Liverpool
Van Dijk: Liverpool “gave up” in 4–0 FA Cup loss and must rebuild togetherness
Van Dijk admitted Liverpool ‘gave up’ in 4–0 FA Cup loss to City and warned of fragile togetherness.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk delivered a stark assessment after Saturday’s 4–0 FA Cup quarterfinal defeat to Manchester City, saying his side effectively “gave up” as the contest slipped away.
The Reds had a halftime window to regroup but conceded twice more before the hour mark. Dominik Szoboszlai said he and his teammates had lacked a “fighting spirit” and suitable mentality. Van Dijk was more direct in the mixed zone: “Obviously, you come with the right intentions out of the dressing room to hopefully score the [goal to make it] 2–1 as soon as possible to change the game. But obviously the opposite happens,” the Dutch center back sighed to assembled reporters in the postmatch mixed zone.
“To come back from 3–0 is obviously very difficult over here. But also, you shouldn’t give up, and maybe at a certain point that’s what happened.” The final 30 minutes passed without consequence as City controlled play. Rayan Cherki was noted for running at the listless red shirts and later sat on City’s substitutes’ bench wearing a Liverpool shirt.
Arne Slot summed the evening in blunt terms: “It was just a game where both teams accepted it was 4–0 .” Van Dijk added: “We let ourselves down, the manager down, but we let our fans down today,” Van Dijk added. “Up until the penalty, maybe not, but the way we especially played the second half, that must hurt for everyone, and it definitely hurts me.”
The captain did not confine his critique to the match. He questioned the current bond within the squad: “I’ve been lucky enough to play for Liverpool for so many years, the main thing that was always the thing was the togetherness,” Van Dijk explained. “And obviously we’re in a little bit of a transition, so we have to find that, but it’s still difficult to then perform each and every three days if we don’t have it [the togetherness] consistently.”
Pep Lijnders was in the opposing dugout on Saturday while filling in for the suspended Pep Guardiola. Van Dijk also invoked past standards, recalling the club’s comeback against Barcelona and Mohamed Salah’s message of “Never give up.” Looking ahead to the Champions League quarterfinal first leg, he warned: “PSG is waiting for us,” and added, “I watched them yesterday a little bit, and they will be so tough again.”
Liverpool
Klopp Included in Manchester City’s Artwork Marking Guardiola’s Ten Years
Manchester City included Jurgen Klopp in a commemorative poster for Pep Guardiola’s ten-year spells.
Manchester City elected to place Jürgen Klopp within a large poster celebrating Pep Guardiola’s decade at the club. The image, shared on X prior to kickoff, was presented as a detailed montage of Guardiola and the players who defined this period, with the club inviting supporters to “pinch and zoom to catch every detail.”
The artwork contains portraits of Guardiola and many City figures from the last ten years, including Vincent Kompany, Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden, Erling Haaland, Fernandinho and Rodri. The only person shown who is not connected to the Sky Blues was Klopp.
Klopp’s Liverpool teams were the most obvious challengers to City during the period covered. The 2018–19 title race saw City complete 14 straight wins to finish on 98 points while Liverpool won their final nine matches to finish on 97. That 97 remains the highest total recorded by a side that did not win the title and sits as the fourth highest points tally in the history of English league football. A year later Liverpool were champions with 99 points, and 2021–22 produced another close duel in which both clubs exceeded 90 points and City again edged the contest.
The public recognition underlined the mutual impact the two teams had on each other. Klopp has reflected on the relationship, noting in 2024 that “for a rivalry, we don’t need to be disrespectful.” Guardiola also paid tribute, saying, “We cannot define our period here without him … without Liverpool. Impossible.”
Andy Robertson carried the same theme into his final Liverpool appearance, pausing after the 1–1 draw with Brentford at Anfield to acknowledge City. “Pep Guardiola pushed us to completely new limits,” Robertson said live on Sky Sports. “I think both will agree with that. And, probably, we should have won more Premier Leagues if it wasn’t for that man. What a servant to Manchester City, and I wish him all the best.”
Klopp has not returned to management since leaving Liverpool two years ago and now works in a Head of Global Soccer role for Red Bull. Guardiola is set to move into an ambassadorial and technical advisory role for the City Football Group. “As a coach I’m not completely finished. I haven’t reached retirement age.”
Arsenal
Players Who Defined an Unsettling 2025/26 Premier League Season
Goalkeepers, long throws and midfield mastery cut a distinctive shape across 2025/26 Premier League.
A season that divided spectators nonetheless produced clear individual standouts. “Most of the games I see in the Premier League are not, for me, a joy to watch,” Liverpool manager Arne Slot admitted back in March, but within that contested landscape a handful of performers emerged with compelling cases for special recognition.
Between the posts, the familiar excellence of David Raya stood out. It is not normal to keep a clean sheet in more than half of your Premier League appearances and it certainly isn’t standard to win three consecutive Golden Gloves. It is increasingly normal for Raya to be the champions’ bravest passer and a defensive cornerstone.
Brentford’s Michael Kayode became a modern curiosity and a creative force. The fullback’s gender reveal in February — hurling a throw-in into an empty goal at the Gtech Community Stadium that prompted pink flares — captured his commitment to the long throw. “People think that you can play in the Premier League just because you have a good throw-in?” the Italy U21 international scoffed. “That’s crazy!” Kayode, a nominee for Best Young Player, completed the fourth-most dribbles in the division, ranking above Rayan Cherki, Bukayo Saka and Florian Wirtz, and helped drive the over-performing Bees upfield.
William Saliba approached defending with efficient precision, while Gabriel’s aggressive conception of beauty produced a consistently dominant campaign. “I think beautiful football is not only a beautiful pass,” the Brazilian theorized, “but also when you defend, the way you defend.”
Versatility shone at Manchester City through Nico O’Reilly, who spent most of the season at left back, offered ballast in Rodri’s absence and even operated as a box-crashing No. 8. “He has been a surprise,” Guardiola admitted, “even for me.”
Dominik Szoboszlai answered his own challenge: “I need to improve in a lot of things.” He did, dominating matches with a blend of power and finesse even as Liverpool colleagues did not match his trajectory.
At Manchester United, Casemiro rediscovered form, supplying defensive coverage and nine Premier League goals — a tally Ryan Giggs never matched for Manchester United after turning 22. Arsenal’s Declan Rice remained the team’s dependable linchpin after Arteta warned the squad their tilt would be a “roller coaster.” “There’s going to be ups, downs, so much talk,” the midfielder reflected. “The good thing with Declan is he’s so consistent, so reliable,” Arteta acknowledged.
Finally, Antoine Semenyo produced a standout season: after carrying Bournemouth’s frontline for six months he moved to Manchester City and, since his debut in January, no City player has matched his seven non-penalty Premier League goals.
Liverpool
End of an era: Salah’s record-packed nine years at Liverpool
Salah leaves Liverpool after nine seasons with 257 goals, 123 assists and nine trophies at Anfield.
The curtain has officially closed on Mohamed Salah’s nine-year spell with Liverpool, a period that fused extraordinary goalscoring with sustained success. A turbulent final campaign cannot erase a legacy built on relentless output and landmark achievements.
Salah announced himself from the off, scoring on his debut in the six-goal thriller with Watford in his first competitive match. By the time he left Anfield he had amassed 257 goals in 442 matches across all competitions, a total that underpins many of the records he set while at the club.
Those records are extensive. Salah finished as Liverpool’s top scorer in both the Premier League and the Champions League and stands as the most prolific African player in the history of English top-flight football. He recorded the most strikes in a debut season for the club, became the first Liverpool player to score 20 or more in eight consecutive campaigns and was the fastest Red to reach 100 goals.
Operating within the forward line that featured Sadio Mané and Roberto Firmino, Salah was primarily a scorer but also an important creator. He registered 123 assists in all competitions for Liverpool. His final assist came in his last match at Anfield, a moment that summed up his technical quality: he burst away on the counter before sending a brilliant ball with the outside of his left boot to Curtis Jones, who converted to make the game a 1–1 draw with Brentford. That trivela added another entry to his record book, taking him to 93 Premier League assists for Liverpool and making him the outright club leader in that category.
The 33-year-old departed with nine trophies won at Anfield, including two Premier League titles, the Champions League and both domestic cup competitions. The Europa League remains the only competition he played in with Liverpool that he did not win. When supporters look back, Salah’s nine-year spell will be remembered as one of the defining chapters of the club’s recent history.
