“Hugo Ekitike had been desperately trying to shake off a bout of cramp shortly before his No 22 went up on the fourth official’s board on Saturday, signalling the end of his game in the 78th minute. The sight of the exhausted French striker heading towards the touchline triggered a standing ovation from home supporters to thank Liverpool’s two-goal match-winner against Brighton & Hove Albion. Mohamed Salah was always going to dominate the narrative after the events of the previous week. However, it’s the form of Ekitike which fuels the belief that head coach Arne Slot’s side can extend their mini-resurgence of the past few matches and flourish as an attacking force during Salah’s time away at the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt in the weeks to come. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
How Hugo Ekitike established himself as Liverpool’s No 1 striker
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“Welcome to The Briefing, where every Monday The Athletic discusses three of the biggest questions posed by the weekend’s 
“Liverpool’s game against Brighton & Hove Albion was always going to be centred around Mohamed Salah. Whether he was going to be involved or not, though, it was unlikely any definitive conclusions were going to be drawn about what happens next. Exclusion from the squad may have pointed towards an exit, but the fact he was included leaves the door for reconciliation open. 
“‘So many times we are creating more than we concede, but the end result has been far too many times that we lose a game of football,’ Liverpool head coach Arne Slot told BBC’s Match of the Day highlights show after their 1-1 Premier League home draw against Sunderland just over a week ago. Slot has a point. Using 
Mohamed Salah, Unai Emery and Thomas Frank have already experienced highs and lows
“The cold nights are drawing in, hopes and dreams from those optimistic, innocent, bright summer days are long gone. Reality has bitten. With the Premier League table still tighter than the proverbial camel’s backside in a sandstorm, with just six points separating fifth from 15th (this time last year the gap was 12 points), it’s hard to judge which clubs and which fanbases are happy with what they’ve seen so far. A week of wins can lift you from relegation concerns to a European push, while successive defeats can take you from the Champions League places to looking downwards to the Championship. It’s temperamental. Far more reliable than the actual league table, then, is The Athletic’sHappiness Table, in which we accurately summise each club’s xH (expected happiness) level, but without the xH bit because that’s a bit silly. …”
“Welcome to The Athletic’s 2026 Transfer DealSheet — covering the January and summer windows. Our team of dedicated writers will take you inside the market to explain the deals being worked on. The transfer window will reopen on January 1, 2026 — at which point The Transfer DealSheet will return to its weekly in-window format. The information found within this article has been gathered according to The Athletic’s sourcing guidelines. Unless stated, our reporters have spoken to more than one person briefed on each deal before offering the clubs involved the opportunity to comment. Their responses, when they were given, have been included. …”
“This was the weekend when 
“When you are called out by your head coach for the ‘ridiculous’ number of goals the team has conceded so far this season, the ideal response is not to let in another four in the next game. Arne Slot did not mince his words when talking about his Liverpool side’s defensive record this season ahead of the Champions League tie against Dutch visitors PSV on Wednesday. …”
“Liverpool fell to a shock 4-1 loss to PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday night to make it three defeats in a row. After a handball by Virgil van Dijk, Ivan Perisic scored a sixth-minute penalty to put PSV Eindhoven ahead. But the hosts levelled in the 16th minute after Cody Gakpo dribbled down the left before cutting inside on his right foot. His shot was saved, but the ball fell to Dominik Szoboszlai, who fired home to level the game. …”
“It is 30 years since Liverpool smashed the British transfer record to sign Stan Collymore, a brilliant, brutally effective centre-forward with the build of a cruiserweight boxer and skills that, on his day, made him almost unplayable. He was the match-winner on his debut against Sheffield Wednesday, conjuring an eye-catching goal out of nothing, and scored another beauty against reigning champions Blackburn Rovers a month later, but, behind the scenes, cracks soon appeared. From an early stage, he felt out of place at Anfield, cold-shouldered in the dressing room and an awkward fit in a team whose commitment to pass-and-move football was at odds with the strengths he had showcased at Nottingham Forest. …”
“Liverpool’s season goes from bad to worse. A wretched 3-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest, who were entrenched in the relegation zone ahead of kick-off, dealt a further blow to 
“The scene was a school in west London, the weather was overcast and, for what felt like the first day of a new term, the mood was horribly tense. It was the Premier League’s official launch event for the 2015-16 Premier League season. Eddie Howe led a contingent from Bournemouth, all of them wide-eyed with excitement on the eve of their first top-flight campaign. The Swansea City lot were happy to be there, too. The delegation from reigning champions Chelsea? Not so much. …”
“The Premier League returns this week after the final international break of the calendar year. At the top, Arsenal are four points clear but have suffered further injuries, including to key defender Gabriel, before the north London derby against Tottenham on Sunday. Second-placed Manchester City visit Newcastle on Saturday evening, with Eddie Howe’s home side as close to rock-bottom Wolves in points terms as they are to Pep Guardiola’s team. …”
“Arne Slot led Liverpool to a league title in his first season in charge with a defined plan and a team that had a clear identity. After a summer of change involving significant turnover of the squad, the current version of Liverpool, who have lost seven of their last 10 games, could not look and feel more different. Following the 2-2 draw against Arsenal in October 2024, Slot complimented the job their coach Mikel Arteta had done during his time at the club in his post-match press conference: ‘They always play 4-3-3, but the way they position themselves, they can do — I think he said it once himself — 40 different setups.’ …”
“Just when Liverpool looked to have revived their season, momentum has stalled — with a shudder. A comprehensive 3-0 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday shredded the optimism generated by victories over Real Madrid and Aston Villa in the previous week and left Arne Slot’s side eight points adrift of Premier League leaders Arsenal. 
