Wolverhampton Wanderers have now registered their interest in signing Real Madrid forward Gonzalo Garcia on loan in the January transfer window, alongside a whole host of rival Premier League clubs.
Fosun would’ve been hoping Rob Edwards could breathe new life into a Wolves side that have massively disappointed so far this season, but the manager was on the receiving end of a defeat in his first match in charge, with Crystal Palace emerging as 2-0 winners at Molineux on Saturday.
Edwards’ side actually looked better from an attacking point of view, recording an xG of 1.79, compared to 1.27 from the Eagles, but they were unable to take their chances, with both Jhon Arias and Ladislav Krejci squandering big opportunities.
Things are looking bleak for the Old Gold, who are still searching for their first win of the Premier League season, and now sit nine points from safety, given that they have the worst attacking and defensive records in the top flight, scoring seven and conceding 27.
As such, if the Wanderers are to stand any chance of avoiding the drop, they may need to make major improvements at both ends of the pitch in the upcoming transfer window, and they have now made an approach for a new centre-forward.
Wolves make approach to sign Gonzalo Garcia on loan
According to journalist Pete O’Rourke, in a report for Football Insider, Wolves are one of a number of clubs in the race for Real Madrid forward Garcia this January, although it remains to be seen whether they will be willing to sanction a departure.
The Spanish side are concerned about a lack of attacking depth, which means they may not be willing to let the 21-year-old leave, despite several English sides queuing up to get a deal done, with O’Rourke saying: “If Real Madrid are willing to loan him out, I’m sure it’s more than just Leeds will be interested in him. I believe Brighton, Villa and Wolves have all registered interest.
“A lot will depend on Real Madrid. If there’s any injuries to their forwards then it might mean there’s no chance that Garcia goes out and loan.”
Hailed as a “goal machine” in the media, the youngster clearly has a lot of potential, having starred for Madrid at the Club World Cup in the summer, bagging four goals and an assist in six outings out in the USA.
Wolves are in dire need of a fresh injection of quality in attack, having failed to score in four out of their last five Premier League games, with Jorgen Strand Larsen failing to impress, finding the back of the net just once in 10 top-flight outings.
As such, a move for Garcia would make sense, but it will be strange if the Real Madrid ace is willing to move to a club in huge danger of relegation, given that there is likely to be plenty of other options on the table.
Wolves prioritising move for ex-Man City target as Edwards' first signing Wolves now prioritising move for ex-Man City target as Edwards' first signing
The Midlands side are ready to back their new manager.
Lancashire have said they are investigating the incident at Old Trafford
ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jul-2025Lancashire have said they are investigating after an incident in which a fan attending the fourth Test between England and India at Old Trafford was asked to cover up the Pakistan shirt they were wearing.The fan, named in Pakistani media as Farooq Nazar, posted a video on social media documenting the request, initially from a member of the security staff at the ground, that he cover the shirt, a replica of Pakistan’s traditional green limited-overs kit.The security guard, who identifies himself as working for Lancashire, says: “I’ve been asked by control if you can cover that shirt up, please.” Later on, a steward can be heard saying the shirt “might be considered nationalistic”.Related
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In the video, Nazar can be seen becoming increasingly agitated amid repeated requests to cover up. Eventually, he is approached by a police officer, who asks to continue the conversation away from the stands. According to reports, Nazar then opted to leave the ground rather than hide his shirt.Political relations between India and Pakistan, frosty for years, have been at their most tense this year, following a brief military skirmish between the two countries in May. Those tensions have filtered into relations between the BCCI and PCB; the two sides have not played a bilateral series since 2012-13 and no Test cricket since 2007-08. Their participation in ICC events hosted by either country has also recently become problematic, with a neutral venue added in to stage their games as part of a hybrid solution to the issue.It is unclear on which day of the Test, which ended in a draw as India batted their way through five sessions, the incident took place but Lancashire confirmed they were looking into it.”We are aware of the incident referenced and are taking steps to understand the facts and context surrounding the matter fully,” a Lancashire spokesperson said.In recent years, Lancashire have openly spoken of building their links with India. The Hundred team based at the ground, Manchester Originals, are set to become 70% owned by Sanjiv Goenka’s RPSG group, which runs Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL, while Lancashire’s chief executive, Daniel Gidney, has suggested giving the BCCI a stake in the 100-ball tournament.
We are still several months away from the World Cup taking place in America in 2026 and while the play-offs to finalise the final few places at next year’s tournament are yet to take place, we now know who England will be facing.
Thomas Tuchel was brought into the Three Lions setup by the FA with one goal. To win the next World Cup.
Well, he can now begin to plot out the route it will take to make the final and potentially lift football’s biggest prize.
Can England end over 60 years of hurt? Time well. Here’s who they’re set to face in the USA next summer and how the rest of the draw played out.
Who are England facing and when?
England were drawn in group L, the final group. They were drawn against Croatia, the nation that beat them in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup and Panama, a side they also faced back in 2018, demolishing them 6-1 in the group stages. Rounding off that group is Ghana who were one of the last balls to come out in the draw.
England’s World Cup group
Opponent
Date
1. Croatia
Wednesday 17th June
2. Ghana
Tuesday 23rd June
3. Panama
Saturday 27th June
What is the rest of the draw?
The first match of the tournament sees joint hosts Mexico take on South Africa, a repeat of the first game of the 2010 World Cup. They will also face Korea Republic and await the winner of a play-off to determine their other match.
Fellow hosts Canada take on Qatar and Switzerland while awaiting another play-off winner while USA face Paraguay, Australia and a play-off winner.
We all love a group of death and next year’s looks as though it could well be Group I which sees France, Senegal, Norway and a play-off winner compete for a place in the knock-out stages.
England's route to the final
Providing England win their group, then they will face a team that finished third in the group stages in the last 32 of the 2026 World Cup.
Awaiting them in the last 16 could be host nation Mexico, before a possible quarter-final awaits against Brazil. In the semi-finals it’s likely they would have to face France. Talk about a tough route.
In the final, it could be a repeat of the showpiece event from the last European Championships, where either Spain or Argentina could await if everything goes according to the script.
Could Messi and Ronaldo face each other?
Well, Messi’s Argentina are set to face Algeria, Austria and Jordan in group J and if they finish top, then their likely route to the final would see them face Saudi Arabia or Uruguay in the last 32.
A tie against the USA or Egypt could await in the last 16. Portugal or Colombia are expected to be their quarter-final opponents before they could face one of Brazil, the Netherlands or Tuchel’s Three Lions in the semi-finals.
As for Ronaldo, his final chance of winning a World Cup will see him face Uzbekistan, Colombia and a play-off winner in the group stages before potential matches against Croatia or England in the last 16 and France or Messi’s Argentina in the quarter-finals await.
A turning point, or another false dawn at Liverpool?
The relief was palpable when Cody Gakpo swept home at the London Stadium on Sunday, confirming in the late stages Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over West Ham United, arresting a landslide in form that had seen nine defeats dished out across 12 matches in all competitions.
Arne Slot is still a man under pressure, and no mistake. But it’s important to remember the Dutchman has FSG’s backing at this stage. That could change, however, if the Reds sink back into negative habits over the coming weeks, and that win over the Hammers stands as a lonely winter outlier.
The latest on Arne Slot's future at Liverpool
Slot definitely has credit in the bank after his incredible Premier League triumph last season, taking Jurgen Klopp’s squad and fashioning them into champions once again.
However, the owners’ leniency will only stretch so far, and forthcoming Premier League fixtures against Sunderland (H) and Leeds United (A) feel significant. Liverpool won at West Ham, but they must prove that they have stopped the rot.
