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Anfield awash with emotion as Klopp says farewell

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Anfield awash with emotion as Klopp says farewell

Jurgen Klopp punctuated his opening-day mission statement as Liverpool manager by insisting it is not important what people think about you when you arrive, the true measure of achievement is what they think about you when you leave.

As a beaming Klopp disappeared down the tunnel for the final time as Liverpool manager in front of packed stands at 6.46pm on a glorious Merseyside Sunday night, the German was in no doubt about Anfield’s feelings.

Klopp, clad in a red T-shirt with ‘I’ll Never Walk Alone Again’ on the rear and ‘Thank You Luv’ – the phrase he closely associates with the city of Liverpool – on the front, was accompanied by roars of appreciation, smiles and plenty of tears.

It was the finale of a nine-year thrill ride summed up by a banner stretching across the full length of The Kop before kick-off that provided a neat three-word summary of Klopp’s reign from first day to last.

“Doubters. Believers. Conquerors.”

Liverpool ended a season that brought third place and a Carabao Cup with a 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers that gave Klopp his 299th victory in 491 games. Of 167 league games at Anfield, he lost only 12.

This was a football match that took place around Klopp, not in front of him.

Indeed, until the celebrations and tributes kicked into gear near the final whistle, the normally highly animated, often agitated, manager was a low-key figure.

Klopp did not stalk the technical area, instead sitting alongside his loyal, long-time lieutenant Peter Krawietz, seemingly content to just take in the closing 90 minutes at the place where he has built a legend.

This was the day when Liverpool and their supporters wanted nothing other than to pay homage to Klopp, his crowning achievements being winning the Champions League in 2019 – the club’s sixth win in the competition – then bringing the league title back to Anfield for the first time in 30 years the following year.

From the moment thousands of Liverpool fans basked in the sunshine on Anfield Road hours before kick-off waiting to greet Klopp one last time as he took his seat at the front of the team coach, this was an occasion that went through the full range of emotions he has brought to the club.

As soon as foot was set inside Anfield, the playlist set the tone with All Things Must Pass by George Harrison followed by The Monkees’ I’m A Believer – another reference to Klopp’s “we must turn doubters into believers” message in his opening address.

There was even a somewhat suspect German version of The Beatles’ I Feel Fine, the anthem adopted by Liverpool’s fans as I’m So Glad Jurgen Is A Red.

Klopp looked emotional as Anfield belted out You’ll Never Walk Alone, owner John W Henry flying in from Boston, impassive behind his sunglasses, to take a seat in the directors’ box shortly before kick-off, wanting to deliver his own personal thanks to the man who helped him fulfil the dreams he had for Liverpool.

Three sides of Anfield were transformed by mosaics – ‘Danke’ in the Anfield Road, ‘Jurgen’ stretching the expanse of the Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand, with ‘YNWA’ on The Kop.

Klopp stayed seated, head bowed, clad in a black baseball cap and black T-shirt. The final act of a dramatic sporting story had begun.

In reality, the game was little more than a pleasant backdrop to the Klopp farewell – first-half goals from Alex Mac Allister and Jarell Quansah giving Liverpool a deserved 2-0 win.

And then it was time for the finale all Anfield had been waiting for.

Seconds from the final whistle, Klopp stood up and went along his backroom team one by one, all grabbed in the familiar bearhug.

His only mis-step all afternoon was going slightly too early through a guard of honour formed by Liverpool’s players and officials, but no matter – he did another lap for good measure before approaching a platform of club dignitaries to thunderous roars and applause.

He made his way down a line including Henry, chief executive Billy Hogan, chairman Tom Werner and club legend Sir Kenny Dalglish before receiving a presentation recording the honours he has brought to Anfield.

Klopp delivered a pre-recorded message on giant screens to Borussia Dortmund’s supporters when he left the club, after breaking down in tears when he addressed fans on leaving Mainz.

No such worries this time.

Anfield has no screens but this was no problem for Klopp, who was in boisterous mood as he took the microphone.

He said “I’m so happy. I can’t believe it” before bursting into song as an instrument for passing the Liverpool torch from himself to soon-to-be-annointed successor Arne Slot.

Simply replacing his own name with Slot’s, Klopp told Anfield what they must do when the Dutchman arrives, singing: “Arne Slot, na na na na na” to the tune of Opus’ Live Is Life.

As with all Klopp’s demands, expect them to follow to the letter.

If Slot was watching, he may have felt daunted by the task of replacing a manager and personality plenty believe is irreplaceable but he would have been hugely grateful for such an endorsement from his predecessor, even if it was a musical one.

Preaching to the most converted fanbase in football, Klopp said: “We have you, the superpower of world football. We decide if we are worried or excited. We decide if we believe. We decide if we trust or don’t trust and since today I am one of you and I keep believing in you.”

And then it was time for one final round of Klopp fist pumps in front of The Kop, this time accompanied by his support staff, met with the usual staccato roars.

Anfield demanded one final encore of a scene acted out at the end of so many triumphs. Klopp obliged – six for The Kop and three for the surrounding stands.

“I love you to bits,” shouted Klopp, who delivering an optimistic parting shot as he said: “It doesn’t feel like an end. It just feels like a start. Today I saw a football team full of talent, youth, creativity, desire and greed.”

As Klopp pulled out of Anfield late on Sunday night and left Liverpool behind after his long farewell, the curtain closed on an era.

The murals adorning the sides of houses close to Anfield will remain as reminders of the seismic impact Jurgen Klopp had on Liverpool – but the man who made doubters believers was gone.

Culled from BBC 

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Premier League

HELL IN THE CITY! Guardiola Loses Fourth In A Row After Defeat By Brighton

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HELL IN THE CITY! Guardiola Loses Fourth In A Row After Defeat By Brighton

With just 12 minutes left, Guardiola’s troubled side were clinging onto the lead given to them by Erling Haaland in the first half.

But they collapsed in the closing stages as Joao Pedro equalised before Matt O’Riley bagged Brighton’s winner seven minutes from full-time.

For the first time in his glittering career as a manager with City, Bayern Munich and Barcelona, Guardiola has been beaten four times in a row.

It was also the first time City had lost four successive games since a run between April and August 2006 under Stuart Pearce.

After exiting the League Cup to Tottenham and suffering a first league loss since December at Bournemouth, City were thrashed 4-1 by Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League in midweek.

The slump continued as they failed to kill off Brighton before the second half implosion that threatens to derail their bid for a fifth successive Premier League title.

Second-placed City are two points behind leaders Liverpool, who can extend that gap to five points if they beat Aston Villa at Anfield later on Saturday.

City have been beset by injury problems, most notably the loss of Ballon d’Or winner Rodri for the rest of the season.

Kevin De Bruyne, Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji were only fit enough for the bench, while Ruben Dias, John Stones, Jeremy Doku and Jack Grealish were absent from the squad.

Guardiola had insisted he would solve City’s problems but he has so far been unable to come up with the answer to their mounting crisis.

City had paid for failing to turn their dominance into more than a one-goal lead against Sporting and profligacy was a problem again on the south coast of England.

City in turmoil
Savinho should have put City ahead when Mateo Kovacic’s pass sent him surging into the Albion area, but the Brazilian’s weak finish allowed Bart Verbruggen to save.

Kovacic was the catalyst when City took the lead in the 23rd minute with a goal equal parts inspiration and perspiration.

The Croatia midfielder’s inch-perfect pass split the Brighton defence but Haaland still had work to do as his initial shot was blocked by Verbruggen, leaving the Norwegian in a race with Jan Paul van Hecke to poke the ball in before it could be cleared.

Haaland’s 15th goal in all competitions this season was only the second time he had netted in his last six league appearances.

Haaland’s 75th league goal since joining City in 2022 was almost followed by the 76th moments later, his low drive repelled by Verbruggen at the near post.

Kovacic’s long-range volley forced another good stop from the increasingly over-worked Verbruggen.

But City fatally dropped their intensity just before half time, allowing Fabian Hurzeler’s side to gain a foothold.

Jack Hinshelwood wasted a golden opportunity to haul Brighton level early in the second half as his close-range header from Pervis Estupinan’s cross was palmed away by Ederson.

Ederson raced off his line to save at Kaoru Mitoma’s feet before Pedro scuffed wide with the goal at his mercy.

Pedro made amends for that miss as the Brazilian punished woeful City defending to equalise with 12 minutes left.

Mitoma was given too much space for a pass into Welbeck in the six-yard box.

Rico Lewis’s block-tackle stopped Welbeck shooting but Josko Gvardiol and Matheus Nunes didn’t clear the danger, allowing Pedro to pounce with a close-range strike.

Guardiola slumped into his seat but there was worse to come for the City boss in the 83rd minute.

Pedro slipped his pass through City’s leaky defence and O’Riley timed his run perfectly to clip a composed finish past Ederson from 10 yards to leave the champions in turmoil.

 

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Premier League

Premier League Roundup: Fulham Into Top Six, Wolves Earn First Win, West Ham Struggle Again

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Two goals from Yoane Wissa helped Brentford turn the tables against Bournemouth and earn a thrilling 3-2 win at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Two goals from Yoane Wissa helped Brentford turn the tables against Bournemouth and earn a thrilling 3-2 win at the Gtech Community Stadium.