“This was the weekend when 
“If 
“Mohamed Salah scored his 250th Liverpool goal to help Arne Slot’s side end a run of four consecutive Premier League defeats by beating Aston Villa at Anfield. Villa started strongly, with Morgan Rogers striking a post and Matty Cash crashing one against the woodwork, but it was Liverpool who took the lead. 
“With 100 minutes on the clock, there was still one more opportunity for Liverpool to search for an equaliser in their clash with Brentford last weekend. Alexis Mac Allister received the ball on the left side before opening up his body and whipping in an excellent cross to the far post. Mohamed Salah watched it every step of the way. He even made contact with the ball — but he got his angles all wrong. Rather than attack the cross with an open body shape, Salah decided to contort his frame to make contact with his stronger left foot — sending the ball skyward and somehow keeping it in play from the most unlikely of angles. …”
“On Tuesday, 
“Liverpool icons don’t come any bigger than Sir Kenny Dalglish. Legendary status was initially bestowed on the Scotsman in recognition of the wizardry of his trophy-laden playing days for the club. It was then significantly enhanced by both the success he masterminded as their manager, and the leadership and compassion he showed in the aftermath of the 
“If Liverpool thought they had put their early-season struggles behind them, they were wrong. Arne Slot’s team may have ended their run of 
“Mohamed Salah didn’t hang around. The Egyptian attacker briefly applauded Liverpool’s jubilant away end inside Deutsche Bank Park after the final whistle before turning and making a beeline for the tunnel as the celebrations continued. His body language spoke volumes. 
“After half an hour of Wednesday’s Champions League game at Eintracht Frankfurt, Liverpool were facing the prospect of losing five straight matches for the first time in 72 years. Trailing to a crisp strike from former Leeds United defender Rasmus Kristensen, Arne Slot’s decision to make five changes and leave Mohamed Salah on the bench looked questionable. But three goals in nine first-half minutes transformed this match, which Liverpool’s head coach will hope can be a defining moment for a team that has been struggling to find its identity after a summer of change. One of the new arrivals, Hugo Ekitike, drew Liverpool level, scoring on the counter-attack after a piercing through ball from Andrew Robertson. …”
Arne Slot has staggered Isak’s introduction at Liverpool
“Looking tanned and refreshed after a family holiday in Dubai, Arne Slot cut a relaxed figure at Liverpool’s Kirkby training base on Friday. Three straight defeats, the worst run of the Dutchman’s managerial career, may have cranked up the pressure externally, with the inquest into the Premier League champions’ shortcomings continuing throughout the international break, but Slot remains unshaken. …”
“… Welcome to The Athletic’s 2025 agent survey, which analyses a 
“Liverpool enter the October international break having lost three successive matches across all competitions for the first time since Arne Slot was named head coach last summer. The disappointing run has raised questions over what has gone wrong for the Premier League champions. Following an off-season of tragedy and change, with seven incomings and as many outgoings (two on loan), their 2025-26 squad is still gelling. Injuries and suspensions have not helped, but some issues go beyond personnel alone. Andrew Jones, Gregg Evans and Anantaajith Raghuraman outline the issues. …”
“For Arne Slot, this is uncharted territory. Three successive defeats for the first time in his managerial career and a truckload of issues for the Liverpool head coach to address. After 
“Welcome to the seventh edition of The Alternative Premier League Table, where each Thursday, Anantaajith Raghuraman analyses the entire division through a specific lens. After looking at each club’s usage of long balls last week, this time our qualifier is expected goals and how teams have performed against the metric so far. As usual, the article that follows is long but detailed, so please settle down and enjoy it all — or search for the side you want to read about. …”
“It’s already a familiar story for Liverpool in the Premier League. Just like last season, they sit with a comfortable buffer between their closest rivals: the only difference is that last term it was in November when they pulled away from Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal, not September. Granted, there’s still a long way to go and now is not the time to be writing about a club edging closer to another title win. Yet the signs are all pointing in one direction — and it’s not towards the Etihad or London. …”