And if this doesn’t prove the case, Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has been earmarked as the perfect successor.
As per Spanish reports, the 43-year-old Spaniard is very much on FSG’s radar, and, moreover, he would consider an approach from the English champions.
Rayo Vallecano coachAndoniIraola
Bournemouth would require compensation for Iraola’s departure, but if push does come to shove, he might be the perfect option for Richard Hughes, formerly sporting director at the Vitality Stadium, to lure to Anfield.
Why Liverpool are considering Andoni Iraola
Iraola’s Bournemouth system is built on high-energy, aggressive principles. These are key tenets of his philosophy.
This bespeaks his players’ elite physicality, and that is a product of his schooling.
This young manager is the real deal, and if Liverpool were to complete his signing, they would land themselves the next version of Mikel Arteta, who is working wonders with Arsenal in north London.
Praised as “the best coach in the Premier League” by journalist James Horncastle, Iraola might not have the same calibre of players as teams like Arsenal and Liverpool, but he’s whipped his Cherries into shape, alright, creating a front-footed and aggressive outfit that rival the Gunners for actions in the offensive third.
Man City
9095
2463
Liverpool
9001
2410
Arsenal
8384
2348
Bournemouth
7977
2191
Nott’m Forest
7927
2127
Indeed, Iraola may hail from the same Basque region as Arteta, but there is also a likeness in regard to the managers’ respective tactical visions and the way they tackle obstacles in the Premier League.
There’s also Iraola’s ability to craft a special, close-knit feeling at his club, something Arteta has masterfully achieved at the Emirates, so miserable were Arsenal at the end of Unai Emery’s tenure.
Liverpool are already known admirers of Bournemouth talisman Antoine Semenyo, and Milos Kerkez was purchased from the south coast side this summer.
Whether the Redmen manage to string together a run of consistency under Slot’s wing remains to be seen. Fans will reserve judgement until the win over West Ham is followed by a series of wins that propel the Merseysiders back into something resembling the ascendancy.
But Iraola could be the perfect fallback, if things don’t improve. He is young and hungry, and the tactical similarities with his Basque peer Arteta suggest he could be the long-term solution at Liverpool, a club looking to cement their position at the very top.
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NEW YORK — Carlos Correa is not the first person in history to suggest shortening up with two strikes, but a week after he discussed his approach in a hitters’ meeting, his new—and old—teammates are still marveling at his turn of phrase.
In those counts, he told them, “I’ve lost the right to slug.”
So they were utterly unsurprised that in his seventh game back with the first-place Houston Astros, his first against the rival New York Yankees, as fans booed and the game hung in the balance, Correa lined a 10th-inning, 1–2 single to center to drive in the go-ahead run.
“He walks his talk,” says center fielder Taylor Trammell. “He’s a winner.”
The Astros did indeed win that game, as Correa knew they would, even as a 2–0 lead evaporated and he strode to the plate to lead off the 10th against Devin Williams, who was the best closer in the game before struggling mightily this year. Extra innings, two strikes, a man in scoring position as 46,027 people jeer their hearts out for you?
“I love it,” Correa says. “I live for it.”
He doesn’t quite prefer hitting with two strikes—”I’d rather get a hit on the first pitch,” he says with a grin—but he knows he thrives in those moments, mostly because they don’t frighten him. “Once you have two strikes, I’m never thinking I’m gonna get out,” he says. “I’m always thinking of positive outcomes. So I think that’s half the battle. And then, you know, you gotta be mechanically clean, and you gotta feel good at the plate and have a good approach, but the mental is the most important thing.”
Nearly four years after they let Correa sign with the Minnesota Twins in free agency for what eventually became seven years and $235 million, it was that attitude the Astros wanted back.
