Liverpool

Josh Sexton
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

"We bring new players, we will adapt, we will try to understand each other and at a point, with time, we will win a trophy."

From the moment Ibrahima Konate said this about Liverpool's situation while away on international duty with France, it seemed likely that he would sign a new deal to stay at the club.

Yes, most clubs don't leave it this late to tie down their starters, but contracts have become a particularly complex sideshow over the past few years at Anfield.

Just look at the differing situations of Virgil van Dijk, Mo Salah and even Trent Alexander-Arnold across the past few years, all borne to some extent out of the transition that Liverpool's ownership found itself in when Jürgen Klopp announced he would leave the club and they looked to rehire Michael Edwards alongside Richard Hughes to help Arne Slot.

Now, they're working on a backlog, while players and their agents have no doubt tried to exploit the time pressure that has been cranked up.

This is how it always felt with Konate, a player who individually had a pretty disappointing 2025, while he was surrounded by the increasingly public contract discourse.

His management would have surely driven a percentage of that, as Liverpool fans had to face another of their players publicly flirting with the idea of moving to Real Madrid.

Yet, since La Liga's second-place side declared they weren't interested in Konate, the player has broadly been on an upward ascent again.

It must also not be forgotten that Konate's father died suddenly in January. In his first game after compassionate leave, there was a poignant moment at Anfield when the defender was in tears while celebrating a goal against Newcastle in the 4-1 win.

Find more from Josh Sexton on outlets including The Anfield Wrap, external

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As Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate confirms that he is closing in on a new contract with the Reds, we want to know your views on the news.

The 26-year-old's current deal is set to expire at the end of the season, but speaking after Liverpool's Merseyside derby win on Sunday, he said: "There are many things people have said but for a long time we have spoken with the club and we are close to an agreement.

"I think everyone wished for that for as soon as possible but we are in a good way."

He added: "For sure, there is a big chance that I'm here next season."

What do you think about Konate looking set to stay at Liverpool now? Is he the future of the club or should the Reds still be looking to recruit in the summer?

Get in touch with your views here

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

Everton fans

Paul: Disappointed with the result, but proud of the performance and I felt we deserved more. Credit to David Moyes as he was obviously going for the win whereas in previous seasons he was too conservative. If we had more class up front, then we would have got what we deserved.

Ron: No quality on our subs bench, Thierno Barry was particularly poor. Hope Jarrad Branthwaite's injury is not serious. We lack intensity when we really should be pushing the opposition. A chance lost.

Alex: Everton should be proud of that performance. We are a totally different side to the one that has struggled season after season. Without VAR to disallow Iliman Ndiaye's goal, we would've been 1-0 up. It could've been very different. However, we never looked like scoring when Beto went off injured. The subs were totally ineffective. Barry is not a Premier League-quality striker. Overall, we didn't deserve to lose the match on the balance of play.

Timothy: Everton played well for 85 minutes, but they ran out of steam. The Toffees need to work on defending corners and crosses - a Jordan Pickford weakness.

Liverpool fans

Chris: Great performance and a great result. I just want to give a shout-out to Curtis Jones, who played at full-back and he was awesome. He tried to push Liverpool forward from that position. Throughout the game he was always looking for a forward pass.

Philip: Adequate, but nothing more. We rode our luck at times and at the business end we remain too lethargic. We have a lot of work ahead of us for the 2026-27 campaign.

Wayne: They got the three points and on balance Liverpool were the better team. Today has shown we can't let Andy Robertson walk away. He is still the best left-back we have!

Keith: Thought after early Everton energy Liverpool largely controlled the game. After Florian Wirtz went off, we lost a bit of that, but unlike a lot of this season we stayed strong. The last-minute winner was as sweet as honey. That should secure us Champions League football next season, but major questions remain as to why we have struggled so much this year.

Image source, Getty Images

There is "no real progression" over Dominik Szoboszlai's Liverpool contract says the midfielder, with his current deal set to expire at the end of next season.

The 25-year-old is "relaxed" about his future and is concentrating on the Reds' final Premier League run-in, after he helped the Liverpool beat Everton on Sunday with his assist for Virgil van Dijk's last-minute winner.

"As I said [a few weeks ago], there has been no real progression, so I cannot say anything new about my contract situation," Szoboszlai said after the Merseyside derby victory, where he made his 100th league appearance.

"We have a lot of games to go and I am focusing on that.

"As you guys maybe know, my contract ends in 2028, so I am ready to go every day, every week, and then let's see.

"Of course I see myself here in the long term, but, as I say, it is not really in my hands any more. I love being here, as I said many times - I love the fans and I really like to be here. My family is happy. Let's see.

"I'm completely relaxed. We have five games to go. Then I am going to rest - a big one, after my international break - then we will see."

Match of the Day pundit Danny Murphy analyses how Liverpool's performance "got better" from a "creative" and "footballing aspect" as the Reds secured a 2-1 victory at Everton in the Merseyside Derby.

Pundits Wayne Rooney and Danny Murphy join host Mark Chapman to bring you the action and talking points from Sunday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Manchester City 2-1 Arsenal

• Aston Villa 4-3 Sunderland

• Nottingham Forest 4-1 Burnley

• Everton 1-2 Liverpool

Aadam Patel
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Arne Slot's side had lost their four previous away games in all competitions and, although a draw would hardly have been a bad result, there is no understating how big this win was for Liverpool.

It was fitting that two of the most senior players stepped up in a fixture that is always one of the biggest of the season.

Salah offered a reminder, not that it was ever needed, of his class. The Egyptian scored in his first Merseyside derby in 2017 and has now scored in his last.

Van Dijk's goal was the result of an Everton weakness identified by Liverpool set-piece analyst Lewis Mahoney that was targeted all game.

The sight of the players enjoying themselves with the travelling support was a positive sight for Liverpool, given the struggles they have endured their season.

From here on, Liverpool should secure Champions League football and there is no doubt that this win will live long in the memory.

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "What else would you expect when you play here? It was always going to be a real battle.

"My players did what I was hoping they'd do, what I expected they'd do and give Everton a big fight. In the end, scoring is a joy to see because our away fans were brilliant today. A good day for the red side of Liverpool."

On experience in the side: "There were multiple factors going in but that was one of them. From the start, we were not impressed, they were better in the first 10-15 minutes but we stood our ground.

"We got better and better in the game. The moment they scored for 1-1 was the moment I expected it the least because we started the second half well. Then towards the end we kept on pushing, were close a few times, and then scoring a goal you would expect Everton to score - a set piece - is nice for us."

On added boost of winning first derby at Hill Dickinson: "Of course. We all know it's a special occasion, the first derby in their new stadium, you know it is one for history and to beat them for the second time this year - we haven't had a lot of positive things happen for us this season, we've usually conceded late.

"To score late, you could see the reaction of our players to the fans and the fans to our players. That tells you everything about how important this game is for us."

On Mamardashvili injury: "It didn't look great, it was a big wound and he went straight to the hospital. Let's see how that works out for him but fear worst - not for a long-term injury but for next week."

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "I enjoyed it because it was a very big, important three points. First game here to good to get a win. We knew it was going to be a battle, that was expected. We responded pretty well after the first disallowed goal with the goal we scored. We had some shorts from distance and happy that I could contribute with a goal as well in the end."

On a tough season: "That's an understatement to say it's been a tough season. We've been very poor, what we are used to and should expect from Liverpool.

"We have five games left, we have to give it everything, at least qualify for Champions League. Next year we have to do much better in every sense. That's the reality. Five more games left and we have to give it everything."

Did you know?

• At 99:53, Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk scored the joint-third latest winning goal on record (from 2006-07) in a Premier League match, after Chelsea v Man Utd in April 2024 (100:41) and Newcastle v Leeds in January 2026 (101:48).

• Liverpool have won three consecutive Premier League games against rivals Everton, their joint-longest run against the Toffees in the competition, alongside runs of three in September 2001, March 2006, September 2008, and April 2017.

• In his final Merseyside derby, Mohamed Salah equalled Steven Gerrard's nine goals to be the joint-top scoring player in this Premier League fixture.

• Aged 17 years and 233 days, Rio Ngumoha became Liverpool's youngest ever appearance maker in a league Merseyside derby, surpassing Michael Owen (17y 308d).

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Everton's performance

What did you make of Liverpool's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

David Moyes names an unchanged Everton side from the team that drew 2-2 at Brentford last weekend.

Everton XI: Pickford; O'Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Gueye, Garner, Dewsbury-Hall; McNeil, Ndiaye, Beto

Subs: Travers, Patterson, Keane, Barry, George, Dibling, Alcaraz, Rohl, Iroegbunam.

For Liverpool, Arne Slot makes four changes from their defeat to Paris St-Germain with Andy Robertson, Curtis Jones, Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo all coming in.

Liverpool XI: Mamardashvili; Szoboszlai, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Jones; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Isak

Subs: Woodman, Pesci, Kerkez, Mac Allister, Chiesa, Frimpong, Nyoni, Ngumoha.