A dreadful mistake at the back from Sepp van den Berg allowed Evanilson to round Mark Flekken and open the scoring for Andoni Iroala’s Cherries, but they weren’t behind for long as Wissa headed home at the back post.

Bournemouth regained the advantage four minutes into the second half, courtesy of Justin Kluivert, but they had barely caught their breath before Danish midfielder Mikkel Damsgaard drew Thomas Frank’s side level again.

Wissa’s seventh goal of the season eight minutes later turned out to be the winner, hoisting Brentford into the top half of the Premier League table and above their dogged opponents.

Crystal Palace 0-2 Fulham

Fulham’s superb start to the Premier League season continued with a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

Goals from Emile Smith Rowe and substitute Harry Wilson lifts the Cottagers up into the Premier League’s top six and was just reward for another fine performance on the road.

Smith Rowe’s goal came courtesy of an error from new Palace centre-back Maxence Lacroix, but the former Arsenal playmaker still had plenty to do as he fired a left-footed strike past the helpless Dean Henderson.

A second goal for Smith Rowe was chalked off by VAR but substitute Wilson snatched his third goal of the week after climbing off the bench, putting the game to bed for a jubilant Marco Silva.

The home side had Daichi Kamada sent off with just over 15 minutes to go and in truth could have lost by more – Wilson also having a second goal of the afternoon ruled out for offside.

West Ham 0-0 Everton

West Ham United and Everton played out a goalless draw at London Stadium, increasing the pressure on home manager Julen Lopetegui.

The Hammers have been uninspiring for most of the campaign, despite spending a considerable amount of money on new signings, and there wasn’t much to shout about once more as they struggled to create clear-cut openings against the Toffees.

Jordan Pickford did make a terrific save from West Ham substitute Danny Ings in stoppage time, preserving a point for the visitors, but Everton were largely the better side in a game that failed to inspire.

Indeed, Everton’s profligacy in front of goal was their undoing, leaving both teams to wonder what might have been as the international break approaches.

Wolves 2-0 Southampton

Wolverhampton Wanderers picked up their first Premier League win of the season with a vital 2-0 win over fellow strugglers Southampton.

Gary O’Neil’s side were glued to the bottom of the table as the day got underway having failed to win in their opening 10 games of the campaign.

But any Molineux nerves were quickly settled by Pablo Sarabia’s early goal – the Spaniard rounding Aaron Ramsdale in Southampton’s goal to give Wolves the lead with less than two minutes on the clock.

Matheus Cunha’s brilliant goal took the wind out of Southampton’s sails early in the second half, sealing a crucial victory for Wolves while transferring the pressure onto opposition manager Russell Martin – his Saints side now prop up the table after suffering their ninth defeat in 11 games.

 

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Erling Haaland Smashes Alan Shearer’s 29-Year Premier League Record 

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Erling Haaland Smashes Alan Shearer’s 29-Year Premier League Record 

Haaland, who had scored just once in his last five Premier League matches, got on the scoresheet in the 23rd minute to put Manchester City 1-0 up over Brighton.

Haaland opened the scoring for Manchester City against Brighton

In doing so, the Norwegian scored his 75th Premier League goal in just 77 games.

What made Haaland’s feat even more remarkable is the fact he reached the 75-goal mark in 16 games fewer than what previous record holder Alan Shearer managed.

The Premier League’s all-time leading goalscorer racked up his 75th goal in March 1995 thanks to a double in Blackburn’s 3-1 home win over Arsenal.

Records have tumbled ever since Haaland completed his £51.1million move from Borussia Dortmund to City in June 2022.

In his debut Premier League campaign, Haaland’s 36 goals set the bar for the most scored in an English top-flight season as he surpassed Andy Cole and Alan Shearer’s tally of 34.

The record for most goals in a single season across all competitions by a Premier League player also belongs to Haaland, with his 52 strikes in 2022/23 comfortably ahead of Mohamed Salah and Ruud van Nistelrooy, who scored 44 times in the 2017/18 and 2002/03 terms respectively.

Haaland was also the quickest in Premier League history to reach the half-ton, doing so in only 48 games.

He got to the 50-goal mark in 17 games fewer than previous record holder Andy Cole.

Haaland’s blistering start to the 2024/25 Premier League season also meant he set the new record for most goals scored inside three, four and five games.

The Norwegian marksman had seven goals from the opening three fixtures, which then become nine from four and then 10 from five.

 

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