“One of the big things with Carlos is his leadership,” says general manager Dana Brown, who nabbed Correa, 30, at the July 31 trade deadline for a pitching prospect and the promise to pay $70 million of the $103 million Correa is due over the next two and a half seasons. “That’s probably the biggest thing with him for us. We knew in acquiring him that we were getting more than just a really good player. [He’s] a leader in the clubhouse, and a guy who's won before. He’s a winner.”
Correa is batting .405 with two homers through nine games back with the Astros. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Most of the core that made seven straight American League Championship Series, advanced to four World Series and won two of them had gone: third baseman Alex Bregman to Boston, Correa to Minnesota, center fielder George Springer to Toronto, right fielder Kyle Tucker to Chicago. Until a week ago, second baseman José Altuve was the only player from the 2017 title team still on the active roster. (Lance McCullers Jr., who has missed much of that stretch battling a litany of injuries, is currently dealing with a blister.) Brown acknowledges that those players took some of their fire with them.
“That’s one thing that this team could use, with losing Bregman,” he says. “That was big. And now filling a big leadership void with a familiar face in Carlos—that’s a beautiful thing.”
Correa understands what it takes to be an Astro—the relentlessness at the plate and precision on defense but also the mental fortitude required to play your entire career as a villain. Even this weekend, nearly six years after details of the banned sign-stealing enterprise Houston used in 2017 came to light, Yankees fans still hollered about cheaters. (Amusingly, Yankees fans boo Altuve more than any other player in the sport, even though everyone involved agrees Altuve did not approve of or take part in the scheme. Regardless, it might be time to try another approach: Altuve has an .870 OPS here since the crowd started jeering him regularly in 2021, compared to a .780 OPS before that. “If I’m a fan, I would try to make it feel like spring training here,” Correa suggests.) Correa sounds almost disappointed when he muses that some of the hatred seems to have died down. The energy fuels him.
Brown was still the Atlanta scouting director the last time Correa wore orange, but when manager Joe Espada and bench coach Omar López heard Correa might be available, they lobbied Brown hard. Everyone knew Correa was a good player—in his first stint with Houston, he seemed to be on a Hall of Fame track before injuries derailed some of his time in Minneapolis—and a vocal leader, but it was his attitude Espada and López kept highlighting. For all his talent, Correa also possesses a grinder’s mentality that keeps his teammates engaged.
“With two strikes, he’s not afraid to shorten it up,” says Brown. “He's not afraid to foul a few balls off, run up the pitch count. We needed that, because guys were swinging early in the count. And I think he’s kind of revived us in that way where he shows that type of leadership even in the batter’s box.”
His new teammates noticed that intensity immediately. In part because of his familiarity with the organization and in part because of his personality, Correa strode into the clubhouse on his first day back ready to be the guy. (Well, he made one call first. “I needed to get the green light from the boss first,” he says, referring to Altuve, one of his longtime best friends. “He said, ‘Whatever you want to do here, do it.’”) That same day, utilityman Cooper Hummel tried to introduce himself and shake his new teammate’s hand. Correa pulled him in for a hug instead.
He speaks up in hitters’ meetings and to the coaching staff. On his first flight back with the team, from Boston to Miami, Correa sat next to Espada and offered a few ideas. “Just having everybody on the same page, like we did from 2015 to 2021,” Correa says vaguely. He grins sheepishly and apologizes. “I know that’s not much.”
Whatever he said, he put it into practice himself. “He knows how to get the most out of himself,” says first baseman Christian Walker, who signed in Houston this year. “He leaves no stone unturned. I mean, his warm-up routine is two hours long, it feels like.” Trammell and Hummel study the way Correa pores over scouting reports and fine-tunes his approach.
He played shortstop for every one of his defensive innings until this month, but because the Astros already employ Jeremy Peña there, Correa happily volunteered to move to third, officials say. Brown smiles every time the pitching coach or catcher heads out for a mound visit and Correa trots out to join them and add a tip or just some encouragement. He pulls teammates aside to praise them for small moments—a walk in a tight game, a single after a defender repositioned himself—that he knows win ballgames even if they do not make the highlight reel. “He’s tuned into everybody and how they can help the team,” says Trammell.
