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Heading into the new Premier League season, Chelsea were seen as the 'banter' club once again.

Why? Well, unless you've been living under a rock, Todd Boehly has waved his big fat chequebook around again to bolster his squad further.

New bodies were needed under Enzo Maresca and they have actually completed some impressive business this summer. Pedro Neto has long been sought-after by clubs in the Premier League. Tosin Adarabioyo was smart on a free transfer and Joao Felix is a pretty handy player.

Yet, it's the way in which they've handled player exits that defies belief. Academy graduates Conor Gallagher and Trevoh Chalobah were alienated from the first-team squad and the same treatment has been dished out to high-earner Raheem Sterling.

So, when the Blues tasted defeat against Manchester City on the opening weekend you feared the worst once again.

Fortunately, they have bounced back well, producing their best performance in many a month to dispatch Wolves 6-2 at Molineux on Sunday afternoon.

Chelsea's best player vs Wolves

There's no prize for guessing this one. Noni Madueke – who among the thrills and spills of this transfer window has been linked with an exit – scored a remarkable hat-trick during a frantic 14-minute period of football.

It was the first of his career and one that will likely now keep him at Stamford Bridge. Talk about timing. This Chelsea squad won't be easy to feature regularly in this season but the former PSV Eindhoven star has begun the season with some aplomb.

All three strikes were supplied by Cole Palmer, running Wolves ragged with a trio of goals that silenced a crowd who had been booing the winger due to comments on social media prior to the game.

His first may have been deflected beyond the goalkeeper by Rayan Ait-Nouri but there was no doubting the quality of the other two goals, firing beyond Jose Sa from very similar angles having been laid off by the inevitable Palmer.

That said, despite a rosy day for Chelsea, there was one notable underperformer in Blue.

Chelsea's worst player vs Wolves

Coming into this new campaign Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk was sporting a new head of hair. Gone were the luscious blonde locks. Instead, a skinhead had arrived back at Cobham, ready and raring to show something different on the pitch too.

Sadly, the mega-money signing during the winter of 2023 is still failing to produce the goods and is leaving fans to wonder why on earth they paid such a pretty penny to beat Arsenal to his signature.

Mudryk's lack of influence on the game was summed up by his withdrawal at the break. Maresca said after the game that he was "not happy" with his display in possession.

Why was that the case? Well, the stats do all of the heavy lifting for us. Inevitably producing fewer touches (13) than goalkeeper Robert Sanchez's 54, he left the pitch having mustered a tally of just five completed passes. From his low number of touches, he ceded possession on six occasions.

On that evidence, it's hardly a surprise the new manager was a bit fed up with the winger's performance.

Minutes played

45

Touches

13

Accurate passes

5/8 (63%)

Crosses

0/1

Key passes

0

Dribble attempts

1/2

Ground duels won

1/4

Aerial duels won

0/1

Possession lost

6x

Shots

0

To make matters worse he failed to carve out a single key pass on a day where Chelsea ran rampant. Mudryk also succeeded with just one of his two dribble attempts.

This was a particularly poor afternoon for the attacker who was given a hammering by the media post-game. Football.London's Bobby Vincent handed him a 5/10, lambasting his 'quiet' nature. GOAL were particularly scathing with reporter Mark Doyle suggesting it was a 0/10 display, writing that it was an 'embarrassingly ineffective display'. Tell us what you really think, eh?

So, with Neto champing at the bit for his first league start for Chelsea, Joao Felix recently signed and Christopher Nkunku also looking over his shoulder, it would not be a surprise to see Mudryk benched next time out.

Move over Madueke: 9/10 Chelsea ace was the real star for Maresca

Chelsea smashed Wolves 6-2 for Maresca’s first Premier League win.

ByConnor Holden Aug 25, 2024

With Ngidi and Behrendorff unavailable, the Super Kings could turn to Tahir for wicket-taking bite

Hemant Brar15-Apr-20218:12

Should the Punjab Kings stick with Meredith and Richardson?

