Liverpool Echo

Some 30 years ago today, Tottenham Hotspur were thrashed 4-1 in an FA Cup semi-final at Elland Road with a stunning display that Joe Royle insists: “is still one of the best performances I’ve seen from an Everton side.” That stellar showing, that was the high-point on the Blues’ road to Wembley glory with the 1-0 victory over Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United for what remains their last major honour to date, also represented one of the most-enjoyable trips for Evertonians at a ground where they had long suffered against home side Leeds United.

On April 9, 1995, though, the construction that season of a new 17,000 capacity East Stand – the biggest cantilever stand in the world at the time – saw fans from north London housed there, while the other three sides of the ground were filled by Blues supporters, ensuring Everton dominated proceedings both on and off the pitch. Speaking on his episode of Goodison Park: My Home, Royle, who celebrated his 76th birthday yesterday, told the ECHO: “The game against Spurs at Leeds, is still one of the best performances I’ve seen from an Everton side. I say that with no bias at all.

“We were terrific that day. From the first minute, we were up and at them.

“It wasn’t a fluke, it wasn’t a one-day wonder, it wasn’t that Tottenham were awful on the day. We were terrific.”

Everton went ahead on 35 minutes with a header off a corner kick from right-back Matt Jackson – who had netted the winner at Bristol City in the fourth round – while Graham Stuart doubled their advantage 10 minutes into the second half after Ian Walker could only parry a shot from Paul Rideout into his path. Also speaking on Goodison Park: My Home, Stuart told the ECHO: “It’s still, to this day, my favourite game I’ve ever played in.

“The occasion, it was brilliant. We turned towards Elland Road, and it was just a sea of Everton.

“You couldn’t see any Tottenham fans. The fans absolutely played their part, they bossed it off the pitch.

“Then, when it came to the game, we bossed it on the pitch. I’ll never forget running out, we had three sides of the ground, and as you ran out of the tunnel, Tottenham had the brand-new stand.

“We had the real atmosphere. It felt like a home game.

“From minute one, we just dominated the game. It was an unbelievable start for us, with Jacko, near post, a flicking header to put us one nil up.

“We came in at half-time and it was ‘come on lads, you’re 45 minutes from an FA Cup final, let’s dig in, don’t give anything away.’ We hadn’t conceded a goal in the cup run, all the way through.

“Ian Walker scuffed his kicks to Ridders (Paul Rideout), who ran through and I just followed it up. Walker saved it but it was an open goal and I couldn’t miss.

“I tapped it in and off we go, two nil. We knew then, the likelihood was that we were going to win the game.

“Then we got the dodgy penalty (Teddy Sheringham fell over when Dave Watson beat him to an aerial challenge) given against us and Jurgen Klinsmann stepped up and scored it. They had a two-minute spell when they came at us and Nev made a great save, Stuart Nethercott struck it and Neville saved it with his legs I think, but then we literally went up the other end, broke away and scored.”

Everton’s last two goals, in the 82nd and 90th minutes, came from Nigerian international Daniel Amokachi who had taken it upon himself to enter the action when Rideout was down receiving treatment in what Royle quipped was “the best substitution I never made.”

Recalling his proactive way of entering the fray in 2021, Amokachi told the ECHO: “I was pumped up and I knew before the game if I had the opportunity I would take it because the last few weeks before we played Tottenham I’d really been on fire in the reserves. The captain Dave Watson, Neville Southall, Joe Parkinson, they all saw it.

“But when the gaffer had said to give Rideout ‘five more minutes’ I felt that inside he still didn’t have that confidence in me yet. I gave the substitution slip to the fourth official, the ball went out of play and I get jumped into the team.

“Joe came running towards the touchline saying: ‘What are you guys doing?’ I looked at him, fixed my collar, and ran on to the pitch.

“Minutes later I was on the scoresheet, then again soon after. I didn’t break the news of what happened to the world, the gaffer did in press conference.

“He came into the locker room and told me: ‘Well done – and never try that s**t again!’”

Liverpool look set to be handed a potential boost in the Premier League title run-in as UEFA club competitions resume this week

Continental football resumes this week as the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League quarter-finals all get underway. But unfortunately for Liverpool, their involvement will be limited to only a spectator capacity.

The Reds might have topped the inaugural league phase of Europe’s elite club competition, but that did not stop them suffering from a premature Champions League exit as they were knocked out by Paris Saint-Germain in the round-of-16.

But while Liverpool’s European exploits are over for another season, they will still have one eye on proceedings in each UEFA club tournament. After all, all three could have knock-on effects when it comes to the Reds’ Premier League title charge.

Liverpool currently sit 11 points clear at the top of the table with seven games left to play, and need a maximum of 11 more points to be crowned champions. And they have been handed a helping hand courtesy of their nearest rivals still being in European contention.

Second-placed Arsenal face Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals this month, hosting the La Liga giants at the Emirates on Tuesday 8 April before travelling to the Bernabeu on Wednesday 16 April.

Prior to their quarter-final first leg meeting with the Spaniards, Mikel Arteta made five changes to his side for their trip to Everton as the likes of captain Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Bukaya Saka and Jurrien Timber were all limited to substitute duty.

His rotated side, named with one eye on facing Real Madrid, were held to a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park as their dwindling hopes of catching Liverpool in the Premier League title-race were dealt another blow.

Next in domestic action at home to Brentford on Saturday, it would be no surprise if Arteta rotates again ahead of his side’s quarter-final second leg.

The Reds should arguably hope the Gunners progress, ensuring their European distractions continue during the title run-in. Should Arsenal see off Real Madrid, they will face either Paris Saint-Germain or Aston Villa in the semi-finals.

Such games are scheduled for April 29/30 and May 6/7. While their meeting with Crystal Palace has been brought forward to Wednesday 23 April, giving them a free weekend before a potential semi-final first leg, Arteta would likely rotate when the Gunners then host AFC Bournemouth on Saturday 3 May in between both European encounters.

Liverpool then host Arsenal on Sunday 11 May, with their own chances against the Gunners boosted if they have been in Champions League semi-final action just days before.

Of course, the Reds could have already clinched the Premier League title before they host Arteta’s side. And this is where both the Europa League and Europa Conference League could come to their aid.

Tottenham Hotspur face Eintracht Frankfurt while Chelsea face Legia Warsaw this month, with the London pair both looking to progress to the final four of each European competition.

Ahead of their quarter-final first leg, Enzo Maresca made five changes for his side’s 0-0 draw at Brentford, as Cole Palmer, Nicholas Jackson, Marc Cucurella, Pedro Neto and Levi Colwill were all benched. Meanwhile, there was surprise that Ange Postecoglou did not rotate more (three changes) for his side’s 3-1 victory over Southampton, given that they are 14th in the table and the Europa League is realistically the only thing they have left to play for.

Should Spurs progress in UEFA’s secondary competition, they will face Bodo/Glimt or Lazio in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, if Chelsea reach the last four of the Europa Conference League, Djurgardens IF or Rapid Wien will stand in between them and a place in the final.

It goes without saying that both clubs will have their sights on potentially winning a European trophy this season.

As a result, Liverpool could be playing both at the perfect time during their own Premier League title run-in.

The Reds will host Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on Sunday 27 April, with such a match preceding Spurs’ would-be Europa League semi-final first leg on Thursday 1 May.

Meanwhile, Liverpool will then travel to Chelsea on Sunday 4 May on a day where they could clinch the Premier League title. Such a fixture would be sandwiched between the West London outfit’s potential Europa Conference League semi-final first and second legs.

Both sides would likely rotate against the Reds as a result of their European commitments, with the chance of progressing to the respective finals acting as a rather big distraction.

Ange Postecoglou takes bizarre swipe at Liverpool as under-pressure Spurs boss lashes out

Ange Postecoglou has claimed there is a 'national campaign' when refereeing decisions go against Liverpool as pressure mounts on the under-fire Spurs boss

Ange Postecoglou has taken a bizarre swipe at Liverpool as the Australian continues to find himself under pressure at Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs lost 1-0 away at Chelsea on Thursday to leave them 14th in the Premier League table.

While they are through to the Europa League quarter-finals, they suffered early elimination from the FA Cup and lost to Arne Slot’s side in the League Cup semi-finals.

Meanwhile, they have lost 16 times from their 30 Premier League matches so far this season, and will likely need to win the Europa League to have any chance of qualifying for Europe next season. They remain on course to finish outside the top 10 for the first time since 2008.

Spurs have endured an injury-plagued campaign, but the pressure has started to pile up on Postecoglou as their miserable season continues with supporters now starting to turn on him.

Some away fans booed and directed chants of "you don't know what you're doing" at the Australian manager during their loss at Chelsea, after he replaced Lucas Bergvall with Pape Sarr.

When Sarr scored minutes later, Postecoglou was seen turning to the away end, cupping his ear and then waving at Spurs supporters. However, he later denied this was in response to the boos and chants after seeing his substitution immediately pay off.

Yet Sarr’s strike was belatedly chalked off following a lengthy VAR check, with referee Craig Pawson ultimately overturning his decision after being advised to have a look at the pitchside monitor. Replays showed the Spurs midfielder catching Moises Caicedo with his studs before taking aim at goal from distance.

And that decision has perhaps played its part in Postecoglou taking aim at Liverpool, suggesting there is a ‘national campaign’ when decisions go against the Reds - referencing two incorrect incidents that have gone in his own side’s favour - before insisting he alone is left to defend Tottenham.

“I think in the time I’ve been here, we’ve had two decisions that have gone for us against Liverpool and there has been a national campaign, almost,” Postecoglou said. “It seems like every fight ends up being an internal fight at this club.

“There’s never any sort of defending of the club or the club defending itself. That’s a unique challenge, but I accepted that challenge so I’ve got to try to find a way to overcome it.”

The first decision against Liverpool in question was when Luis Diaz’s goal was incorrectly disallowed following human error from VAR in the Reds’ 2-1 defeat last season, with the officials deciding not to intervene having thought the strike had actually been awarded on the pitch.

Jurgen Klopp’s side also saw two players controversially sent off that day following VAR checks, as it took a last-minute own goal to inflict defeat on them in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The second incident came earlier this season when Bergvall controversially avoided a second yellow card for a foul on Kostas Tsimikas, before scoring the winner moments later in Tottenham’s 1-0 League Cup semi-final first leg win over Slot’s men.

Postecoglou's comments come days after the PGMOL admitted James Tarkowski should have been sent off in Wednesday's Merseyside derby for a horror tackle on Alexis Mac Allister.

After taking aim at Liverpool, evidently missing the point that both decisions were unmistakeably incorrect, Postecoglou then seemingly pointed the finger at a number of former Spurs players who are now pundits for not defending the club in the media.

Former Liverpool captain Jamie Redknapp, ex-Reds striker Peter Crouch, Michael Dawson, Jamie O’Hara and Darren Bent are all prominent pundits who used to play for Spurs.

“By being more vocal,” he replied when asked how Spurs can defend itself. “I hope not [just the manager]. I think you hear enough from me, you probably hear too much from me, to be honest.

“It doesn’t have to be just from people at the club. I hear plenty of people talking and defending other clubs but it seems, with Tottenham, wherever there’s a sore there’s a real pile-on to sort of stick a finger in that sore and then we kind of accept our fate.

“You guys know the landscape better than I do, but it seems like…I never switch it [the television] on and hear any sort of strong voice. The only voice you hear is me.

“When we’re talking about the bigger clubs, there seems to be a lot more voices. And not always defending. You need scrutiny and constructive criticism as well. We definitely get enough of that! But we never get any of the other stuff.

“I think the fact that out of last night the big story is my interaction with the fans and not the fact a game of football was materially changed by technology.

“VAR said ‘clear and obvious’. Six minutes for clear and obvious and I’d have thought that would be the story from last night, but it’s not.

“Again, it’s my interaction with the fans and how I’ve made things more difficult. You kind of go ‘OK, well, that’s the challenge we face.’”

Postecoglou is a well-documented critic of VAR, and claimed human error has always been part of the game when downplaying Diaz’s wrongly-disallowed goal last season.

“I think I’m on record saying that I’ve never really been a fan of it (VAR) since it’s come in,” the Australian told reporters after the final whistle in September 2023. “Not for any other reason, I just think it really complicates areas of the game that I feel were pretty clear in the past.

“But I can see at the same time why it was inevitable that the technology would come in. I guess we have to deal with it. The biggest problem I think we have is that we seem to fail to grasp is that no form of technology is going to make the game error-less.

“We used to understand that errors were part of the game, including officiating errors. You have to cop it, some people cop it better than others but that was part of the game.

“The game is littered with historical refereeing decisions that weren’t right. But we all accepted that as part of the game because we’re all human beings. But I think people are under the misconception that VAR is going to be error-less.

“I don’t think there is any technology, with so much of our game isn’t factual. It isn’t down to interpretation, they are still human beings. They are going to make mistakes, the same way managers make mistakes, the same way players make mistakes.

“So, I think when you put such a high bar on something, invariably it’s going to fail. If people were thinking that VAR is going to be something that is perfect at some point, that’s never going to happen.”

Evidently, controversial officiating decisions get under his skin more when they go against his side at a time when he is already at risk of losing his job.

Meanwhile, Postecoglou, who is actually a boyhood Liverpool fan, previously had a dig at Reds after their shock FA Cup exit to Plymouth Argyle, having seen his own side knocked out by Aston Villa.

"If you take nine, 10 or 11 players out of any team for one weekend, I reckon it'll affect them; we've been like this since mid-November," Postecoglou said on BBC Radio 5 Live.

Asked if that was the issue or whether there was more to it, he responded: "Well, I'll ask you the question: if you take 11 players - how did Liverpool go today?

"We're not talking about one or two - and not just for one weekend, by the way. So get Liverpool to do that for the next two and a half months."

It would appear Postecoglou is feeling the pressure as Spurs' dismal season continues, with his hypocritical change of tune and swipes at the Reds the sign of a man well-aware it would be no surprise if his days in North London prove to be numbered.

Tottenham have been linked with a move for Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola should they part company with Postecoglou before next season.

Robbie Keane had originally been scheduled to play for Liverpool Legends against Chelsea - but dropped out and represented Tottenham Hotspur against AC Milan instead

It has been a long-running joke throughout Robbie Keane’s career that whenever the former Liverpool striker joined a new club, he was fulfilling a ‘boyhood dream come true’. Joining the Reds in the summer of 2008 was a ‘lifelong dream’, while he later admitted he had ‘always wanted to play’ for Celtic when signing for the Hoops on loan in 2010.

While it is hardly far-fetched for an Irishman to have grown up following both Liverpool and Celtic, the supporter joke stuck and followed Keane throughout the rest of his playing career - and indeed even into coaching.

But perhaps not when it comes to legends football. Keane was one of the first players announced to be playing for Liverpool Legends against Chelsea back in December.

Yet when the teamsheet dropped on Saturday, and when the full squads were finalised last week, the Irishman’s - who represented the Legends against both Manchester United and Celtic in 2022/23 - name was absent.

It mattered not for Liverpool as a Peter Crouch brace on his Legends debut earned them a 2-0 victory over the Londoners.

It is not uncommon for players to be announced for Legends action months in advance, only for their schedules to then dictate otherwise as they quietly pull out. Nothing to see here.

But it soon became clear why Keane was no longer available for Liverpool duty - he had received a better offer from elsewhere!

The 44-year-old instead turned out for Tottenham Hotspur Legends against AC Milan Glorie on Sunday, and actually scored a hat-trick in an emphatic 6-2 victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, he said: “It’s always nice to come back and score a few goals in front of the fans. It was a really enjoyable day.

“Absolutely, I think (raising money for the Tottenham Hotspur foundation) is the most important thing. The work that the guys put in here is incredible. We can go out and have a bit of fun with it and raise as much money as possible.

“It’s been a good day all around. It’s been great to see the old guys again, put the boots back on, the shirt on and have that little bit of banter again with each other. Everyone goes their different ways but to meet up again, you just go back to normal again. It’s incredible.”

Admittedly, who can blame Keane for opting to represent Spurs instead, given he enjoyed his best years at the club.

While his Liverpool dream lasted only six months, as he scored seven goals from 28 appearances before being sold back to Tottenham, he scored 122 goals from 306 appearances in his two spells with Spurs over nine years.

Keane is a fully-fledged Tottenham legend as a result. But given his tongue-in-cheek reputation, supporters could be forgiven for donning a wry smile after spotting the former Republic of Ireland international represent Spurs last weekend despite previously being announced by Liverpool.

The former Reds striker, who is now manager of Hungarian side Ferencvaros and recently signed Naby Keita, was not the only Liverpool Legend to miss out on playing against Chelsea despite being called-up.

Martin Skrtel was back at Anfield on Saturday and watched on as his former team-mates trained at the AXA Training Centre on Friday, but explained on Instagram that injury had ultimately forced his hand.

Posting a team picture ahead of kick-off, with the Slovakian still lining up alongside his peers in Reds training wear, he wrote: “I ended up not playing in the Saturday Match of Legends 2025 between Liverpool and Chelsea because of an injured calf muscle. The doctor wouldn't let me play, just like when I was young. Every time it's a great feeling to be back in Liverpool. With friends, for the right thing.”

Elsewhere, Bjorn Tore Kvarme, who is the agent of Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, was left as an unused substitute, while Djimi Traore also did not take part despite initially being announced alongside the likes of Keane back in December.

Everton have been linked with a summer transfer move for Tottenham Hotspur winger Manor Solomon who is currently on loan at Leeds United

Having plucked the likes of Tim Cahill and Joleon Lescott out of the Championship to become Premier League stars at Everton first time around, could David Moyes repeat the trick with on-loan Leeds United star Manor Solomon? A report from GiveMeSport has claimed that the Blues are keen on signing the winger this summer with parent club Tottenham Hotspur ready to cash in for a £15m fee.

After first turning out in England on loan from Shakhtar Donetsk at Fulham in the 2022/23 season, scoring five times in 24 appearances, the Israeli international – who has netted on seven occasions in 41 outings for his country – joined Spurs on a free transfer on July 11, 2023, as the north London outfit took advantage of him becoming a free agent thanks to an extended compensation year by FIFA ruling in favour of overseas players in the Ukrainian leagues.

Solomon only turned out half a dozen times for Ange Postecoglu’s side last term and made the season-long switch to Elland Road on August 27, 2024.

So far, he has scored seven goals in 27 matches in the Championship for Daniel Farke’s table-toppers and the Yorkshire club are keen to retain his services if they win promotion to the Premier League. However, the opportunity to play for Everton at their new 52,888 capacity stadium could be an enticing prospect if they come calling.

Just what kind of player is Solomon then? Primarily operating on the left flank, Comparisonator calculate that Nottingham Forest’s Callum Hudson-Odoi (86%) is the closest Premier League player to him in style followed by Gabriel Martinelli of Arsenal (74%) and Kaoru Mitoma of Brighton & Hove Albion (72%).

Using Comparisonator’s Virtual Transfer tool, in terms of successful pass percentage, correlating Solomon’s statistics from the Championship this season against his Premier League peers, only Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey (87%) can top the Leeds player’s figure (86%) for percentage of successful passes - a figure that matches Liverpool’s Luis Diaz. Solomon’s 1.04 successful crosses per 90 minutes would place him sixth in the Premier League in a category topped by a previous Moyes buy, Mohamed Kudus of West Ham United (1.8).

He’d also be ranked sixth for assists (0.26), where Nottingham Forest’s Anthony Elanga leads the way (0.56); fifth for dribbles (5.74), which is slightly more than Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye (5.67), behind leader Jeremy Doku of Manchester City (9.77), but he’d drop to ninth for successful dribbles (3.19), behind both Doku in top spot (6.23) and Ndiaye in fifth on 3.5. Solomon would also make the top 10 for successful link-up plays (eighth on 2.3), with Matheus Cunha of Wolverhampton Wanderers first on 3.24, and shot assists (ninth on 1.19) as Anthony Gordon of Newcastle United is top on 2.

Solomon’s numbers appear encouraging given that two of Everton’s current wingers, Jesper Lindstrom, on loan from Napoli, and Jack Harrison, ironically on loan from Leeds, have either a goal or an assist between them so far this season. Moving up from the Championship to the Premier League is a considerable step, but his spell with the Cottagers shows he can operate at that level.

Given the expectations required following the move to the Mersey waterfront and takeover by The Friedkin Group, Moyes needs someone who can hit the ground running. Turning 26 on July 24, Solomon should be at the peak of his powers and would be slightly older than either Cahill (24) or Lescott (23) were when they swapped English football’s second tier with Millwall and Wolves respectively for Goodison Park.

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah and Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou had rather contrasting views on the merits of assists this week

Ange Postecoglou earned chuckles in midweek as he dismissed assists as ‘the most useless statistic in football’ during a recent press conference. The Tottenham Hotspur head coach was being quizzed about the exploits of striker Dane Scarlett after the 20-year-old came off the bench to set up Dejan Kulusevski during Spurs’ 4-1 victory over Ipswich Town last weekend.

“I've got to say the assist is the most useless statistic in world football,” he told reporters, much to their amusement. “Seriously, it could come off your backside, fall to somebody on the halfway line.

“He scores and it's an assist. So it doesn't impress me, but Dane's assist at the weekend was a good one.”

Admittedly, the Australian might have a point - but only in that very specific scenario he described.

Case and point, Luis Suarez’s iconic assist against Manchester United for Dirk Kuyt for the Liverpool forward’s first goal when scoring a hat-trick in a 3-1 victory back in March 2011.

Postecoglou is entitled to his views, certainly. But one man who will definitely disagree with him is Mohamed Salah.

The Reds’ forward saw an eight-game scoring run come to an end in midweek in Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Newcastle United. But that did not stop him from making an impact in the final third as he assisted Alexis Mac Allister for his side’s second goal.

Winning back possession just inside his own half, Mac Allister embarked on a surging run forward before playing the ball to Salah on the edge of the box. The Egyptian would then bamboozle both Lewis Hall and Dan Burn as he turned one way and then the other in the box, before deceptively cutting back inside and flicking it to the Argentine for an emphatic first-time finish.

Like Scarlett’s assist against Ipswich, it ‘was a good one’. But that is hardly a surprise. You will struggle to find any unaware backside set-ups in the forward’s eye-catching catalogue.

Salah now has 30 goals and 22 assists for the season from just 39 appearances as his astonishing campaign continues.

Meanwhile, he has scored 25 times in the Premier League and set up 17 goals from 28 league appearances, to comfortably lead both the Golden Boot and Playmaker award charts.

The 32-year-old has scored five more times than reigning Golden Boot winner Erling Haaland, who trails in second-place, while he has an eye-catching seven assists more than Bukayo Saka, Mikkel Damsgaard and Antonee Robinson.

Salah has always wowed with his devastatingly consistent goalscoring returns, with his most recent goal against Man City last weekend his 241st for Liverpool to incredibly move him third in the club’s all-time scoring charts alongside Gordon Hodgson.

But he is climbing up the assists charts at an eye-catching rate of knots too. According to LFC History’s annals, starting from the 1945/46 season, the Egyptian is now sixth in the rankings behind Kenny Dalglish, Steven Gerrard, Billy Liddell, Ian Callaghan and Alan A’Court.

And having broken Steve McManaman’s record for most Premier League assists for the Reds in a season (15) against Man City last weekend, Salah is now quickly closing in on Dalglish’s record in all competitions of 24 from 1980/81 and 1984/85.

It has long been joked that Liverpool’s Egyptian King must have broken the record for records broken during his time at Anfield, and plenty more will certainly fall in the remaining months of the campaign.

He needs to record only four assists from the final 10 Premier League matches of the season to break Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne’s shared record of 20. While slightly more unrealistic, 11 goals would also see him reclaim his record for most goals in a Premier League season alongside Haaland.

Salah is also likely to win his fourth Golden Boot this season, which would see him move level with Alan Shearer as the players to have won it the most times. Clean up at the end of season awards, and the 32-year-old could also end up becoming the player to have won both PFA Player’s Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year awards more times than anyone else.

Admittedly, such individual honours are a footnote for the forward, with the Egyptian much more interested in getting his hands on a second Premier League and Champions League title.

But assists do mean something to him, as he explained to TNT Sports ahead of facing Newcastle. His improved creativity is why he believes he is currently enjoying his best ever season - even more so than his astonishing 44-goal campaign in his first year at Liverpool.

“I think this is my best season because I make the players around me better as well, that is what I feel,” he said. “I know their games. If you look at all the numbers around all the players, it is going to be higher than the other seasons.

“Plus my assists are higher, so that means I really help them a lot. Cody, Lucho, other players, their season is the best - so, I think this is my best season because I make the players around me also better.”

It is partly because of Salah’s record-breaking returns this season that Liverpool are enjoying such a remarkable campaign. But not reliant on the Egyptian’s goals alone, his assists are evidently also making a crucial difference as the Reds close in on an increasingly-likely Premier League title win.

It goes without saying that Salah could not disagree more with Postecoglou's claim, with Arne Slot and all those of a Liverpool persuasion instead most-impressed by the Egyptian's returns this season.

But perhaps assists aren't as important when you're 13th in the Premier League table. Shame it’s just a useless statistic, aye?

I met Liverpool legend in his apartment - Aston Villa and Tottenham wanted me but I couldn’t say no

Charlie Adam has opened up about holding transfer talks with former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier and why he didn't have to think twice about joining the Reds

Charlie Adam has revealed how he once held transfer talks with legendary Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier in the Frenchman’s apartment before making his own move to Anfield. The former Scotland international, who is now part of David Moyes’ backroom team at Everton, joined the Reds from Blackpool in a £7m deal in the summer of 2011.

Liverpool had actually seen two bids rejected for the midfielder the previous January, but weren’t the only side pursuing his signature. Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa also wanted Adam, who went close to a move to Villa Park at one point.

Houllier was the manager of Villa at the time, having returned to the Premier League for the first time since his successful six-year stint with Liverpool came to an end in 2004.

And Adam has recalled how he held transfer talks with Houllier in his apartment prior to the January transfer window opening as the former Liverpool boss tried to persuade him to move to the Midlands.

“I did have a couple of options to speak to clubs,” Adam told talkSPORT last summer when recalling how close he came to leaving Blackpool in January 2011.

“I once met Gerard Houllier who for me was a very, very top manager. He spoke really well.

“I also had the opportunity to go to Tottenham on the last day of one of the windows as well. They were the two clubs that were coming in for me then.”

Adam also recently told the ‘I Had Trials Once’ podcast: “November, December before the January window, I had an inkling that maybe two or three clubs were going to come for me.

“I knew that Liverpool wanted me. I went to meet Gerard Houllier in his apartment he was at Aston Villa at the time. That was an unbelievable experience.

“Well, I went with my agent to his apartment, started talking to him and he got tactics boards out in the living room and that. He was just saying, 'This is where I want you to play. This is who’s going to play on the line. Agbonlahor is going to play there and this, and this is who we’re going to sign. I want you to be part of it. I mean, Gary McAllister and that.

“It was just two hours of just talking about football and tactics and all. 'This is how we train. This is what we do'.

“Just a genuine nice guy. Do you know what I mean? So I always think about when I met him, it was an unbelievable experience.”

However, despite interest from Villa, Adam admits he did not have to think twice when Liverpool entered the race for his signature.

“When I knew Liverpool were interested, it was the club I wanted to go to,” he told talkSPORT. “A huge club with a great fanbase, unbelievable supporters.

“And a squad that was full of top international players that played at a very, very high level. I was very fortunate enough to have the honour of playing for Liverpool.

“You look at the history of the players and everything at the football club was synonymous with the great players and what they’ve won over the years.

“It was such a special club to be part of just for the one season and I love going back to Anfield.

"I think it’s one of the top stadiums and a great place to go and watch a game.”

Latest Liverpool transfer rumours as defender Ibrahima Konate has been linked with a move away from Liverpool plus reports suggest Arne Slot is keen on Spurs star Micky Van de Ven

Ibrahima Konate is 'tempted' by the prospect of joining Paris Saint-Germain, according to a report. The Liverpool defender has just under 18 months remaining on his current deal on Merseyside.

The Reds are already facing three concerns with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah all out of contract this summer. Arne Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes face a battle to tie down their star men while Liverpool challenge at the upper reaches of the Premier League table, as well as the Champions League and Carabao Cup.

However, in a report from ESPN, Konate is reportedly interested in the offer from the Ligue 1 giants, with Luis Enrique's side seemingly viewing the France international as a long-term option in their backline.

The outlet adds that the Parisens are keen to bring their national team star to the Parc des Princes and the option to return to the French capital is 'tempting'. Konate fielded questions over his future during the preparations for their Champions League league phase encounter with Ligue 1 side Lille.

At the time, The Times reported that Konate's stance could hinge on the futures of Salah, Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold with the possibility of delaying his decision, in order to have a clearer idea over the team around him after being offered a new deal.

“Who talked about that a few months ago?” Konate asked. “The club didn’t say anything, I didn’t say anything. It’s one person who said that. I was not ready, I didn’t know when he said that.

"But, after, I spoke with the club. I think I am really focused on what happens now. We will see what will happen.”

Although in the latest edition of The Reds Roundtable was released on the official Liverpool club channels in which Konate spoke about his long-term future at Anfield.

"Honestly, to be in this club, this means a lot of things because I'm a part of this story of this club and I really hope this season and the seasons of the future we will do great things as well," he said. "I'm really happy to be here. It's just a dream."

Meanwhile, Football Insider have claimed that head coach Arne Slot is keen on signing Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven this summer.

It has been suggested that the 23-year-old is highly rated by the Reds boss and is capable of deputising alongside Konate or Van Dijk.

The former Wolfsburg defender has had an impressive start to life in the Premier League with the North London club but has been hampered by injury. This season, he has managed just nine top-flight appearances after a knee and hamstring injury respectively.

Is there VAR for Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur? Carabao Cup semi-final rules confirmed

Liverpool face Spurs at Anfield tonight for a nail-biting second-leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final

Anfield is set to witness a high-stakes showdown on Thursday night, with Liverpool chasing a crucial victory that would secure their spot at the final in Wembley next month as the Reds look to defend the Carabao Cup. They're poised to take on Tottenham Hotspur, with a narrow one-goal deficit to overturn from the first leg - thanks to Lucas Bergvall's contentious late decider in the first leg.

Reds boss Arne Slot is facing an uphill battle as he seeks to book his inaugural trip to what he dubs the "iconic" Wembley stadium, with the final potentially set to mark his fist trip to the "home of football" since taking the reins just months ago. While talking at the AXA Training Centre, Slot shared his aspirations: "If you go to England people are talking about Wembley as an iconic stadium, especially if it's a final. So you can be sure that we as a team want to win that game tomorrow to go to Wembley."

Nonetheless, they are up against a recently reinforced Spurs outfit, managed by Ange Postecoglou, who now has the likes of new assets Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso at his disposal. However, Postecoglou faces his own selection conundrum, with a lengthy list of injured players including Dominic Solanke, James Maddison, Guglielmo Viacrio, Brenndan Johnson, Destiny Odogie, Timo Werner, Wilson Odobert, and Radu Dragusin all sidelined for the clash.

Although with the score line so tight it is crucial that all the refereeing decisions are correctly made, the Liverpool Echo has taken a closer look at how VAR will be used in tonight's semi-final.

Is VAR in use for the Carabao Cup semi-finals?

VAR will be in use at Thursday night's Liverpool vs Tottenham Carabao Cup clash after last year's semi-final relied only on the on-pitch officials. This is because last year saw Championship side Middlesborough reaching the penultimate round, but with only Premier League teams reaching this year's final four the EFL made the decision to bring back the extra referee.

Although VAR will operate slightly differently to the top tier league, for the first time in English football, referee Craig Pawson will be required to announce a VAR decision over the speakers at the stadium.