By all accounts, Correa loved his time in Minnesota. He has told friends he plans to keep his home there. He told Twins leadership he would not waive his no-trade clause to play anywhere but back home in Houston. Teammates raved about his leadership and dedication there, just as they do with the Astros. But his tenure there was disappointing, perhaps in part because he missed the bright lights. His Twins made the postseason only once in three full seasons. Correa hit .409 with three doubles in those six games, but Minnesota fell in four games in the ALDS—to the Astros. He had a .704 OPS and was worth 0.1 WAR in 93 games for the for the moribund Twins this year. In seven games with Houston so far, his OPS is 1.006 and he’s been worth 0.4 WAR.
“He got, like, a shot in the arm coming back,” says outfielder Chas McCormick, who overlapped with Correa in 2021. “He looks fresh. He looks excited. It’s really nice to watch him, you know, play like he can. He loves playing in the spotlight.”
Correa is back on a winning team, and so far, he is back to winning.
Australian slams 25-ball half-century after Linsey Smith, Lucy Higham tie down Phoenix
ECB Media15-Aug-2025Northern Superchargers soared to the top of the women’s Hundred table with a commanding victory over Birmingham Phoenix at a sun-drenched Headingley.A third win in four matches for Hollie Armitage’s team was built around a miserly performance from their slow bowlers, Lucy Higham and Linsey Smith, who each picked up two wickets to stem the Phoenix’s flow.Their intervention was perfectly timed, after the visitors had begun brightly. On 44 for 1 from 30 balls with Emma Lamb and Marie Kelly going well, Phoenix lost five wickets in 20 deliveries, with captain Ellyse Perry’s unfortunate run out – Annabel Sutherland diverting a straight drive from Kelly onto the stumps at the non-striker’s end – summing up the Phoenix’s misfortune.From 59-6, Em Arlott and Sterre Kalis rebuilt the innings impressively, putting on an unbeaten 57, the highest stand for the seventh wicket in the history of the Hundred’s women’s competition.On a beautiful batting track, it nonetheless felt under par. The Superchargers openers, Davina Perrin and Alice Davidson-Richards, were both dropped early on – Perrin before she had scored when Hannah Baker palmed a pull shot over the rope for six – and their stand of 27 ensured that the home side were always ahead of the game.Australian superstar Phoebe Litchfield, having started this year’s tournament quietly, roared back into form with a stunning assault against Baker in particular, drilling the spinner for a trio of consecutive boundaries to settle any concerns in the home dugout.With her compatriot Sutherland at the other end, the pair cruised to the finish line with only one alarm when Litchfield, on 48, was dropped at deep extra-cover by Baker. Litchfield brought up her second half-century in the competition from just 25 balls, as Superchargers’ overseas stars wrapped things up with a whopping 26 balls to spare.Litchfield was named the Meerkat Match Hero: “That was good fun out there. Every time we play here at Headingley we know it’ll be a good pitch and you saw that even when Davina and ADR came out, and then especially Bellesey [Sutherland] at the end there.”Litchfield was also full of praise for Superchargers’ spinners, Smith and Higham. “They hit their lengths and kept the stumps in play and forced the Birmingham batters to try something else, and we backed them up in the field. Our two little spinners have done wonders for us for a few years now and they showed it again today.”We’ve had this group together for three years now, it hasn’t changed much, and the vibes are good. We had a pretty average game last time out, but we tried to park that and came out with a positive mindset.”