Big pictureThe Chennai Super Kings have built their empire on the mostly slow and spin-friendly pitches of the MA Chidambaram Stadium, where they found ways to control the pace of the fast-moving format. In 2018, their “Dad’s Army” proved that age was just a number. In 2019, they came within one ball of a repeat. But when the tournament moved to the UAE in 2020, they struggled to adapt, mainly because their squad was built for a particular set of conditions.While IPL 2021 is being played in India, little has changed for the Super Kings with no team playing at home through the season. The Super Kings are playing their first five games at the Wankhede Stadium, where the conditions are in stark contrast to those at Chepauk. But while they lost their opening match to the Delhi Capitals despite scoring 188, they showed a glimpse of a changed approach when Moeen Ali and Suresh Raina kept playing attacking cricket despite the loss of two early wickets. They know they need more of that.Their opponents for Friday, the Punjab Kings, began their campaign with a last-ball win against the Rajasthan Royals. Apart from the result, they ticked a few other boxes as well. KL Rahul batted freely for his 50-ball 91, Chris Gayle was also among the runs, and Deepak Hooda, promoted to No. 4, smashed 64 off just 28 balls. While their overseas fast bowlers Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith were expensive, the Punjab Kings would believe they are very close to nailing their best XI.In the newsThe Super Kings will have to manage without Lungi Ngidi and Jason Behrendorff as both remain unavailable because of quarantine rules.Likely XIsPunjab Kings: 1 KL Rahul (capt, wk), 2 Mayank Agarwal, 3 Chris Gayle, 4 Deepak Hooda, 5 Nicholas Pooran, 6 Shahrukh Khan, 7 Chris Jordan, 8 Jhye Richardson, 9 Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Arshdeep SinghChennai Super Kings: 1 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 2 Faf du Plessis, 3 Moeen Ali, 4 Suresh Raina, 5 Ambati Rayudu, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 MS Dhoni (capt, wk), 8 Sam Curran, 9 Dwayne Bravo, 10 Shardul Thakur, 11 Deepak ChaharShould the Super Kings pick Imran Tahir to add wicket-taking bite to their attack?•BCCIStrategy punt In the Super Kings’ last game, their bowlers were taken to the cleaners by Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan. Ideally, they would like to have an out-and-out fast bowler in their XI as a wicket-taking option, but with Ngidi and Behrendorff unavailable, legspinner Imran Tahir may not be a bad choice. Tahir could replace Faf du Plessis, and that won’t necessarily weaken their batting as they had Deepak Chahar slotted at No. 11 against the Capitals. In du Plessis’ absence, Ambati Rayudu can open with incumbent Ruturaj Gaikwad. Death bowling was the Achilles heel for the Punjab Kings last season. While Meredith can bowl at a fierce pace, Chris Jordan is a more proven customer and can pair with Arshdeep Singh at the death. Plus, Jordan also provides the lower-order batting cushion that the Punjab Kings need; their batting ability could otherwise nosedive after No. 6. Stats that matter 91, 91, 100*, 94. Those are KL Rahul’s last four T20 scores at the Wankhede Stadium. Overall, in seven T20s innings at this venue, Rahul has 428 runs at an average of 71.33 and a strike rate of 152.85. In the two matches played at the Wankhede stadium so far this IPL, seamers have picked up 20 wickets in 56.4 overs (a wicket every 17 balls). Spinners, on the other hand, have just two scalps in 22 overs (a wicket every 66 balls). However, both seamers and spinners have conceded more than ten an over. Last season, the then Kings XI Punjab managed just one wicket across their two games against the Super Kings. The Super Kings trounced them by ten wickets in Dubai and by nine in Abu Dhabi.

van der Dussen and Shamsi win men’s ODI player of the year and men’s T20I player of the year awards

ESPNcricinfo staff31-May-2021Quicks Anrich Nortje and Shabnim Ismail were named South Africa’s men’s and women’s cricketer of the year respectively at CSA’s annual awards ceremony, which was held virtually on Monday. Nortje became the 12th player to win the newcomer of the year and men’s cricketer of the year awards in successive years.Both players also bagged other major awards, with Nortje being named the Test cricketer of the year, South Africa fans’ player of the year and South Africa men’s players’ player of the year (sharing a tied vote with Aiden Markram). As for Ismail, she also won the women’s T20I cricketer of the year and South Africa women’s players’ player of the year awards.Having previously scooped up the women’s premier award in 2015, Ismail joined Marizanne Kapp (2013, 2014) and Dane van Niekerk (2016, 2018, 2019) as multiple winners in the professional era.ESPNcricinfo LtdBatter Rassie van der Dussen was named men’s ODI player of the year while left-arm wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi, who is currently No.1 on the T20I bowling rankings, took the men’s T20I player of the year award. Lizelle Lee, meanwhile, claimed the women’s ODI player of the year award.”Anrich and Shabnim have set the highest standards that we expect from our icon Proteas players,” Pholetsi Moseki, CSA Acting Chief Executive, said in a statement. “Anrich’s international career to date has been remarkable. In the space of a year he has gone from being named our International Newcomer of the Year to our overall Player of the Year – an incredible achievement. The pandemic has restricted him to just 10 Test matches to date in which he has taken 39 wickets, including three five-wicket hauls.”Shabnim is the fastest bowler on the women’s international circuit, and she has been the leader of our Momentum Proteas attack for a long time now. She is the only South African to have taken 100 wickets in the T20 International format and she recently passed the significant landmark of 150 wickets in ODI cricket.”She has played a huge role in enabling our Momentum Proteas to break into the top group of countries with a world ranking of No. 2 in the ODI format.”Allrounder George Linde was adjudged the men’s international newcomer of the year while fellow left-arm fingerspinner Keshav Maharaj won big on the domestic front. He was named the SACA Most Valuable Player (MVP) as well as domestic players’ player of the season.Dolphins’ Ottniel Baartman, who recently earned his maiden call-up to the South Africa Test squad, was the inaugural winner of the Makhaya Ntini Power of Cricket Award. Titans’ Markram was named the 4-day domestic series player of the year for racking up 945 runs in seven matches at an average of 94.50, in the 2020-21 season. Former Dolphins allrounder Robbie Frylinck, who had announced his retirement earlier this year, was awarded the one-day cricketer of the season title while Lions’ Sisanda Magala was recognised as the T20 challenge cricketer of the season.

Birmingham City have thrown down yet another massive statement of intent as they look to navigate their way out of League One, with the Blues tabling an offer to sign yet another star this summer.

Busy summer for Birmingham so far

After being relegated from the Championship, Birmingham City and Chris Davies have been hard at work to secure instant promotion back to the second tier of English football.

Headed by a £3.5m move for defender Christoph Klarer and a £3.3m deal for Willum Willumsson (from Darmstadt and Go Ahead Eagles respectively) they have wasted no time handing Davies one of the most expensive League One squads ever assembled.

A mammoth 15 new faces have been recruited this transfer window as they look to navigate League One, in an unprecedented series of spending that now means that they now boast three of the top six record signings in League One history, having spent over £12m on new signings. Combined, all 24 League One sides have spent just £20m, with Birmingham making up 60% of that expenditure.

Birmingham City summer signings

Player

Fee

Christoph Klarer

£3.5m

Willum Willumsson

£3.3m

Emil Hansson

£1.5m

Alex Cochrane

£1m

Lyndon Dykes

£1m

Ayumo Yokoyama

£850k

Ryan Allsop

£825k

Alfie May

£770k

Marc Leonard

£500k

Bailey Peacock-Farrell

£450k

Scott Wright

£300k

Taylor Gardner-Hickman

Loan

Ben Davies

Loan

Alfons Sampsted

Loan

Luke Harris

Loan

Transfermarkt

Rangers duo Ben Davies and Scott Wright have also been recruited, though neither have yet made their debuts for the Blues.

Now, they are trying to ramp up their spending even further still.

Birmingham make mammoth bid for striker

That comes as the reliable John Percy reports that Birmingham have made a mammoth deadline-day bid to sign Jay Stansfield from Fulham, with the striker having spent last season on loan with the Blues.

Despite finding the net 12 times in the Championship, he could not prevent their relegation and headed back to Fulham at the end of his loan spell, coming on as a late substitute on their opening-day defeat to Manchester United.

Still just 21 years old, he has three years left to run on his £10,000 a week deal at Craven Cottage, but that has not stopped Birmingham, with Percy reporting that a bid of "around £9-10m" has been submitted to try and bring him back to St Andrews permanently.

