Liverpool

Luke Reddy
BBC Sport senior journalist

There was a point in the second half of Liverpool's win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday when Andy Robertson turned to a nerve-filled Kop and called for calm.

The full-back - like many - could feel the anxiety raining down from all four sides of Anfield in a second half during which Arne Slot's men looked a shadow of what has become expected.

A shadow of themselves technically maybe, but not so much physically.

In the first half, Liverpool covered 52.6km and in the second half 53.1km. There were 66 home sprints in the opening period and 65 after the break.

The intensity of their endeavour didn't drop, though the quality of their output somewhat did. It was 10 Liverpool shots in the opening 45, zero thereafter. The Reds' xG for the second period was an ugly zero.

The league leaders have lost something - though it is hard to pinpoint what. Theories they are tightening under the pressure of a title race carry some weight perhaps. The coming days will fill in some blanks.

The likes of Robertson - one of a handful of starters on Sunday to have won a league title before - will be crucial if Arsenal's chase is to be managed.

The full-back has faced criticism this season and debate as to whether his best years are behind him has become consistent. Links with Bournemouth's Milos Kerkez have been frequent, while Robertson's own error and subsequent red card in the 2-2 draw with Fulham did the 30-year-old no favours.

But for a man 'slowing down' his contribution physically - at least on Sunday - was clear. Robertson performed 26 sprints and 308 intensive runs - both figures being the most on the pitch. He reached a top speed of 33.2km/h, according to Opta - a stat which wasn't bettered by any player on the day.

With the ball, his tally of 75 touches was only bettered by Virgil van Dijk and the impressive Matheus Cunha.

There is undoubtedly room for improvement, with Robertson losing possession 18 times - four behind Mohamed Salah's top mark. His duel success of two wins from eight contested also leaves space for an uptick.

There is work to do, but Robertson's endeavour signals he is a player keen and still capable of doing it.

There may never be a better time to settle nerves and never a more apt time for a player under the microscope to show he has plenty left in the tank.

Mike Richards
Fan writer

Image source, PA Media

The transformation under David Moyes has been nothing short of miraculous.

He arrived at a club with players devoid of confidence and took charge of a grup that looked unsure how to win.

Combine that with the hangover of PSR issues - meaning recruitment was difficult in January -, with having three of our four strikers injured, with Iliman Ndiaye picking up a knee injury and Abdoulaye Doucoure's suspension, and the form has been quite simply incredible.

The Everton bench on Saturday consisted of two goalkeepers, three outfield first-team players and four youth-team players. When you see other clubs, who have spent big money, bemoan their luck on the injury front, it is somewhat laughable.

The win over Crystal Palace was not pretty but we are seeing an Everton side create good chances week in, week out. And we have got a player who can finish.

Evertonians love a cult hero and, in a resurgent Beto, we have found one.

So often overlooked under the previous regime, he was on the brink of exiting the club in January. Fast forward a few weeks and not only is he scoring goals, his humble nature and appreciation of the love from the fans is fabulous to see.

Sometimes a player not only needs an opportunity but needs to feel appreciated. Moyes has certainly made him feel that.

We are playing to his strengths, while starting games regularly is giving him the adaptation time he has not been given since his arrival.

His unorthodox and unpredictable style is certainly a weapon in our attacking arsenal. Even when other strikers return, they will be hard pushed to replace Beto.

Long may the love affair continue.

Find more from Mike Richards at Unholy Trinity, external

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool boss Arne Slot will continue to be on the touchline until the outcome of his FA charge.

The Reds manager has until Wednesday to respond after being charged over his behaviour towards referee Michael Oliver after the 2-2 draw at Everton - with assistant Sipke Hulshoff facing a similar charge.

Liverpool go to Aston Villa on Wednesday meaning Slot is due to be in the dugout at Villa Park.

It is also likely he will be on the touchline for the Premier League leaders' trip to Manchester City on Sunday - unless the process is fast-tracked.