India A were in trouble against a fired-up SA A attack on a green seamer before Jurel’s lower-order rearguard steadied the innings
Shashank Kishore06-Nov-2025Dhruv Jurel’s recent form has been hard to ignore. Scores of 124, 44, and 6* against West Indies showcased his consistency and growing maturity as a batter. With Rishabh Pant’s return to the Test fold imminent, Jurel is now making a strong case to be considered purely as a specialist batter.That scenario might soon become reality if India decide to strengthen their middle order with a specialist No. 6 instead of an allrounder. The tussle for that spot could well come down to a battle between Jurel and Nitish Reddy.On Thursday, with India A in deep trouble against a fired-up South Africa A attack on a green seamer at BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, Jurel’s lower-order rearguard not only steadied the innings but also helped steer them to respectability. En route, he brought up his fourth first-class century – remarkably, three of those have come since June.Only a couple of months ago, he compiled a brilliant hundred against Australia A in Lucknow on a turner. This one in seaming conditions was equally masterful in the way he helped steady a floundering innings. From 124 for 7, he helped add 131 for the last three wickets as India A ended 255 all out at stumps. Jurel was 132 not out, an innings that comprised 12 fours and four sixes.Jurel’s other competitor for a middle order berth in India A’s XI on Thursday, Devdutt Padikkal, managed just 5 – his third-straight single-digit score. Padikkal, like Jurel, had impressed against Australia A and in the Ranji Trophy, but may have slipped behind in the race for a recall after having most recently played for India last November in Perth.Rishabh Pant bowls during tea break•PTI The morning began with Abhimanyu Easwaran bagging a three-ball duck – missing out yet again for India A, after he played down the wrong line to a nip-backer from Okhule Cele that trapped him plumb in front. KL Rahul, his opening partner, tucked himself to three boundaries in a single over – a cover drive, glide over the slips and neat leg glance – but fell chasing an away-going delivery that he tried to drive on the up off left-arm seamer Tiaan van Vuuren.B Sai Sudharsan looked tentative once again. On nought for 12 deliveries, he was finally off the mark when he laced a half-volley through the covers to pick up a boundary. Troubled by the moving ball, Sai Sudharsan stood well outside the crease and then tried to advance further down to negate the late movement – something that often got him into trouble.He was eventually felled by Subrayen, the offspinner, when he played for the skid, only to see the ball rip away to beat the outside edge and hit his back pad. Sudharsan made a 52-ball 17 to go with scores of 32 and 12 in the first four-day fixture last week.Coming off a 90, Pant seemed intent on taking the attack to the bowlers from the get-go. He charged out of the crease off his very first delivery, and hit Subrayen for a slog-sweep and lofted hit off consecutive balls – the highlights in his 20-ball 24 – before he was out looking to clear the infield.Van Vuuren challenged batters both off the inside and outside edges by getting the ball to move late and then seam off the surface, one such delivery accounting for Harsh Dubey as he was early into the flick only for the ball to bobble off the back part of the bat onto the body, and eventually the stumps.Kuldeep Yadav suffered an early concussion scare on 2 when the wicketkeeper ran into him and had him land awkwardly on the floor with his helmet bouncing up. After a few uncomfortable moments, he regained composure and battled his way against some quality seam bowling. Reprieved on 7 by Zubayr Hamza in the slips just before tea, Kuldeep helped add 79 for the eighth-wicket with Jurel, who was solid, showed patience and didn’t play a rash shot at any stage as he brought up a 62-ball half-century.Jurel was equally adept both off the front and back foot against the moving ball, cutting and driving imperiously. The secret to his knock lay in playing late and getting a big forward stride off the seamers to cover for any late movement. After initially playing with his bat close to the body, and keen on crease occupation, Jurel seamlessly switched gears to put away the bad balls, eventually bringing up his century off 146 deliveries to single-handedly bail India A out on a bowling day.
The San Francisco Giants are hiring Tennessee Volunteers baseball coach Tony Vitello as the franchise's new manager, according to a report from ESPN's Jeff Passan and Pete Thamel.
The 47-year-old Vitello is making history, as he is becoming the first coach to ever jump from the college level to MLB as a manager without any professional coaching experience.