The trial comes as part of a plan to increase clarity over VAR decisions in football. Should Pawson need an extra look at a decision, he will be required to announce exactly why he has come to his the view.

VAR was used in the first-leg clash, but as always Pawson will only be referred to the monitor by Michael Salisbury if there has been a clear and obvious error.

Spurs player down

You guessed it, another Spurs player has taken to the ground. This time it's Bissouma.

No surprise that he is quickly back to his feet after shaving a few seconds off the clock.

Salah over the bar

Salah volleys over from a difficult angle from Robertson's cross to the back post. Perhaps could have taken a touch given it fell to his right foot.

Way over

Salah connects with Robertson's cross to the back post but he can't keep his effort down.

Szoboszlai scores...offside

Szoboszlai scores but the offside flag goes up. Have just seen a quick replay and he was. Just.

Chance - brilliant work from Gakpo!

Excellent work from Gakpo to get away from two defenders and cross the ball for Nunez, whose header is straight at Kinsky.

Corner for Liverpool

Salah's pass across the face nearly trickles into the far corner after a wicked deflection inside the box. Corner for the Reds.

Unlucky break

Liverpool so unfortunate there on the break, Nunez finds Gakpo who almost places it into the path of Szoboszlai but it hits him on the backside and Spurs clear.

Unlucky!

Nunez clears the corner and Liverpool break at pace but Szoboszlai can't sort his feet out to profit on Gakpo's through-ball.

Nearly for Szoboszlai

Midfielder does well to drop the shoulder inside the box and work a yard for a shot, but his effort is blocked by one of the several Spurs shirts camped inside the 18-yard box.

Pressure on

Szoboszlai and Gravenberch both see shots blocked. Liverpool trying to keep the pressure on here. Decent start without any real chances.

Corner for Tottenham

Konate fails to clear a free-kick properly and hands the away side a corner.

Ouch

Not sure Davies having a cut to the head is a spoiling tactic - unless he's cut it himself after watching too much WWE in the 1990s (in nostaliga clips, obviously) - but it has stopped the rhythm of this game.

We've not even had 15 minutes yet but it feels like this could be a long night.

Treatment for Davies

The Tottenham Hotspur defender is being treated for a cut to the head.

Spurs taking their time

Boos around the Kop as Craig Pawson awards a foul on Kinsky. Spurs taking their time over it all. It happened when the goalkeeper failed to catch a corner. Just get a sense of the visitors looking to eat away at the clock as often as possible tonight...

All the tricks in the book

We've played less than 15 minutes here at Anfield and Tottenham are already wasting time. Strap yourselves in, it could be a long night.

Corner Liverpool

Bradley wins a corner after venturing into the box down the right.

Nunez down

Liverpool's No.9 appears to be in some discomfort on the ground and is being seen to by medics. Not quite sure what's happened there.

Chance!

Szoboszlai lays the ball off to Salah for a shot from inside the box but it's straight at Kinsky.

Early thoughts

Tottenham were never going to sit back and defend this lead, and sure enough they are pressing quite high so far.

They won't change the way they play because, well, they can't according to their manager.

Hmm. We shall see.

Richarlison down

Richarlison goes down after a tangle with Van Dijk. Fair to say the Anfield crowd was less than impressed with the theatrics of the former Everton forward.

Richarlison down

Richarlison down holding his face after a tangle with Van Dijk, looked innocuous, referee didn't even stop play initially. Kop now reminding the Spurs striker of his former Everton allegiances. I'm sure you can guess how they are doing that...

Underway

Richarlison gets us underway as You'll Never Walk Alone just about finishes. Atmosphere is electric here.

Drama off the field at Anfield

The monitor next to me and Theo is showing Eastenders instead of the match. I'll be able to tell you if that is a good thing or a bad thing in about 90 minutes.

Atmosphere building

Quite the atmosphere building here as the two teams line up ad exchange handshakes. Feels like the supporters believe this is a big night. Quite right, too. Semi-finals aren't to be sniffed at.

Kick-off on its way from Anfield...

Atmosphere

Things are starting to get loud inside Anfield.

Tottenham have the whole of the bottom tier of the Anfield Road Stand for the away support, and have been belting out a few tunes.

The Kop and the rest of the home fans have responded in kind.

Big night for Nunez

Feels like a big night for Darwin Nunez.

With Diogo Jota fit again and Luis Diaz playing well, he has to take these opportunities when he is in from the start. I suspect he will give young Archie Gray plenty to worry about tonight, particularly if Spurs play with a higher line than we usually see visiting defences play here.

Big night for Jones

It promises to be a big night for Curtis Jones. The 24-year-old will be hoping for a more memorable 90 minutes than that first leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last month.