Arne Slot moved to calm nerves after Alexis Mac Allister was withdrawn late against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday. The substitution looked worrying at the time, but Slot offered reassurance when asked about the midfielder’s condition: “I think so, yes.”

The match also marked the return of Florian Wirtz from injury, a timely addition to Liverpool’s squad, although the team did not ultimately require his influence to control the game. At the base of midfield, Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch provided solidity and composure, while Mohamed Salah and Curtis Jones delivered productive displays further forward.

Teenage winger Rio Ngumoha emerged as the standout performer. He “stole the show and was unfortunate not to join his teammates on the score sheet,” drawing praise and attention for his display. That performance intensified debate around the player who has been limiting his opportunities this season, Cody Gakpo.

Gakpo started in an unfamiliar role as a central striker and struggled to look comfortable. The draft of his performance underlined a wider issue: those difficulties can also be said for many of his appearances as a left winger this season. The continued rise of attacking options complicates selection decisions for Slot.

Wirtz’s introduction from the bench adds further options to an already crowded midfield. Slot now has an abundance of confident, in-form players to call on as Liverpool prepare for a demanding trip to Türkiye to face Galatasaray in midweek. If Liverpool’s attack-minded stars continue to build form, selection pressures will increase and Slot’s choices may be tested.

For now, the immediate concern over Mac Allister appears to have been eased. The match offered evidence of the squad’s depth and posed fresh selection questions as Liverpool look ahead to their midweek fixture and the remainder of the season.

The relegation battle in the 2025/26 Premier League tightened significantly after Tottenham Hotspur’s 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace. Positive results for West Ham United (a 1-0 win over Fulham) and Nottingham Forest (a 2-2 draw at Manchester City) left both clubs level on 28 points and intensified the fight at the bottom.

Leeds United remain precarious. Daniel Farke’s side sit 15th, just three points clear of the current relegation group, making this a contest that could shift quickly.

Opta’s supercomputer produces the following projection for the bottom six:

– Leeds: current 31 points, expected 42.09, relegation chance 8.09%
– Tottenham: current 29 points, expected 40.04, relegation chance 16.10%
– Nottingham Forest: current 28 points, expected 39.08, relegation chance 26.88%
– West Ham: current 28 points, expected 37.49, relegation chance 49.53%
– Burnley: current 19 points, expected 27.07, relegation chance 99.36%
– Wolves: current 16 points, expected 24.62, relegation chance 99.92%

Wolverhampton Wanderers have improved form after a draw with Arsenal and successive wins over Aston Villa and Liverpool, but the supercomputer underlines that their season was effectively over months ago, with the club not recording a victory until the 20th game. Burnley sit 10 points adrift; Opta’s model projects only eight more points for the Clarets and expects their return to the Championship to be confirmed well before the final day.

The model largely maintains the current ordering and gives West Ham the highest chance of relegation among the quartet fighting to avoid the drop into the second tier. Forest are forecast to finish two points clear of the relegation places, with Tottenham projected to reach 40.04 points and stand as the final side to reach the 40-point threshold. Opta assigns a 16.10% chance of relegation to Igor Tudor’s side, a near doubling of their previous prediction before Thursday’s defeat. The fixture between Tottenham and Forest on March 22 now carries clear significance for both clubs.

Refereeing standards and VAR scrutiny have tightened discipline in the 2025/26 Premier League, and that has translated into more suspensions across the campaign.

Cristian Romero has been one of the most frequently penalised this season. The aggressive Argentine has collected eight yellow cards in the competition and received his second red card in Tottenham Hotspur’s defeat at Manchester United. As a consequence of his nasty lunge on Casemiro, he was suspended for four matches. (Return Date: March 15, 2026)

With the season now past its halfway point, the league rule on accumulations comes into play. Players who reach 10 Premier League yellow cards up to and including Gameweek 32 will be issued a two-match suspension. No player has reached that 10-card threshold yet, but several are close.

Four players are currently on nine yellow cards, one away from the two-match ban. Three of those play for Wolverhampton Wanderers: João Gomes, André and Yerson Mosquera. The fourth is Brighton & Hove Albion captain Lewis Dunk.

A wider group sit on eight yellow cards and will need careful management over the coming weeks. Moisés Caicedo is walking a tightrope on eight yellow cards, as are Kyle Walker, Álex Jiménez, Marcos Senesi, Enzo Fernández, Bernardo Silva, Joelinton and Cristian Romero.

Clubs and managers will monitor these tallies closely as fixtures approach and suspensions carry potential impact on selection and squad planning. The combination of stricter in-game officiating and VAR intervention means players and coaching staffs must account for disciplinary risk when plotting the run-in to the end of the season.