming just 15 points in the run-in.
Such a return could let Arsenal in if they were to win nine on the spin, but with so much room for error and the Premier League the only thing for the Reds to focus on, it would be a monumental failure if Liverpool were not the new kings of England come the end of May.
Date
Opponent
Result
4th April 2024
Sheff Utd (H)
W 3-1
7th April 2024
Man Utd (A)
D 2-2
14th April 2024
Crystal Palace (H)
L 0-1
21st April 2024
Fulham (A)
W 3-1
24th April 2024
Everton (A)
L 0-2
27th April 2024
West Ham (A)
D 2-2
5th May 2024
Tottenham (H)
W 4-2
13th May 2024
Aston Villa (A)
D 3-3
19th May 2024
Wolves (H)
W 2-0
Will there be a trophy parade?
While a trophy parade has not been confirmed, Liverpool will almost certainly take the opportunity to celebrate their prospective title win with their supporters having been denied the chance to do so in 2020 amid the pandemic.
As far as a date is concerned, there appears to be a couple of obvious options open to the Reds.
With the season ending on 25th May – the day they could officially be handed the trophy – the day after (Monday 26th May, which is also a bank holiday) could be an ideal parade date, particularly with the Reds out of all other competitions.
Manchester City held a parade through the city a day after pipping Liverpool to the title in 2022, while last year, the Citizens celebrated a fourth successive title triumph a week after the season ended, so the following Sunday (1st June) could be an alternative.
Liverpool also held a parade in 2022 seven days after the end of the domestic season and upon their return from their Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid, having been denied a possible quadruple in the final weeks of the campaign.
Joe Root’s reliance on his two best seamers demonstrated how England had erred in their selection
George Dobell at Kensington Oval25-Jan-2019At least with batting collapses the pain is over quickly. At least with batting collapses, the dismissed batsman can escape to the dressing room to lick their wounds and nurse their regrets in private.There’s no hiding place for bowlers. No hiding place in the field. So while England’s suffering on the third day might not have been dramatic as their suffering on the second, it was every bit as brutal.Here England’s pain was endless. As the runs and records mounted – never before have England conceded such a large seventh-wicket stand, never had they conceded such a high score to a No. 8 batsman and never had they been hit for eight sixes in an innings by a West Indies player – the holes in the England team and the errors in their selections were laid bare. This was torturous and inexorable.It is understandable in such circumstances that Joe Root should rely on James Anderson and Ben Stokes. They are, by a distance, his most reliable bowlers. So it was not surprising that he turned to them when he needed a wicket, when he needed control and when he didn’t know what else to do.But he has to look after them. And the sight of them starting new spells long after West Indies’ lead passed 500 was worrying. By the time he took his fourth new ball in two-and-a-half days, Anderson was reduced to bowling in the mid-70s mph. And while Stokes’ pace and energy remained high – really, you couldn’t fault either man for their efforts – you wondered at what cost: he is as precious an asset as England possess; it would be a mistake to ask him to carry too onerous a burden.The game, by that stage, was gone and the damage limitation should have been done by the spinners and support bowlers. Instead Anderson bowled 48 overs in the match and Stokes 50.3; only the second time in his career he had bowled 50 in a Test. By the end, they had spent 14-and-a-half hours in the field, broken only by England’s own two-and-a-half hour innings.Perhaps history offers us a lesson here. In the first year or two of the 1980s, Ian Botham – as a swing bowler not so different to Anderson and as an allrounder not so different to Stokes – found himself bowling in a game against Oxford University. He should never have been required to do so but, at some stage during it, he sustained a back injury. Some believe he was never quite the same again.The decision to bowl Anderson and Stokes for long might also have encouraged Holder to bat on. If he could exhaust England’s best bowlers it was not impossible he could rule them out of the rest of the series and he later admitted he saw a chance to “grind them down and keep them out in the heat”.It is, remember, just six days until the start of the second Test. Anderson is 36 and managing a shoulder problem that may well be causing him more pain than he makes out. Stokes, too, has undergone an operation on his left knee and suffers from ongoing back pain. There was no game at stake here; no hope that a magical spell could make the difference.Long before the end of West Indies’ second innings, factory-farmed chickens were getting together and muttering about the appalling conditions in which Anderson and Stokes are expected to work. Asking them to bowl in these conditions is like asking Picasso to pop round and paint your bathroom ceiling; like using a Ferrari to deliver rubble to the dump; like using Pegasus as a pit pony.Ben Stokes endured a frustrating morning•AFPPart of Root’s problem was the performance of his other bowlers. Sam Curran, for all his youthful promise, is not a Test opening bowler at this stage of his career. Perhaps, one day, he may be. But at present he is too reliant on swing and not quite able to compensate with control or other skills. He may well have a role to play in a four-man seam attack but, as one of three, he leaves too much required of his colleagues.The performance of the spinners was more worrying. They should have taken the main bowling workload, but Root didn’t seem to feel he could trust either of them. Moeen Ali’s first over of the day saw Holder thrash him for three successive boundaries, while Adil Rashid struggled with both his length and his pace in conceding nearly seven an over including five sixes. For him to bowl only nine overs in the innings – fewer than Root – is a damning indictment of his performance and the confidence the captain had in him.Rashid didn’t impress in the field, either, with Trevor Bayliss seen slapping his leg in frustration after a misfield gave away a single. It will be a surprise if he plays in Antigua.So it was understandable that Root didn’t trust some of his bowlers much. But he was party to the decision to pick two spinners. And he was party to the decision to prefer the wicket-taking potential of Rashid to the reliability of Jack Leach. He was also party to the decision to pick a left-arm swing bowler instead of a hit-the-deck seamer. In asking Stokes and Anderson to carry so much of the burden, he was tacitly admitting he and the other selectors had erred.There were some encouraging moments for England. Even towards the end, Jos Buttler and Root pulled off fine stops in the field. After every wicketless over, Anderson was applauded back to his position on the boundary by spectators who recognised his hard work. And despite his own disappointments, Curran made some diving stops on the boundary to save a run or two. There’s no faulting the spirit or the efforts. The opening batsmen started well, too. The weekend brings them opportunity.And there, perhaps, is the mitigation for England. For this pitch that looked so troublesome when 18 wickets fell on day two, suddenly appeared becalmed. Local knowledge suggests it may remain becalmed for much of day four, too, though some deterioration is likely on day five. It will be interesting to see if West Indies bowlers – faster or taller though most of them are – will be able to coax any more life out of it.But days like this expose holes. And West Indies have found a few in this England side.