And so to Anfield for Sunday’s late afternoon Premier League game, with the weight of Wednesday’s disappointment hanging heavily.
There was a moment this season when it seemed that this fixture could potentially be the league decider, and we would be summoning the spirit of ’89 to carry us to another famous title. As we know, that moment is long gone.
Yet, a team that has repeatedly been dealt cruel hands this season has played them with resilience, self-belief and tactical acumen that would make George Graham’s charges proud. Mikel Arteta will have to wring out every last drop of those qualities in the three remaining games to secure second place, still within our control, and ensure we return to the Champions League next season among Europe’s elite.
Anfield
Anfield has not been a happy hunting ground for us. Sunday will be our 101st league fixture there across the old Divisions One and Two and the Premier League. We have won just 24.
Our first visit was in January 1894, but we did not achieve our first win there until September 1919. Henry White scored a brace, and Billy Blyth added a late third in a come-from-behind 3-2 victory in pouring rain before 12,000 spectators. We would have to wait until December 1927 for the next win, a 2-0. Jimmy Brain and Syd Hoar were the goalscorers in a game on which the newspapers reported that Liverpool were so poor that towards the end, their fans were resorting to ‘ironical cheers’ whenever a Liverpool player touched the ball. Better weather, however, brought the crowd to over 50,000. Fair weather Scousers, in all respects.
Our most recent league victory there was in September 2012, a game in which Arteta played, and Lucas Podolski and Santi Cazorla scored the goals in a 2-0 win. However, we haven’t lost there since 2021; our last two league visits have ended in draws.
Arteta has a mixed managerial record against Jurgen Klopp (played 14 in all competitions, won five, drew three, and lost six), but he doesn’t have much of a track record against Klopp’s successor, Arne Slot. Their teams have met once: the 2-2 draw at Highbury earlier this season.
I commend GSD’s match report of that game. As you may recall, a team stripped of players due to injury and suspension had what would have been the winning goal overturned by a controversial refereeing decision. (Surely not, I hear you cry!) The ref that day, Anthony Taylor, will again be on the whistle on Sunday. (Surely not, I hear you cry!) No PL ref has handed out more red cards or awarded more penalties this season. (I just hear you cry.)
Arne Slot
Slot deserves credit for applying tactical tweaks to Klopp’s side, making Liverpool the deserved title winners this season. Bonus points go to his conditioning coaches for keeping the full squad fit throughout. However, most credit must go to Liverpool’s owners for patiently building a title-capable squad over successive transfer windows—a lesson for our boo-boys calling for Arteta out for want of a striker.
The Dutchman’s crucial adjustment to the German’s setup was to default to using Ryan Gravenberch as a single pivot in midfield, with a line of three attacking midfielders in front of him, instead of a box midfield in which Trent Alexander-Arnold inverted from full-back to be one half of a two-man base. Slot’s change freed Alexander-Arnold to play higher and wider on the right, making better use of his crossing skills and allowing Mo Salah to cut inside from the wing, as he loves to do. Only if Gravenberch was being overrun would Alexander-Arnold tuck back into his old Klopp role of inverted full-back.
The opposition
I expect Slot to start his strongest team on Sunday, unlike last weekend’s loss at Chelsea. The names will be familiar, so I will skip my customary descriptors.
Alisson should be in goal, with Connor Bradley at right back (more on why not Alexander-Arnold below), Ibrahima Konaté and Virgil van Dijk, making his 300th PL appearance, as the centre backs, and Andy Robertson on the left. Gravenberch will be the DM, with Alexis Mac Alister and Dominik Szoboszlai as the attacking midfielders. Salah, making his 299th PL appearance, Luis Díaz and Cody Gakpo will be up front, although Slot could perm his front three from any of that trio plus Federico Chiesa, Darwin Núñez and Diogo Jota.
That is what building squad depth looks like in practice: having quality substitutions that allow starters to rest early or to chase games when necessary, and like-for-like replacements to cover for injuries or suspensions.
Defender Joe Gomez is the sole unavailability due to injury.