“Alexander Isak scored his first Liverpool goal, Hugo Ekitike was sent off and teenage defender Giovanni Leoni suffered a worrying injury as Arne Slot’s side won a dramatic and damaging tie against Southampton in the Carabao Cup third round. Southampton almost took the lead in the 42nd minute when Adam Armstrong hit the bar and Leo Scienza headed the rebound wide — but 38 seconds later, the ball was in the back of their net when goalkeeper Alex McCarthy’s pass fell to Federico Chiesa, who rolled it to Isak to finish from about eight yards out. …”
“Almost as soon as Anfield’s last visitors leave, new ones swoop in. On Tancred Road, four streets away from the district’s famous football stadium and home of Liverpool FC, changeover day in three rental properties last week was Thursday. Out went the Liverpool fans who had travelled from other parts of the world to watch their team’s 3-2 Champions League victory over Atletico Madrid. Shortly after, they were replaced by ones in town for Saturday’s Premier League Merseyside derby against Everton. Nearby, separate groups shared a four-bedroom house from Tuesday to Sunday, taking in both fixtures. …”
“… This was the round when 
“Liverpool roll on. Last season’s Premier League winners maintained their perfect start with a 2-1 victory against Everton in the Merseyside derby, but it was far from comfortable. First-half goals from the exceptional Ryan Gravenberch and Hugo Ekitike set Liverpool on course for victory but Everton were sprightly after half-time, and turned the game into a contest in the 58th minute courtesy of Idrissa Gueye’s fine finish. …”
“Less than four months after Paris Saint-Germain lifted their inaugural Champions League title by thrashing Inter, the 2025-26 edition is upon us. The 36-team league phase of Europe’s premier club competition kicks off on Tuesday, with Arsenal facing Bilbao’s Athletic Club in one of the two early kick-offs. There are plenty of other highlights this week too, with Bayern Munich facing Chelsea in a 
“This summer, the traditional ‘Big Six’ clubs signed more players from the rest of the Premier League than in any of the previous 15 seasons. 
“The transfer window is over. Over 150 senior players have been signed by Premier League clubs. Others have moved on to the continent. Much like every year, a club’s transfer window will likely be judged a success or a failure based on the season that follows — that big-money striker who fires his new side into the Champions League or the huge (and unresolved) hole in defence that means a club slips into a relegation scrap. But with the window having just closed, we asked The Athletic’s club reporters for their view on how it panned out for their side, and what grade they would give the club’s window. …”
“It is easy to get swept up by the excitement of a busy transfer window, the promise that a crop of talented reinforcements will rejuvenate and transform a side’s fortunes. Premier League clubs spent record sums chasing that promise this summer, but as tantalising as big-name arrivals and sweeping changes can be, can too much be disruptive? We have a recent case study: Liverpool were the biggest spenders in the summer 2025 window, but that came after a 2024-25 season in which they had barely added to their ranks at all. The result? A Premier League title in Arne Slot’s first campaign in charge. …”
“Welcome to the 13th edition of The Athletic’s Transfer DealSheet for the summer 2025 transfer window. Our team of dedicated writers, including David Ornstein, will take you inside the market to explain the deals being worked on. The transfer window is open and will run until September 1. The information found within this article has been gathered according to The Athletic’s sourcing guidelines. Unless stated, our reporters have spoken to more than one person briefed on each deal before offering the clubs involved the opportunity to comment. Their responses, when they were given, have been included. We aim to bring you analysis you can trust about what is happening at Europe’s leading clubs and the latest information we’re hearing from across the market. This year, The Athletic’s football finance writer, Chris Weatherspoon, will be adding to our analysis of the transfer market. …”
“In an era when football is criticised for its tactical homogeneity, an interesting debate has arisen around the idea of defending a crossed free kick. It had become the accepted approach to use a high defensive line, keeping opponents away from the box and leaving space in front of the goalkeeper. 
“Electric is how Eddie Howe describes the atmosphere he expects at St James’ Park tonight. First home game of the season, Bank Holiday Monday, under the floodlights and Newcastle United will have the pent-up emotions of a city behind them: their frustration unleashed not upon Alexander Isak this time, but Liverpool. All summer long a sense of indignation has brewed and bubbled on Tyneside. This could be the night it boils over. Isak’s actions — spurning Newcastle and their supporters’ adoration, turning his back on his manager and team-mates as he agitates for a transfer — have caused anger. Liverpool, whom Isak is set on joining, will feel the brunt of that resentment. …”
Scissors Kick 