The Giants confirmed the hire on Wednesday afternoon.
"We're thrilled to welcome Tony to the Giants family," Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey said. "Tony is one of the brightest, most innovative, and most respected coaches in college baseball today. Throughout our search, Tony's leadership, competitiveness, and commitment to developing players stood out. His ability to build strong, cohesive teams and his passion for the game align perfectly with the values of our organization. We look forward to the energy and direction he will bring, along with the memories to be made, as we focus on the future of Giants baseball."
It's an outside-the-box hire for Buster Posey and the Giants, who in hiring Vitello are getting an elite college baseball coach. Vitello's teams at Tennessee have made five NCAA regionals, four super regionals, and three College World Series appearances. The program finally broke through in 2024 when they captured the national championship over Texas A&M.
Vitello will finish his career at Tennessee with a 341-131 record in seven seasons.
He will replace veteran MLB manager Bob Melvin, who was fired last month after two seasons.
On Thursday night the Twins played their first game at Target Field since the Pohlad family announced they would not be selling the team. Minnesota proceded to go out and lose to the Tigers in extra innings with manager Rocco Baldelli getting ejected following a colorful argument about whether or not a foul tip was caught or not.
The emotions from the loss, coupled with the recent news about the team's ownership situation, had the words "sell the team" fresh on everyone's mind and that became especially apparent during the team's postgame show where fans could be heard loudly chanting the request.
The Twins entered the season with a mid-range payroll, well above teams like the Marlins and Athletics, but far behind real contenders who are spending about twice as much each season in an attempt to put a competitive team on the field.
Two years removed from their last postseason appearance, Minnesota is currently 57-64, seven games out of the wild card.
Arne Slot heaped praise on the Liverpool fans at Anfield after some were spotted leaving early during their Carabao Cup defeat to Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
The under-fire Dutchman does not believe Liverpool’s sixth loss in seven matches has increased the pressure on his team ahead of this weekend’s clash with Aston Villa. The Premier League champions won seven straight matches in all competitions as they bounced back from their shoot-out loss to Crystal Palace in the Community Shield.
But that run came to a halt with a late defeat to the Eagles at Selhurst Park a month ago, sending the Reds into a spiral that they have yet to climb out of.
Palace got the better of Liverpool for the third time this season in Wednesday’s 3-0 Carabao Cup fourth round win at Anfield as Slot’s decision to leave out stars and make 10 changes backfired.
Joe Gomez, Wataru Endo and Alexis Mac Allister were the first-team players deployed in a team of mostly youngsters, but the senior stars were some of Liverpool’s lowest rated players against Palace.
Liverpool player ratings v Crystal Palace: Slot's first-team stars worse than youngsters
It was an evening to forget for a young Liverpool side.
ByTom Cunningham Oct 29, 2025
Fans were spotted leaving the stadium as early as the 70th minute, but the Dutchman said he had no regrets and brushed aside the suggestion it had increased the pressure heading into Saturday’s return to Premier League action at home to Villa, with Man City and Real Madrid also to come in the next ten days.
“I don’t think it’s possible if you lose five out of six that there’s now after six out of seven even more pressure,” Slot said.
“If you’re on a run of results like this, if you play for Liverpool, if you manage Liverpool, you know the pressure is there and I don’t think it has changed much after this loss.
“But if it did then maybe the most positive thing about tonight was that the position we were in, 2-0 down and we weren’t really pushing for a goal because we weren’t able to, the fans were behind the team, were supporting us.
“That gives me the feeling that Saturday when our players will show how much it means to them, our fans will be incredibly supportive for us Saturday.
“But, again, we face a team that has rested in the week to play us, and that’s Villa.”
Liverpool could be boosted by the return of midfielder Ryan Gravenberch against Villa following an ankle issue, but British record signing Alexander Isak remains a doubt with to a groin complaint.
Slot's treatment of Liverpool star is a "sackable offence"