The charge is being treated as "non standard", which means Slot does not have the opportunity to accept a set sanction without a hearing.

There has to be a hearing, which will either determine the punishment or at which Slot to deny the charge. If he denies it, it is then up to a commission to decide whether to uphold the charge and what the level of punishment would be.

After Slot has responded by Wednesday, the FA has three days to go back to the club and a hearing will then take place within 10 days.

Non-standard is for slightly unusual or prolonged incidents when there has been similar behaviour in the past 12 months, in this instance, it could be because of the nature of the behaviour or the comments made.

Slot has already served a touchline ban, in the Carabao Cup quarter final win at Southampton in December, after collecting three yellow cards.

Image source, PA Media

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk says he can understand why some home fans may have felt a degree of nervousness in the closing stages of Sunday's 2-1 win against Wolves.

The Reds had looked on course for a comfortable victory, but Wolves rallied in the second half and Matheus Cunha's goal for the visitors ensured a tense finale at Anfield.

However, Liverpool were able to hang on to restore their seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League.

"We are all human beings and I totally understand anxiety or nervousness can kick in," said the Netherlands international centre-back.

"I said it weeks ago, we just have to buckle up and enjoy the ride. There will be a lot of twists and turns.

"If you're not ready for it - and we have been there already - it will be a difficult couple of months for you but I feel like we as a team are ready for it.

"We will give it everything we've got and we will see in 13 games if that is enough.

"It is all about game-by-game and not looking at others as we have no influence on other teams or other situations."

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Sport's chief football writer Phil McNulty has been answering your questions.

Pete from Birkenhead asked: Last week you said you were not convinced that Beto was a £30m striker - care to revise that opinion?

Phil answered: I knew this one would be coming. All I will say is that up until two weeks ago, I'm not sure even Beto's biggest admirers would say he looked like a £30m striker.

Now we come to Beto under David Moyes, who has got him playing to his strengths and running into channels rather than with his back towards goal, plus the fact that Everton are actually playing forward and quickly has also been to his benefit.

He has looked composed, a real focal point and a handful. One thing you could never accuse Beto of was a lack of effort, so it is great to see his endeavour rewarded.

If he continues this form, consistently, then I will be very happy to revise my opinion. He has been excellent in the last few weeks.

BBC Sport's chief football writer Phil McNulty has been answering your questions.

Macca from Thailand asked: Do you think that some pundits, including yourself as a football reporter, should be eating humble pie? All that nonsense about Sean Dyche being the best manager to keep Everton in the Premier League, and now David Moyes has taken Dyche's reputation and shredded it. Thoughts?

Phil answered: I do not comment on other pundits because they are perfectly entitled to their opinions. My view was that I thought Sean Dyche would keep Everton up and then leave at the end of the season, as the club needed to take a new direction.

In the end, Dyche clearly decided he could not get any more out of the squad and the decision was made to part ways with new owners The Friedkin Group.

David Moyes has quite simply been transformative. Look at the results, look at the goals. It is the sign of a good manager when players who either struggled, in Beto's case, or were effectively ignored, like Jake O'Brien, have flourished.

In the space of a few weeks, Moyes has got Everton looking up rather than down.

I think history will be kind to Dyche, as he kept Everton in the Premier League in tough circumstances, such as a lack of finances and points deductions, but there is no doubt Moyes has been a breath of fresh air at Goodison Park.

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool have announced that season ticket and general admission prices at Anfield for the 2025-26 campaign will be frozen.

The club has said that as well as adult prices remaining the same for next season, junior tickets will remain at £9 for the 10th season in a row.

A 2% rise for 2024-25 led to protests from sections of home supporters, who refused to display flags in The Kop during the Europa League tie against Atalanta in April 2024.

In November, Liverpool fans joined counterparts from Everton, Manchester City and Manchester United in support of a Football Supporters' Association (FSA) campaign regarding ticket price rises.

