Liverpool

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Liverpool boss Arne Slot, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "We created more chances and scored more goals [than the win over Lille in midweek]. The only thing I'm not happy about is conceding from a set piece at the end.

"The players are very fit but we have to keep them fresh.

"As a manger I don't think you dream that much. You don't think about when you start at a new club about the amount of points. I think about how can I make sure these players play in a style I would love them to play.

"And they have done that from the start. Today as well, the work-rate they put in when we lost the ball to prevent them from playing the counter-attack. It's a joy to watch.

"Many fans prefer to see goals and assists, I also enjoy the work rate we put in every game."

On the title race: "We are mainly focused on ourselves. We had to win this game because it's expected from Liverpool that we win this game. It's so pleasing to see that we had a comfortable win."

On next Saturday's game with Bournemouth: "They have been a joy to watch - so have we. It's a very interesting match up."

Gary Rose
BBC Sport journalist at Anfield

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When talking about Liverpool's attack this season, much of the focus has quite rightly been on Mohamed Salah, who got his 18th Premier League goal of the season against Ipswich.

But quietly going about his business has been Cody Gakpo.

The forward scored twice on Saturday to continue his impressive run of form in front of goal lately, having now scored five goals in his last six league games.

With his latest strikes, Gakpo became the first ever Dutch player to score in six successive home starts in the Premier League, surpassing Ruud van Nistelrooy and Robin van Persie's best such streaks (both five).

Liverpool are yet to suffer a dip in form this season and this big win suggests it isn't coming any time soon, especially with Gakpo coming into form just at the right time to ensure not all the attacking pressure is on Salah.

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Liverpool's performance

What did you make of Ipswich's display?

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

Six matches make up Saturday's Premier League action.

• Bournemouth v Nottingham Forest

• Brighton v Everton

• Liverpool v Ipswich

• Southampton v Newcastle

• Wolves v Arsenal - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Man City v Chelsea (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

All kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

Ipswich got absolutely smashed by Manchester City last time out and I have told my daughter's Ipswich-supporting teacher, Mr Fields, that if he is considering travelling up to Anfield for this game, then he really shouldn't bother.

Another of Sophia's teachers, Mr Worral, is upset that Mr Fields got a mention and he didn't - so I am putting that right here.

Mr Worral is actually a Liverpool fan, and he is going to have a much more enjoyable weekend.

It's a long way for Ipswich fans to travel to watch their team get spanked, then go all the way back to East Anglia.

This should be pretty routine for Liverpool and they will get a few goals, but because they are fighting on so many fronts I don't think they will absolutely wallop them.

Sutton's prediction: Liverpool 3-0 Ipswich

Read all of his predictions and have your say here

Mandeep Sanghera
BBC Sport journalist

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In a more light-hearted section of Friday's news conference, Liverpool boss Arne Slot revealed how his dad was not too impressed after his side's Champions League win over Lille.

"My father is a fan as well. When I called him after the game he said it wasn't as exciting as other games of Liverpool when he watched the game against Lille," he said.

"Then I have to try to explain to him that these games you can easily lose if you are starting to force all kinds of difficult balls - but he's not always agreeing with me!

"Nottingham Forest is probably the best in the league if you play these stupid balls - I call them stupid balls but my father would love to see us playing them a bit more.

"The risk of them is then creating many more chances [for the opposition]. There is a difficult balance between taking a risk and conceding a lot, or having control and not creating as much. It's a balance we have to find.

"The better we do, the less likely it is that teams come to Anfield and say: 'Let's go to a high press and press them all over the pitch.'"

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Liverpool boss Arne Slot admits he still has to have discussions with his dad about how the Reds can improve, despite their sensational season to date.

Slot has guided the Anfield club to top of the table in both the Premier League and Champions League but revealed his father - Arend - wanted more risk and excitement in Tuesday's 2-1 win over Lille.

But in speaking about his discussions with his dad, Slot revealed how he wants his players to control risk in fixtures more intelligently.

"It is difficult for fans and my father is a fan as well," he said. "When I called him after the game he says, 'ah, it wasn't as exciting as other games of Liverpool' when he watched the game against Lille.

"I had to try to explain to him these games you can easily lose if you are starting to force all kinds of difficult balls but he's not always agreeing with me then.

"As a manager I was quite happy with our performance against Lille as they were well organised as a team.

"I think there was one moment in the game I can remember Curtis (Jones) tried to play, from the halfway line, a bit of a ball that had a bit of risk and we lost that ball and they counter-attacked us.

"That is the risk you have if you play against a low-block team. (Nottingham) Forest is probably the best in the league if you play these stupid balls - I call them stupid balls - which my father would love to see us playing a bit more.

"There is the risk of them creating much more chances and it is a difficult balance of taking the risk and conceding a lot or having control and not creating as much.

"Against this team (Ipswich) going 1-0 down, like we have seen against Forest, is even a bigger problem especially.

"I understand it is difficult for fans who come to the stadium to see us winning but hopefully also scoring a lot of goals in an exciting match but you need two teams for that and the better we do the less likely it is teams come to Anfield and say, 'OK, let's go to a high press and press them all over the pitch'."

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Earlier, we asked you to name the former Liverpool manager from a series of clues.

The answer was Brendan Rodgers, who was in charge between 2012 and 2015.

Marissa Thomas
BBC Sport journalist

Liverpool boss Arne Slot was full of praise for centre-back Ibrahima Konate before his side face Ipswich Town on Saturday.

The France international has been playing with an injury to his knee but said before the Reds' Champions League match in midweek against Lille: "I can die for this team, it's fine. My knee will come back 100% really soon, it's fine. When I saw Joe [Gomez] with his injury, I had to come back quicker and not really think about my knee."

Konate has made 22 appearances for Liverpool this season, with 15 coming in the Premier League.

Slot was asked how good Konate could become and said: "He's already very good. He's a centre-back who, without even touching the ball, is impressive because he is so strong and tall.

"One of the things he could improve is his play with the ball, bringing the ball out from the back. I would not say he was poor in that but he could improve and go to another level.

"He works really hard to improve that and I already see this improvement. Defensively, he is of the highest standard. He's fast, he's strong, he wins duels. He can cover for his team-mates as well if needed.

"Defensively, there is not a lot he can improve. From all the ball possession we have, we would like to create even more chances than we are doing now and that starts from bringing the ball out from the back."

Konate is out of contract next year and when asked if he had been offered a new deal, he simply replied "yeah" and then added that it was "another conversation".

Liverpool cannot afford to lose a centre-back of his quality in his peak years, especially given the superb partnership he has formed with Virgil van Dijk.

Asked whether his partnership with Van Dijk is the best in Europe at the moment, Konate said: "This season, yes I think so. Virgil, everybody knows his quality. For me, he is the best. Nobody is better than him in this position. I've said in interviews always, I just want to be better than him one day and that's why I work hard to reach this level one day."

Marissa Thomas
BBC Sport journalist

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Ipswich Town at Anfield (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Midfielder Curtis Jones will not be available: "He went off during half-time [against Lille], which is not a good sign. The rest we have to wait. Let's see if he is available for PSV or Bournemouth."

• Slot was asked about defender Ibrahima Konate playing with an injury: "You've seen how we try to manage that, maybe because he has some pain in his knee. It is safe for him to play. We try to manage the risk and he now comes to a moment where he would be able to play three games a week."

• On how good Konate could become, Slot said: "He's already very good. He's a centre-back who, without even touching the ball, is impressive because he is so strong and tall. One of the things he could improve is his play with the ball, bringing the ball out from the back. I would not say he was poor in that but he could improve and go to another level. He works really hard to improve that and I already see this improvement. Defensively, he is of the highest standard. He's fast, he's strong, he wins duels. He can cover for his team-mates as well if needed. Defensively, there is not a lot he can improve. From all the ball possession we have, we would like to create even more chances than we are doing now and that starts from bringing the ball out from the back."

• On Andy Robertson's position and the increased competition at left-back: "Kostas Tsimikas has proved he can play in the left full-back position as well. We have two good options in that position and we are managing loads in that position quite a bit."

• Slot was asked whether he sees a difference in his side compared with his first Premier League game which was against Ipswich: "Not a lot. The fact was that I only worked with 13-14 players for one and a half weeks back then. We've improved compared with that game - though the second-half performance was something quite similar to the performances I see currently."

• On how much Ipswich have improved since then: "They've been a bit unlucky sometimes in the last moments of games. The second half of the season is more difficult than the first half because some teams strengthen during the winter break and most teams work with their manager for half a season and that normally means a team become better. That is definitely the situation for Ipswich, although they made it really difficult for us in the first game of the season."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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Ipswich have won two of their past three away league games against Liverpool, having failed to win any of their first 27 visits to Anfield beforehand (D8 L19). Their last visit ended in a 5-0 defeat on the final day of the 2001-02 season, however.

Liverpool have won their past 10 Premier League home games against promoted sides by an aggregate score of 34-7 since a 1-0 loss to Fulham in March 2021.

Name this former Liverpool manager from the following clues:

• I spent more than three years in charge at Anfield following my appointment in 2012.

• I won the FA Cup as manager of another Premier League side.

• I am currently managing a club in Scotland.

Answer will be revealed at 17:00 GMT

This Premier League pursuit becomes a lot easier if you take your chances.

BBC Sport has checked in on some data comparing goals versus expected goals this season.

You can see from the bar graph some teams aren't finding the goals (yellow) to outstrip the expected goals they should score (black).

Tottenham, Manchester City, Arsenal, Brentford, Newcastle, Brighton, Fulham, Nottingham Forest, Wolves and Leicester have all scored more than expected.

Wolves in particular have found the net 32 times from an expected 23.56 - a significant overperformance.

League leaders Liverpool are pretty much bang on in returning what they should, while Arsenal have outperformed, with 43 goals from an expected 37.78.

Bournemouth - 36 goals from an expected 43 - are leaving opportunities on the table.

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Liverpool boss Arne Slot asked for more late winners from his side last Friday and a day later his players delivered with two added time goals from Darwin Nunez in a 2-0 win at Brentford.

Just like against the Bees, the Reds have followed the Dutchman's instructions for most of the season and are reaping the benefits.

Liverpool provided Slot with another victory on Tuesday when they beat Lille in the Champions League and they remain top of the Premier League and Champions League group phase table.

The Anfield outfit host Ipswich Town on Saturday (15:00 GMT) and Slot will be speaking to the media later to talk all things Liverpool.

Reds captain Virgil van Dijk is set to make his 300th appearance for the club against the Tractor Boys in a season in which he has again shown his worth to Liverpool.

The 33-year-old centre-back has played every minute of his side's 21 games in the top flight, as well as their seven outings in the Champions League.

And, while Van Dijk - along with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah - is out of contract in the summer, his commitment, leadership and defensive qualities have been clear to see and make him so important to Slot.

We will hear what Slot has to say about his compatriot, as well as his thoughts on the title race and any team news soon.

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Ex-Liverpool midfielder Charlie Adam has become part of Everton's backroom staff, taking on a role as set-piece coach.

The Scot has joined forces with David Moyes, who has also appointed Alan Irvine as his assistant - a role he held during Moyes' last spell with the Toffees.

On Adam, Moyes said: "Charlie is someone I have had several chats with since rejoining the club. He will be helping with set-piece situations, an area he excelled in as a player and one I believe he can really help us with now as a coach."

The 39-year-old was most recently head coach of now League Two side Fleetwood Town, who he managed between December 2023 and December 2024.

Adam is not the only player to cross the Merseyside divide for a coaching role in recent years, with former Everton defender John Heitinga now an assistant first-team coach under Arne Slot at Liverpool.

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Liverpool defender Jarrell Quansah is "very proud" to have made his first Champions League start for Liverpool but is determined to keep level-headed about it.

It was the 21-year-old's second appearance in the competition for Liverpool after making a brief cameo in their win against Bayer Leverkusen at Anfield in November.

"[It was] a very enjoyable experience - I've worked so hard in my career and to play in the Champions League at Anfield is a dream come true," Quansah told BBC Radio Merseyside after the win over Lille.

"[I am] very proud. [It's important to] try and keep perspective as well - if things don't go your way, you look back at these nights and they'll always be under my belt.

"Every game is a learning process for myself. I'm not getting too down if I make a mistake or two - I know I need to learn.

"Hopefully, it's going to be a long career for myself so I just will keep level and not get too high with the highs or low with the lows - temperament is the most important thing.

The defender has made 12 appearances this season for the Reds, but has not started any of their past seven Premier League games. He agreed he does not enjoy being a substitute.

"I'm not going to sit here and say it's easy," he said. "It's always tough. It's about how you prepare and put yourself in the best mind frame and physical condition that you can." it's not easy when you're not in the team you've just got to do everything for the team when you're in it."

Listen to the full interview here

Ian Kennedy
BBC Radio Merseyside reporter

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If there is one player who deserves perhaps more credit than he gets, it is probably Ryan Gravenberch.

The Dutchman has been outstanding all season.

It has been a huge bonus for Liverpool, because in the summer this was the position that everyone thought would have to be filled by a new signing - most notably Martin Zubimendi - but Gravenberch was there all along.

From that first game away at Ipswich, he has been the solution, and you cannot imagine anyone else playing there now. There is a calmness about his play, which sometimes goes unnoticed, but his impact has been immense.

Someone else who has been improving as the season has gone on is Dominik Szoboszlai. He struggled at times last season, but has been putting in some good consistent performances of late.

He too is a key part of that Reds' engine room.

Listen to Total Sport Merseyside from 18:00 on weeknights and find details here of live Liverpool match commentaries on BBC Radio Merseyside

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The win over Brentford last weekend was a massive result for Liverpool, not just because it was three points added but also because Arsenal played after them.

Had Liverpool drawn that game, Arsenal would have gone into their game against Aston Villa knowing they could close the gap to four points. We know now that had no effect but it could have caused a change in mentality to Liverpool had the gap been closed.

Brentford did not make it easy for Arne Slot's men. They had the correct attitude and approach to the game and they will see conceding the two goals in the final moments as a sucker-punch, but credit to Liverpool as they threw everything at them.

No one probably predicted Darwin Nunez to be the hero of the hour and finish his two chances the way he did because he doesn't normally! They were trying everything to get a goal and it was clear from his substitutions that Slot was not going to settle for a draw.

That in itself shows the mentality of the players and the manager.

I did not expect Liverpool to come away with three points as there was not much in the game but it will give them massive momentum going forward.

It is the game we will probably look back at and say 'those points helped them to win the league'.

Fara Williams was speaking to BBC Sport's Katie Stafford

Highlights from Anfield as Liverpool beat Lille on Tuesday night to progress to the Champions League last 16.