It has since been added that Fulham have turned down the bid, but with Birmingham's spending this summer already unprecedented, a second improved offer cannot be ruled out.

All confirmed Premier League done deals: summer transfer window 2024

Find every incoming and outgoing for each 2024/25 Premier League club here.

ByStephan Georgiou Sep 18, 2024

Stansfield has already come in for plenty of praise across his short career, none more so than from Exeter City boss Gary Caldwell, who singled him out for praise during his loan spell in Devon.

“Stanno has got that spark and when he came on he was sensational. He is a player I love working with because of his attitude and when I tell him the reason why, he buys into it.

“He doesn’t sulk, and has fantastic quality and energy. It was a real team effort and he is a real team player and that is the way it has to be.”

MLS NEXT announced the groundbreaking partnership Tuesday, integrating the development of both the girls and boys game

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MLS NEXT announces partnership with GAStrategic alliance will grow youth soccer in North AmericaFirst display will be 2025 GA CupFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

MLS NEXT – Major League Soccer's academy program – has announced a strategic partnership with the Girls Academy (GA) beginning in 2025. The alliance will unify youth soccer in North America, while strengthening the bond between boys and girls soccer at the youth levels.

The GA is a leading youth development platform for girls youth soccer in the United States. The aim of the partnership will be to work together on technical standards, innovation, membership opportunities, and event integrations.

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The collaboration will first be on display in the 2025 Generation Adidas Cup, where MLS NEXT will integrate select GA clubs into a girls competition at the event, creating a high-level showcase at the prestigious international tournament.

“Our strategic alliance with the Girls Academy fosters an aligned development pathway for boys and girls aspiring to reach their highest potential,” said MLS NEXT General Manager Kyle Albrecht. “We believe this is an important step in growing the sport in North America, as the alignment between both programs will greatly benefit players, families, and clubs.”

WHAT THE GA SAID

“The Girls Academy is thrilled to partner with MLS NEXT on a shared vision to elevate players and standards to the highest level,” said Girls Academy Commissioner Patricia Hughes. “MLS NEXT is the leader in the North American ecosystem and together we will focus on driving the game forward. Our collaboration will prioritize player-centric development, emphasizing the individual growth of each athlete. This alliance represents a significant step toward ensuring players, coaches and clubs have the resources they need to reach their full potential."

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The agreement begins in 2025, with the first showcase being GA Cup in April, 2025. The event takes place in Bradenton, FL from April 12-20 and features 753 teams from 151 clubs – 29 MLS academies and 122 MLS NEXT Elite Academies across the U13 – U19 levels.

Former Chelsea star Oscar is finalising a move to Sao Paulo after his tearful exit from Shanghai SIPG.

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Ex-Chelsea man returning to BrazilPlayed in ChinaSaid emotional farewellFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Oscar is poised to complete a move to Sao Paulo, after 14 years away from Brazil. The attacking midfielder left in 2010 to join Internacional after a contract dispute but is now set to return, after an eight-year stint in China with Shanghai SIPG.

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Oscar made 245 appearances for Shanghai and bade the club a tearful farewell at the end of his spell. He was also, of course, a member of Chelsea's squad between 2012 and 2017 before his shock move to the Far East.

DID YOU KNOW?

Oscar won the Chinese Super League three times with Shanghai and also won 48 caps for Brazil, although he was not selected for his country after his move to China.

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Oscar is likely to receive a hero's welcome when he arrives in Brazil. He is 33, so has plenty of time to make his mark at Sao Paulo in his second spell.