I actually thought Liverpool did OK against Paris St-Germain in midweek and had a period where they took the game to them, even if they did not get the result they needed.

Now this season is all about finishing in the top five for Arne Slot, but Everton are a good side and, if they win this, they can reel Liverpool in.

An Everton win was actually my first thought here, but I've changed my mind. I'm going to sit on the fence instead.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

There are four games in the Premier League on Sunday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Aston Villa v Sunderland

• Everton v Liverpool

• Nottingham Forest v Burnley

• Man City v Arsenal (16:30 BST)

Kick-off times 14:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction to the early games here and the late match here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Everton v Liverpool" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Man City v Arsenal", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

The first Merseyside derby to be played at Hill Dickinson Stadium, this Sunday (14:00 BST), sees these old rivals closer to each other in the league table than many would have predicted at this stage of the season. BBC Sport looks at the key themes around the fixture.

Beto hits run of goalscoring form

Everton's recent record against Liverpool may be poor but on paper this appears to be an excellent chance to notch up a rare win over their cross-city rivals. The Toffees are full of confidence and lie just five points behind the Reds, who sit in a Champions League spot, as they look to secure European football for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign.

But getting three points off Liverpool is a task that they have found incredibly hard of late. Everton won six of their first 15 Premier League meetings between 1992 and 1999, but since the turn of the century they have managed a paltry six victories in their subsequent 52 top-flight derbies.

Only once in the last 13 seasons have the Blues been within five points of Liverpool after 32 matches of a campaign.

If they do manage to secure the bragging rights it will mark the first time David Moyes' side have won three successive matches at their new home.

They have been indebted of late to the goals of much-maligned striker Beto. Only Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes (seven) has been involved in more top-flight goals since the end of February than the Guinea-Bissau striker's five, with four goals and one assist.

He puts his upturn in form down to hard work. "I know people in my position would have given up," he says. "Me? Even if I go to the last game of the season and I only have one goal to my name, I will still be there, putting in everything I have to make it right."

Reds seeking end-of-season boost

Liverpool's final chance of silverware this season was extinguished on Tuesday as they tamely bowed out of the Champions League to a Paris Saint-Germain side who proved to be a class apart over both legs.

It was their 17th defeat of a disappointing season and further heaped pressure on boss Arne Slot. He was left fuming that they were on the wrong end of a VAR call, which he feels has been a regular theme throughout the campaign. "I'm not surprised," Slot said after their 64th-minute spot-kick was overturned on review. "So many decisions have gone against us this season."

To further compound their frustrations, top scorer Hugo Ekitike has been ruled out for the season with a serious Achilles injury. Slot must now pick his players up and focus on securing Champions League football.

With this being their first match at Hill Dickinson Stadium, the Reds have the chance to become the first team to win at 60 different Premier League grounds having managed to do so at 59 of the 61 they have played at so far. For quiz fans, Kenilworth Road and Bloomfield Road are the ones they have still to conquer.

Chloe Bloxam
Fan contributor

It is the Merseyside derby this weekend and I'm extremely nervous for this game of football. I get nervous for every derby for obvious reasons but this one feels like there's more importance on it and there is a couple of reasons for that. The main one being that it's the first Merseyside derby at their new home and I just reckon they're going to be so bought into not losing the first derby at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

I reckon the players will buy into it, the fans certainly will create an incredible atmosphere which will be tough from a Liverpool perspective but the manager will be bought into it as well. And when I look back over recent years going to Goodison Park, I just feel like Liverpool weren't up for the task, they weren't up for the challenge.

At times Liverpool were bullied and you've got to put the hard yards in because you've got to be physical in these games of football when you face Everton and that is a problem for me because Liverpool this season have been so weak physically and mentally at times it feels like they haven't had a real backbone and if anything goes wrong in games of football it feels like they just can't bounce back from it and they cannot let that happen in this game. They cannot let themselves be bullied.

They have to be ready from the first whistle, they can't start slow and they've got to be ready for the physicality of this game and that is another worry for me.

In recent years it just feels like Liverpool have been the more superior side, they've definitely been more superior in terms of where they finished in the league and it feels like for a large majority we've had the better players but right now it's so hard to understand and to predict which Liverpool are going to show up.

Are you going to get the best version of Liverpool who saw off the likes of Real Madrid earlier on this season or are you going to get the Liverpool that shows up against Manchester City in the FA Cup? I just don't know but I'm really hoping that Liverpool show up with a point to prove.