The Arsenal
In his pre-match press conference, Arteta was composed and reflective (‘In that clinical moment, the ball goes to the post, out, in, that’s the fine margins. So I think what we have to try to do is to amplify the margins.’) and, at times, wistful about the game’s vagaries (‘Hakimi, he shouldn’t be in the game for the last 10 minutes of the first leg, so he could not play the second game and score when the expected goals was 0.07. These are all random things in football.’).
He was not ‘spikey’, as one media headline suggested, despite some goading on the need for a 25-goal-a-season striker, of which, incidentally, there are only two so far this season in the five top European leagues, Salah and Barca’s Robert Lewandowski.
The Arsenal players will form a guard of honour for the Liverpool squad before the match. Arteta said the hosts deserve that as they have been the best team this season. Yet, he is also sending a motivational message to our own, to see out the final three games strongly and proudly to finish the season ‘in the manner that we deserve’. The nightmare scenario is an end-of-season implosion that costs us Champions League football next season.
Thus, I believe most of the battle-hardened but war-weary warriors of Paris will start:
Raya
Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Calafiori
Partey, Ødegaard, Rice
Saka, Merino, Martinelli
Calafiori would provide MLS a needed break from the firing line and may be a better option against Salah. White for Timber is another possible change.
The outcome will depend on how Liverpool approach the game as much as on whether Arteta has refocused his team. The hosts’ season is finished. The title is secured. They are out of the two competitions with finals pending. They are also caught up in the departure of Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid, which has deeply divided Scousers. Phrases like ‘betrayal of his boyhood club’ are being bandied about. Welcome to the parallel universe of social media abuse.
Slot confirmed that Bradley will start Sunday’s game at right back. It is uncertain whether Alexander-Arnold will be on the bench or even play for Liverpool again, or what kind of reception he will receive if he does. Madrid reportedly want to sign him in time for the summer’s World Club Cup.
As a former manager of AZ Alkmaar and Feyenoord, Slot will be accustomed to losing his best players each season, but he has said that he won’t tell Liverpool fans what to think about Alexander-Arnold’s departure.
Neither side will want to lose this game against an old rival. Three points would bring us to the brink of ensuring we finish no lower than fifth and thus qualify for next season’s CL. My heart hopes for a slice of the spirit of ’89 to deliver a 2-0 win, although my head suggests that the gentlemen of the turf’s favoured 1-1 is more realistic.
Enjoy the game, ‘holics, near and far.
Ned
You set the game up very nicely . There is a little more jeopardy facing us than the media has suggested although there would have to be an extraordinary fun of results for us to fail go join Tottenham Hotspur in next season’s Champions League . Frankly our next two fixtures are close to the worst we could face and I think a side wearied by a very brave effort on Wednesday will lose narrowly but honourably . If we could get a 1-1 draw we have a very decent chance of second place .
Top notch preview, Ned, chock-full of information to reduce the huge total of my ignorance. Your point about 25 goal strikers is well made. As for the intellectually challenged on anti-social media calling for Arteta to go, well, there aren’t the words. Hey are more to be blamed than pitied.
Fortunately, City failed to beat Saints today, which helps a bit. A point tomorrow will do, for me.
21 CG and I will be in the coach in the morning and we both look forward to showing a bit of Arsenal class and clapping the champions. Internally no doubt Arteta will use this as a means to fire up his players for next season. As for Taylor, he just needs to be fired.
Cheers Ned – usual quality appreciated !
If I read the table correctly after today’s games I reckon any 3 points from our remaining fixtures guarantees us at least 3rd place – just to help you relax a bit.
One other fairly major point – I thought that was Michael Thomas in your header photo – not Bob Thomas as it claims ! 😉
Cheers Ned.
Didn’t realise we hadn’t won there in the League since 2012.
It won’t be easy but time to rectify that: 3-2 to the good guys.
Safe travels, travellers.
Thanks Ned, an excellent preview as always.
Your team looks about right though I’d rest anyone carrying
a knock. Little materially to play for (except money
of course!) as CL is pretty much assured. Psychologically,
on the other hand, it would be great to get something out of
this game and then get a bit of revenge on the barcodes.
2-0 seems propitious. Have a great time to all the Holics making
the trip.
I must admit I was expecting Liverpool to fall away as the season progressed but
I can only echo Ned’s description- deserved winners. I have seen their success
mostly put down to Salah’s reemergence as the top PL striker this season and I wouldn’t
really argue with that – they are well clear in the goals for column.
But the bigger surprise to me is them having the second best defence – getting
another season out of the aging and vulnerable Van Dijk and Robertson plus
the defensively erratic Alexander-Arnold is a great piece of management.
Thanks Ned, good stuff as usual.
I admit to being a little nervous about our finish to this term but it’s up for grabs now and I will summon the spirit of Dapper George to piss on the bindippers parade with a 1-0 win.
UTA.
Thanks again for, as ever, an extremely informative preview, Ned. You inadvertently underline the scale of the achievement in 1989. The prize to motivate this iteration of the Arsenal isn’t there but I’m sure that will not stop MA8 setting them up and inspiring this team to take something from this game and show that there isn’t really a 15 point gap between them.
I too expected the Mugsmashers to fall away as defensively they were very shaky early in the season and rode their luck several times but, credit where due, they grew into a winning machine and deserve the title. It’s a proper football club with, as far as we are aware, no evidence of the kind of financial irregularities with which some others have been accused.
Nonetheless, having got that out of the way, I want us to batter them though will be content with a share of the spoils.
COYG
Where BtM and Bathgooner spend their weekends when they can’t get tickets to watch the Arsenal
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/may/11/opulence-on-the-thames-fulhams-new-riverside-stand-in-league-of-its-own
Thanks, all. Glad you enjoyed the preview.
As things stand, Liverpool finish above us and Newcastle, City, Chelsea, Forest and Villa can still do so. We need three points to be sure of finishing above Villa and four to be sure of being ahead of Forest and one of Chelsea or Newcastle, although three may be enough thanks to our superior goal difference. That would give us fourth. We need five points to be sure of third and six to guarantee second.
With Newcastle beating Chelsea, this is the maximum number of points that can be won by the other teams, apart from Liverpool, that could still finish above us. The number in brackets is the difference between their goal difference and ours.
Newcastle (-10) can get 72
City (-9) can get 71
Forest (-21) can get 70
Villa (-26) and Chelsea (-14) can get 69
Chelsea and Forest can get 67
Timber the full back rested and Benny Blanco in. Rice and Jorginho not even on
the bench, I assume carrying knocks unless they’re being rested for the final two
games
“Thomas, charging through the midfield… it’s up for grabs now! Thomas! Right at the end!”
Sorry, that’s all I have. Happier times.
OM@12: Club says that Rice is injured.
Raya
White, Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly
Partey, Merino, Odegaard
Saka, Martinelli, Trossard.
Bench: Neto, Tierney, Timber, Zinchenko, Calafiori, Butler-Oyedeji, Henry-Francis, Nwaneri, Sterling.
Thanks Ned for another interesting fact filled preview.
We rarely come away with much joy from our trips to Anfield and now missing Rice from the line up makes it even harder. One thing for certain this team will give 100% effort and we can only hope that the scousers will be on the proverbial beach, though I expect they would would like to get one over their closest challengers. With Taylor as referee and Tierney as VAR what could possibly go wrong.
The pack chasing ECL places are closing in behind us so picking up even 1 point will be very useful.
COYRRR
Usual high standard of refereeing where you can do whatever you want to Arsenal players and not get punished, what do you know it’s game over.
Would have been easy to fold but making a game of it now. COYGs!
2-2 Merino!
Also booing Alexander-Arnold is pitiful
A point at Anfield with 10 men is none too shabby. Flat in the first half but fired up in the second.
Excellent point and one I would happily have taken at half-time I must admit 😀
The team were a credit to the club second half and to themselves, very pleased.
So proud of our boys.
What the last two gents said.
A character filled performance and a very well deserved, important draw. Valuable point. Win the next two and finish second against all odds.
NLFE
When ‘Pool scored two in quick succession, I feared our goal difference was going to take a hammering. Credit to the team for first stemming the tide and then turning it around.
It would be churlish to point out (but I’ll do it anyway) that we should have been two up before they scored.
It is not churlish to ask why Robertson wasn’t even whistled for a foul for putting a chokehold on Saka in the first half?
Such a pity we wobbled in the first half. Sloppy/dozy from Saliba for the first – he misses Gabriel’s leadership more than I had realised. The prospect of a meltdown and a thrashing loomed after that quick second for them but we dug in and fought our way back into the game. I really believed we would pull one back before HT. However it wasn’t long delayed and an equaliser seemed more likely than another Dipper goal. hen Merino scored the equaliser I thought we would go on to win it but that second yellow meant we lost momentum and could have lost it in the end. A good point all things considered but we were the better team over the 90 minutes despite that wobbly spell.
DG @16, spot on. Astonishing blindness from Taylor to the regular wrestling of Saka.
Bath,
A good point about Saliba / Gabriel and with no disrespect to Kiwior we do lose something when one is missing and have seen that from both sides now. They are simply an excellent match in the old Simpson / McLintock mould rather than Bould / Adams.
Sadly, and I accept the paranoia shouts, I think Taylor’s blindness was willful rather than astonishing. I feel his mind was made up before kick-off on how he would treat fouls on Saka.
Matt, I suppose we can credit him with at least being internally consistent throughout the match in his wilful blindness to the persistent fouls on Saka.
Arteta not a happy bunny over the first-half performance.
I was very pessimistic about this game given the impact of our very tiring game on Wednesday . Then we lost Rice and Timber and then we went 2-0 down ! I feared something very messy would transpire so a 2-2 draw represents a superb effort especially with 10 men. Legitimate questions about Robertson’s immunity from sanction can be asked . One can’t argue with Merino’s dismissal but honestly imagine being sent off for those two fouls twenty years ago.
It was a great effort but our resources are going to be very stretched for Newcastle o
Interesting that 1st v 2nd rates as the third game on Match of the Day . Broadcasters in this country have a Newcastle obsession
The latest GHF Predicathon leaderboard has been posted. It’s getting tense at the top and at the bottom — and its pretty tight in the middle of the pack, too, with only two game weeks to go. You know where to find it…
The latest GHF Predicathon leaderboard has been posted. It’s getting tense at the top and at the bottom — and its pretty tight in the middle of the pack, too, with only two game weeks to go. You know where to find it…
Talking of contests the RopeyLeague Fantasy Cup Qtr Finals are done and four intrepid Holics have marched boldly into the semi finals. TTG has stayed on course for the double, Dino has roared as have the startlingly aggressive Sheep. and alas I can hear the victorious chanting of the monks as I slink ignobly out. Best of luck to you all in the semi finals.
Hugely unsurprising to see the media being equivocal at the Liverpool fans booing their own player. I even saw one outlet suggesting that it was a mixed reception for the player as there were also cheers. It wasn’t and there weren’t. That was the Arsenal fans, you disingenuous dummy, cheering sarcastically. Still, we can’t have our media criticising the mythically wonderful Liverpool fans. Especially that part which is still trying to repair the damage done to that relationship in 1989.
Oops, that was me at 33.
Excellent preview Ned. I didn’t get in the bar to say so before the game but it was up to the usual high standard, and that’s high praise indeed.
I’m very glad we got a point after being 2 goals down. Beyond that, it not inclined to pick the bones of this one.
We’ve got 2 more important games, and we could do with the full week to rest and reset, and then we’ll see how we go next week.
@33 Quite agree CER, , it’s not like Alexander-Arnold is joining us or one of the Manchester clubs or that he is in the first flush of youth and hasn’t done anything for the team. Murphy and Carragher with their gutless ‘I wouldn’t do it myself but I understand the feelings of the fans’ nonsense are pathetic but after all why be honest with the hand that feeds you. Then again I also understand the feelings of the fans too, it is a well-nurtured blend of childish petulance and pathetic neediness. To be honest I think we get the same fawning sycophancy from the media with the barcodes saudi mags too.
I know Merino is an experienced player but he is going to be a much more confident player next season after this valuable run out at centre forward. We’re very lucky to have him.
I can’t wait to see how he, Havertz and Rice share the load in different positions next season.
>>>>>>>