Yorkshire fall short by 20 runs despite having home side in trouble at 95 for 6

ECB Reporters' Network11-Jun-2021Brydon Carse inspired Durham to a 20-run victory over Yorkshire Vikings in their first game of the Vitality Blast campaign at Emirates Riverside.Carse took centre stage with the bat after it appeared the hosts had wasted an excellent platform. The 25-year-old scored his maiden T20 fifty to elevate Durham to a match-winning total of 181, despite career-best figures of 4 for 44 from Jordan Thompson.Jonny Bairstow threatened the home side, but Carse made the decisive impact to dismiss the England man for 67. A late surge from Harry Brook proved in vain as Durham held their composure to get off the mark in the competition at the first attempt.After losing the toss, Durham made a rapid start as Graham Clark dispatched David Willey for four-straight boundaries, including a massive six over square leg. The introduction of Lockie Ferguson brought about the breakthrough for the Vikings as the opener picked out Willey at mid-on for 34.The home side enjoyed a solid start after the Powerplay, reaching 54 for 2. However, Thompson ensured that Durham could not maintain the pace of their innings, deploying slower deliveries to remove Ben Raine and David Bedingham.Durham’s innings was in danger of petering out when Ferguson had skipper Cameron Bancroft caught behind for a scratchy 15. Impetus arrived in the form of Carse, who excelled with a variety of blistering strokes. He notched his maiden T20 fifty from 30 balls, striking Thompson over the rope, but the bowler had his revenge with his final delivery to claim his best figures in the format.The Vikings lost Adam Lyth in the second over of their reply, lifting his drive off Matty Potts into the grasp of Bancroft. Bairstow and Dawid Malan kept Yorkshire in line with the run rate during the Powerplay, but the latter departed two balls after restrictions were eased, losing his off stump to Liam Trevaskis.Tom Kohler-Cadmore threatened to spark the Yorkshire innings to life, smashing the ball onto the roof of the health club on the edge of the ground. His next attempt failed as Raine prised him out with his first delivery for 16. Bairstow remained composed, notching his first fifty of the campaign from 40 balls but Carse delivered for Durham to halt the Yorkshire momentum by taking his middle stump out of the ground.Brook offered brief hope for the visitors with a brisk 41, but his desperate late attempt to slog Potts resulted in being caught on the rope. Durham held their nerve at the death to close out their first win of the campaign.

Liverpool fell to a shock defeat against Nottingham Forest at Anfield after Callum Hudson-Odoi’s 72nd-minute strike secured all three points for the visitors.

The defeat was the Reds’ first under Arne Slot after the Dutchman took over from Jürgen Klopp during the summer, conceding the first goal this season in the process.

It was a disappointing display for Slot’s side, having over 70% possession and 14 efforts on goal, but were unable to find a way through Nuno Espírito Santo’s side.

Within the side, numerous players failed to make an impact during the outing, failing to replicate the performances produced against the likes of Manchester United, Brentford and Ipswich.

Today was only the fourth league outing of the season, but it did highlight numerous issues that need to be addressed over the coming weeks if they are to have a successful first season during his reign.

Slot’s first test as Liverpool boss

Up to now, it’s all been positive for new boss Slot at the helm, winning all the competitive matches during his start to life at Anfield.

Today was the first time since his appointment that they conceded a goal – an example of how well he’s taken to life in charge of the Merseyside outfit – but it poses a real question for the new boss as to how his side will bounce back from the shock defeat.

His side struggled to break down Forest’s low block, often playing at the intensity needed to drag Espírito Santo’s side out of possession and exploit the spaces in behind.

The Tricky Trees certainly won’t be the last side to go to Anfield and implement such a system, with Slot’s side needing to work on their intensity in possession against such sides if they are to challenge for the title this season.

He certainly wasn’t helped by the number of poor performances produced by multiple first-team members, with one player, in particular, looking poor throughout, with the Dutchman needing to replace him ahead of the club’s next outing.

Why Slot needs to drop Liverpool ace after Forest defeat

The game against Forest was always going to be a tricky one for Liverpool, with Espírito Santo’s side willing to forfeit the ball and sit in a low block and hit them on the counter-attack.

Hudson-Odoi’s goal was an example of the system the visitors implemented, but striker Diogo Jota was unable to make his own impact as a result – struggling in possession when he found space amid the defensive line.

The Portuguese forward featured for 60 minutes during the defeat, having three shots but only placing one on target and missing one big chance in the process.

Minutes played

60

Shots taken

3

Big chances missed

1

Touches

22

Passes completed

6/12 (50%)

Possession lost

10x

Duels lost

4

Dribbles completed

0/1 (0%)

Jota was also wasteful in finding his teammates, only completing six passes – an average of one every ten minutes – whilst losing possession ten times within his 22 touches over the course of his performance.

The 27-year-old also lost four of the six duels that he entered, often looking lacklustre for Slot’s side, with his performance deserving of him being replaced ahead of the club’s trip to face AC Milan on Tuesday.

Darwin Núñez and Cody Gakpo were also unable to make their own impact off the bench after being brought on to make a difference, but after Jota’s display, Slot could turn to either of the two aforementioned players to take his spot in midweek.

AC Milan v Liverpool: How to watch Champions League clash

The Reds will soon get their European campaign off and running.

ByHenry Jackson Sep 14, 2024

Captain does “not blame the young players one bit” and expected the senior batters to do the scoring

Andrew McGlashan09-Aug-2021Australia captain Matthew Wade called his side’s capitulation in the final T20I against Bangladesh “not good enough for an Australian cricket team” and said it was down to the batters to find ways to score runs in tough conditions.The series concluded with Australia bowled out for 62, their lowest T20I total, having made a high score of 121 across the five matches.While echoing Dan Christian’s remarks that the surfaces were unlike any he had played T20 cricket on, and did not expect them to be replicated at the T20 World Cup, Wade noted how Bangladesh had been able to wrangle their way to enough runs in four out of the five matches and that spin had also caused problems in the West Indies where Australia also lost 4-1.Related

Dismal show leaves Australia with several problems to ponder on ahead of T20 World Cup

Christian: Conditions 'don't get more difficult' than Bangladesh series

“There’s not a lot of positives to take out of it, to get beaten in the fashion we did, especially tonight, was not good enough from an Australian cricket team regardless of the personnel we’ve got here,” Wade said. “The reality is we need to get better at spin, myself included. There’s a lot of players in this team who need to find a way to score runs in these conditions.”[Bangladesh] are a terrific team in their own conditions, their spinners bowled really well, and they still found a way to find the extra runs and that’s something we can definitely get better at doing. Whether they came a little harder at the front and that is something we maybe needed to do earlier.”Wade was confident the less experienced batters among the group would not carry baggage away from this tour and laid the blame for the run-scoring woes to the more senior figures.”I do not blame the young players one bit,” he said. “Myself, Moises [Henriques], Dan Christian, we are all experienced players and we needed to do better. Those [younger] guys got the opportunity to experience these conditions and if they take it as a learning opportunity to become better players, as we all should, then at least we’ve learnt something.”I’ve played a lot of cricket and they are certainly the most challenging T20 international pitches I’ve ever played on. What they’ve seen out here will be very valuable going forward but it’s on the senior batting group, we needed to get more runs. If the batters can go back and find a way to get those extra runs in challenging conditions that will hold us in good stead.”The final lead-in to the World Cup for Australia remains to be confirmed with talk of a potential series against Afghanistan and West Indies in Sri Lanka which would overlap with the resumption of the IPL. Wade said he expected all the players who opted out of this tour due to bubble fatigue to be available for selection. Steven Smith was kept out with an elbow injury and how someone of his skill was missed in Bangladesh.

Adverse weather in northern England cast a shadow over the Premier League clash between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield this Sunday.

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Heavy snowfall in Liverpool areaOfficials kept close eye on Met Office updatesGame to go aheadFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

There has been heavy snowfall in the Liverpool area over the last 24 hours, though it is expected to clear prior to Sunday's slated 4:30pm kick-off. However, the potential for lingering hazardous conditions, particularly around the stadium and its surrounding areas, could jeopardise the game. The safety of players, staff and supporters remains paramount, and any deterioration in conditions was in danger of forcing a decision to postpone.

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However, authorities have decided the game can be played as planned following meetings on Sunday morning.

DID YOU KNOW?

The pitch at Anfield is believed to be in top condition and ready to play, but it is the safety of supporters heading to and from Anfield was the main factor used to determine whether the match would go ahead.

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If the fixture had been called off, finding a new date to reschedule the game would have presented logistical difficulties. Liverpool’s already congested schedule, compounded by the previous postponement of the Merseyside Derby against Everton due to Storm Darragh, left few available weekends. The derby is tentatively set for either gameweek 24 or 25 in early February, but Liverpool's potential progression in the Carabao Cup and other tournaments may narrow the options further.