It's been a really poor season by their standards. We're out of every competition, we can't win a trophy this season, we have to get top five and this game is so important for that. We need to start sharp, we need to be strong and we need to play our style of football because if we let Everton play the way that they want to play, they can bully us because that is the way they like to play football.

I think it's going to be a really tough task for Liverpool, I'm worried to see what side does show up and I know that they're going to be up for it. So an incredibly tough task, but my word, if we were to win it, it'd feel even better if we did because of the importance of it all.

To win the first Merseyside derby at the Hill Dickinson Stadium would be pretty special, but an incredibly tough task, seriously scared for it, but also the rewards of if you do win it will be absolutely incredible.

Find more from Chloe Bloxam at The Redmen TV, external

Image source, Getty Images

Former Everton and England striker Wayne Rooney says Liverpool's struggles this season are down to them missing forward players who used to "press you aggressively" and make games difficult for opponents.

Liverpool travel to their Merseyside rivals' Hill Dickinson Stadium for the first time on Sunday, hoping to boost their hopes of securing Champions League football for next season while putting a dent in Everton's charge for Europe.

Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, Rooney said: "I think some of the players they lost, with [Diogo] Jota, it was such a sad loss to everyone," Rooney said. "[Luis] Diaz, even [Darwin] Nunez was a nuisance and he wasn't great. When you go to Anfield, you used to have it with Stevie [Gerrard], with Dirk Kuyt, they used to press you aggressively. I think that's what Nunez and Diaz did. They've lost that a little bit.

"I think Van Dijk needs help as well, where Van Dijk's been the one to help his other centre-backs over his career at Liverpool. It's probably the first time where he's needed help from those around him.

"And then the full-backs changing with Trent [Alexander-Arnold] and [Andy] Robertson not playing. Now all of a sudden he's looking around the whole backline thinking, 'I need some help here'."

Guest on the show, MMA fighter and Liverpool fan Paddy Pimblett was asked how he wants Liverpool to approach the game, he responded: "Go and absolutely slap them. It's Everton, you've got to be up for it."

Watch The Wayne Rooney Show on BBC iPlayer or listen on BBC Sounds

Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League Merseyside Derby against Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium (14:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Slot was asked to react to the news Hugo Ekitike will miss the rest of the season and the World Cup with an Achilles injury: "He hasn't been operated yet. Devastating for him, coming to a new club and playing so well with so much more to come from him in the summer. First thoughts are with him being out for such along time, missing out on so many special moments. But there are so many examples of players who came back even stronger and that's the challenge he has now."

• He also confirmed defender Joe Gomez will not be fit for Sunday.

• On if he is expecting major changes to the squad in the summer: "The second leg against PSG does show the future does look bright. This team has already shown in other moments they can compete with best in Europe. I don't think in numbers [major chnages], I think in areas and of players we already know will leave. We are a trading club so let's see what happens in the summer."

• More on potential incomings and outgoings: "We know we are changing at least two players, but Kostas [Tsimikas] is coming back. First aim is to see how we react in position of Mo Salah, whether we want to replace with a similar player or do that differently. At this moment in time there's not a chance of a lot of players leaving. Of course there's Ibou Konate's contract situation. There might not be a need to change a lot if you don't need to bring a lot of players in."

• Slot was complimentary of the performance in defeat against Paris St-Germain: "They showed a lot of character. Being the better team against PSG is very complicated, let alone in three games in seven days. A lot of my players broke records in terms of physical output, that tells you how strong and ready they are. That won't be any different on Sunday."

• On the first Merseyside derby at the Hill Dickinson Stadium: "Always a very special game. First one always makes it more special if that's possible. They are in a very good place at the moment. You can add one or two percent to how special it is because it is the first one in a new stadium."

• Asked if Alexander Isak is ready for more responsibility in Ekitike's absence now he has returned from his broken leg, Slot responded: "It is a good thing we signed two number nines. A lot of people were debating why we signed two. Someone told me you couldn't write that on the day Alex started for the first time after four months Hugo got injured. It is a good thing Alex is back even more. It's nice to have Alex back but we know he is not ready to play 90 minutes."

Listen to live commentary of Everton v Liverpool on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds

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Liverpool have nine players linked with summer exits, including Argentina midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, 27, who is attracting interest from Europe, while England defender Joe Gomez, 28, remains a target for Crystal Palace, Brighton and AC Milan. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

The Reds have knocked back an approach for their sporting director Richard Hughes from Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal (Talksport), external

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

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