The club said on its website:, external "The club held meaningful engagement discussions with its official supporters board on ticket prices and is grateful for its important and significant contribution to those discussions."

"The latest price freeze comes despite significant increases in Anfield matchday operating costs and continued rises in the cost of football operations in general.

"Alongside meaningful engagement with the supporters board, a survey was sent out to 500,000 Liverpool supporters last October, using the club's ticketing database, asking for their views on a number of ticketing-related topics.

"More than 62,000 fans responded and access to tickets and the online purchasing process were highlighted as the primary concerns by the majority of supporters.

"The club will therefore start discussions with its supporters board on developing a range of ticketing policy changes during next season and beyond."

It is a hectic few weeks for Liverpool, with the Reds having league games pretty much every three days until the end of the month.

But things ease considerably in March, when the Reds play just one league game - a home fixture against bottom club Southampton.

That's not to say it is a quiet month, however, with Liverpool having the small matter of the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle on 16 March.

On either 4 or 5 March, Liverpool will also have the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, when they will travel to one of Paris St-Germain, Benfica, Monaco or Brest. The return leg at Anfield will take place a week later.

Liverpool finish the season with a home game against Crystal Palace - by which point they would hope to have already had the title wrapped up.

They have two tough away games coming up - travelling to Aston Villa and then Manchester City.

They also play rivals Arsenal towards the end of the season but have the advantage of hosting that encounter.

The Gunners, meanwhile, face six sides in the top half of the table in their final 13 games.

As the historical table below shows, only once in Premier League history has a side held a lead of this size after 25 games and not gone on to win the title.

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Crystal Palace and Everton.

Here are some of your comments:

Crystal Palace fans:

Miles: Every game against Everton over the past four seasons could be summed up in one sentence: how did we lose that? Always seem to dominate against them but completely implode. A true curse. Don't think there's a more frustrating fixture as a Palace fan.

Pedro: Typical Palace - one step forward, two steps backwards. A naive and rather clueless performance. Mitchell's a liability, Mateta's excellent, Eze's lazy. Too many gaps. Very frustrating.

Mark: A game we should not have lost, as Glasner said. Had the better chances and should have scored one or two more goals. The first goal was a freak mistake and the second one we struggled to get the ball clear. Very avoidable. Not sure why we can't play as well at home.

Bill: That Selhurst Park is a tough place to come to is an embarrassing myth. We give points away like Christmas presents. I despair of ever seeing a decent game there. It's like groundhog day with Palace playing pretty football up to the final third when they then play like a park team. Away fans are lucky because it's like a different (better) team play then.

Everton fans:

Martin: Some things just work well together. Cheese and pickle. Pork and apple. Moyes and Everton. Get in there. Great team effort. Great three points. Onwards and upwards.

Mark: David Moyes has given the players and fans the belief that we are unstoppable, and it's making a huge difference on the pitch. Even when Palace pulled level and at times were on top, there was always the belief we would get full points. Closer to Europe than relegation, so now it's time to enjoy the rest of the season - our last season at Goodison.

Sean: I just love watching Everton play again. The passion, the drive, the heart - it's all there. Those players look like they would run through walls for this club, and that's what we're all about. It feels like proper Everton again.

Jeff: Beto was absolutely fantastic. Working his boots off from the first till the last minute. It makes you wonder: where would we have been in the league table if he had started every match instead of Dominic Calvert-Lewin? Our first priority should be to renew Beto's contract. He is happy now and the fans love him!

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Liverpool and Wolves.

Here are some of your comments:

Liverpool fans:

Steve: Nerves will be the biggest challenge to win the title. Understandable result at David Moyes' Everton, but strange feeling around Anfield on Sunday...

Rich: Ground out a big result after what happened midweek. We can't win playing beautiful football every week. Showed a different side of us - and a good side, in my opinion. We go again against Aston Villa.

George: Good start but second-half performance was well below par. Gave the ball away far too much and didn't offer much attacking threat. Darwin Nunez really didn't get into the game at all and I much prefer Diogo Jota in that role. We lost our flow and couldn't keep possession. Will need to play better than that this week to overcome some stiff opposition. Definitely need Cody Gakpo and Curtis Jones available otherwise the bench is a little lightweight. Happy to take the points and there is something in being able to win 'dirty'. We move on - 13 games to go and we remain in control!

Roger: A very unconvincing second half, although 2-0 at half-time was also a bit flattering. Trent Alexander-Arnold looked as if his mind was elsewhere and Ibrahima Konate could easily have been sent off. Both were rightly subbed. Poor attempt by Jota to 'buy' a penalty when he should have just struck it first time. A lot of silly fouls committed but Wolves were very good in the second half and on another day could have easily got something out of the game. Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good. This was one of those games.

Wolves fans:

Keith: A lot to take heart from. We need that level of performance every game to the end of the season because the margin to stay up or go down is miniscule.

Ant: What a performance by Wolves. If they carry on playing like that they will have no problem staying in the Premier League. Every player played as if their lives depended on it.

Glyn: A good all-round performance from Wolves which they should have got something from. However, I believe our weak link lay between the sticks. Jose Sa's performance is not consistent enough for the Premier League. The first Liverpool goal was a farce and could have been averted had the keeper been braver against Luis Diaz. The second goal was even worse as Diaz was running wide and would not have been unable to finish from that angle.

Mike: Too passive in the first half, but there was a clear foul in the lead-up to the penalty. I thought VAR was supposed to correct these blatant errors by the referee. Simon Hooper had a very poor game giving silly yellow cards for dissent, but only for one team. A much-improved performance from Wolves in the second half and I thought we were well worth at least a point. If we can play a full game as we played the second half we will be well clear of relegation by the end of the season.

Image source, Getty Images

Everton defender Jarrard Branthwaite believes it is a good sign that the Toffees are picking up points when they are not playing their best, and hopes the club continues their good form under David Moyes.

Speaking after Saturday's 2-1 win over Crystal Palace, Branthwaite said: "It's a brilliant feeling. We didn't perform at our best, but it's a difficult place to come.

"The midweek game was massive and it took a lot of energy out of all of our players. We're quite thin on players at the moment - a lot of crucial players out with injury.

"So to come down here and pick up three points is massive. We didn't play our best but if you can win games when not playing your best - it's a good sign."

Since Moyes returned as manager in January, Everton have picked up 13 points from the six games.

Branthwaite said: "Before he came in we had that defensive resilience and the structure as a squad. Maybe he's brought in a bit of attacking flair and knowledge.

"We're creating loads more chances. We're working on different positions for the attackers and different runs to make to open the defences. I think you can see it's working."

Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds

Highlights and analysis from Sunday's two Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from the rest of the weekend.

If you missed Match of the Day 2, catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

And you can watch Saturday's Match of the Day here.

Listen back to the weekend's full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Man City 4-0 Newcastle

• Crystal Palace 1-2 Everton

• Liverpool 2-1 Wolves

• Tottenham 1-0 Man Utd

Everton are set to revive their interest in Lyon's Rayan Cherki after considering a move for the 21-year-old French winger in January. (Football Insider), external

The Blues will make a move for Burnley's 22-year-old French centre-back Maxime Esteve if Jarrad Branthwaite leaves this summer. (Sun - subscription required), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Newcastle would be willing to let Alexander Isak leave for £83.3m (100m euros) this summer if they fail to qualify for the Champions League, with Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona among those keen on the 25-year-old Sweden striker. (Sport - in Spanish), external

Meanwhile, Liverpool are bracing themselves for the potential departure of captain Virgil van Dijk in the summer and have added Bournemouth's Spain Under-21 defender Dean Huijsen to their shortlist of replacements. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport