Klopp's Liverpool transfer failure explained amid fresh title race predictions
Liverpool will go into the international break with mixed emotions, after recovering well at Brighton on Sunday but failing to take all three points back to Merseyside.
A quickfire double from Mohamed Salah turned a one-goal deficit into a 2-1 lead, before Ryan Gravenberch missed a golden chance to all-but seal victory against Roberto De Zerbi's side. In the end, though, it was Liverpool counting themselves lucky after the Seagulls equalised and then Joao Pedro fired over the bar with the goal at his mercy.
Results elsewhere have left the title race wide open, with just three points separating the top four going into the break. That's one of the topics of discussion as Mirror Football brings you the latest news lines from around Anfield.
Title race predictions revisited
Some big results at the top of the table over the weekend have made for an interesting state of play heading into the international break. Tottenham are at the summit after squeaking past Luton, while Arsenal's victory over Manchester City leaves them joint-top with City and Liverpool just behind.
Liverpool could have ended the weekend above City had they won at Brighton. Instead, they remain fourth with Brighton and Aston Villa just a point further back.
Klopp's dream Liverpool line up as last-gasp January transfers rejected
In the face of the latest developments, Mirror Football writers have revisited their pre-season predictions for the destination of the title. While questions have begun to emerge over City's title defence, some are refusing to write off the reigning champions.
Read all the predictions here
Gross VAR decision explained
Brighton midfielder Pascal Gross was the subject of the latest VAR debate surrounding Liverpool. The German's tug back on Dominik Szoboszlai saw the Reds awarded a penalty, which Salah duly converted, but some fans felt the offence also warranted a red card.
What are your feelings on Liverpool's title chances? Have your say in the comments section
Mohamed Salah scored the resulting penalty (Liz Finlayson/TPI/REX/Shutterstock)The PGMOL's rules, however, point to why Gross stayed on the field of play. The rule reads: "Where a player commits an offence against an opponent within their own penalty area which denies an opponent an obvious goal-scoring opportunity and the referee awards a penalty kick, the offender is cautioned if the offence was an attempt to play the ball or a challenge for the ball; in all other circumstances (e.g. holding, pulling, pushing, no possibility to play the ball etc.), the offending player must be sent off."
It appears Gross was not deemed to have denied a clear goalscoring opportunity, with Szoboszlai considered to be moving away from goal at the time of the offence. The Brighton man wasn't even booked, but the foul was punished when Salah scored from 12 yards.
Read more here
Klopp's Dembele failure
More details of Liverpool's failed pursuit of Ousmane Dembele have come to light. Liverpool targeted the French international in 2016, before he left Rennes for Borussia Dortmund, but instead ended the window by bringing in Sadio Mane from Southampton.
According to L'Equipe, Jurgen Klopp met with Dembele and his representatives in Paris with the player still on Rennes' books. Ultimately, though, the forward opted to join Klopp's former employers.
Liverpool transfer window winners & losers as £37m spent on Klopp's "great day"
The French international left Dortmund just one year later, completing a big-money switch to Barcelona, but his time at Camp Nou was plagued by injuries. He left Barca for Paris Saint-Germain over the summer and registered an assist as they beat his former club Rennes over the weekend.
Read more details here
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus