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Liverpool look more and more unlikely by the game that they will retain the Premier League title.

Of course, collecting the top-flight trophy two seasons on the trot is a difficult feat even when you’re all guns blazing.

But, it’s definitely made more tricky when you assess how quickly the wheels are falling off Arne Slot’s title defence right now.

The Reds are already up to five defeats in league action this season, with newly promoted Sunderland only on two losses, in stark contrast.

Slot was also significantly backed in the summer, with the summer transfer business at Anfield no doubt catching the eye, when you consider a jaw-dropping £415m was splashed out by the Merseyside giants.

The likes of Alexander Isak and Milos Kerkez have really struggled to get going, having cost a substantial £165m alone to get through the door.

But, there is one high-profile name that is in very real danger of becoming Slot’s own Naby Keita. Yes, things really do look that bad at the moment.

The numbers behind Keita's Liverpool disaster

When Keita arrived at Anfield in 2018, there was a lot of fanfare surrounding his high-profile signing.

After all, Jurgen Klopp boldly announcde that the Guinean was the “best player in the league” in the Bundesliga when leaving behind RB Leipzig for a shot in England for a whopping a whopping £48m.

In Klopp’s defence, Keita had collected 16 goals and assists combined across all competitions for Leipzig during his swansong campaign and the former Reds number 8 did score some beautifully taken goals during his stint on Merseyside, as can be seen watching the entertaining highlight reel above.

But, with all the hype that had surrounded the capture at the time, it would have been Keita’s constant in-and-out presence in the treatment room that would have irritated Liverpool fans the most, with a staggering 122 games missed through injury for club and country across his five seasons in England.

In the end, he was let go at the expiry of his contract with Werder Bremen, with just 11 goals and seven assists to shout about.

Slot will pray he doesn’t have another Keita-like situation unfolding right now as Liverpool struggle for consistency, with another mega-money signing at risk of fading into the background.

Liverpool's Naby Keita repeat

The failed signing of Keita still stands as Liverpool’s eighth most expensive signing of all time.

Thankfully, above the hot-and-cold 30-year-old’s name in the rankings are the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai, Alisson, and Virgil Van Dijk, who are all figures Slot knows he can rely on.

Unfortunately, the same is yet to be applied to Florian Wirtz, who comes in as the Reds’ second most expensive capture at an astronomical £115m fee.

The German’s arrival from Bayer Leverkusen met with the same Keita-level hysteria, having been dubbed a “generational” talent by sports media professional Christian Nyari just last season.

With 57 goals and 65 assists under his belt for Leverkusen, it can be rationalised as to why Liverpool blew such a large chunk of their budget on Wirtz instantly coming good.

Indeed, Reds journalist Bence Boscak pleaded in the summer that Slot and Co needed to land his signature “whatever” the price may be.

Yet, much like they found out with Keita, blistering form in the Bundesliga doesn’t necessarily mean they will instantly hit the ground running on English shores, with Wirtz still yet to collect a single goal or assist in Premier League action.

Wirtz was particularly ineffective last time out as Liverpool were reminded of how far they’ve fallen in such a short space of time against Manchester City, with an unmemorable 39 touches of the ball seeing the German fail to amass one single key pass.

It’s even clearer from the graphic above how much the number 7 has been “struggling” – as journalist Mark Ogden has noted – in his new surroundings, with both his take-on success percentage rate and duels being won per ninety minutes success rate taking a significant hit.

Analyst Darnish Iqbal has even branded the deal as a “disaster”, with it not being a stretch to state that it is Liverpool’s biggest disappointment in the transfer window since Keita joined way back in 2018. Perhaps the Reds should avoid the Bundesliga for now?

Wirtz, hopefully, won’t fall victim to Keita’s same fate in leaving for cheap though, with glimmers of his quality here and there – as seen in the playmaker amassing five key passes against Real Madrid – meaning Liverpool will hold onto him for the time being, praying he hits his Leverkusen heights on a consistent basis down the line.

Not Wirtz or Isak: Liverpool's "nervous wreck" at risk of becoming Nunez 2.0

Liverpool have fallen by the wayside under Arne Slot’s leadership this season.

By
Angus Sinclair

Nov 12, 2025

Captain suffers another in-match injury as batting collapses in his absence

Firdose Moonda07-Sep-2025Temba Bavuma has suffered a left calf strain in the field in the third ODI against England and will only bat if required. The severity of the injury is yet to be determined but the niggle may cause some alarm bells for South African cricket. There are five weeks until they begin their World Test Championship title defence in Pakistan.This is Bavuma’s second in-match injury this year, after he strained his hamstring early in his innings during the World Test Championship final in June. On that occasion, he continued batting and made 66 in a match-winning 147 run third-wicket partnership with Aiden Markram. However, he missed South Africa’s Tests in ZImbabwe in July as he recovered from the injury.”It is a little bit sore now. I will know properly when I get home,” Bavuma said, when asked about the seriousness of his injury.Bavuma returned to action in the ODI series against Australia last month, where he played two of the three matches as his workload was managed. That was due to continue in this series but Bavuma has started all three matches. He is not part of the T20 squad and will next be in action in the Tests in mid-October.The latest setback will also be a concern for Bavuma as he looks to build towards the 2027 home ODI World Cup, where he hopes to lead South Africa. Bavuma will be 37 at the time of the tournament and, given his history of injury, may not be fit enough to play through the event. Bavuma had a hamstring injury at the 2023 World Cup and again in Tests against India later that year. He also has a long-standing elbow injury and bats with heavy strapping.In his absence, South Africa collapsed to 72 all out and a record 342-run loss in the third ODI, with Wiaan Mulder – Bavuma’s replacement at No.3 – falling for a duck.

Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac are yet to oversee a repeat of their Wrexham success in another venture with South American club La Equidad, with that team – which also includes Eva Longoria among its backers – ending the 2025 Colombian top-flight campaign in last place. There is only one way up from the bottom, with a major rebrand set to be delivered in 2026.

• Relocation project: Why La Equidad are being moved

  A standing at the foot of the division was confirmed on Wednesday when taking in a final outing of what has been a disastrous season. La Equidad did win that contest, against Deportivo Pereira, 4-0 but were unable to become upwardly mobile.

  They will be hoping positive steps in the right direction are taken next season, but will no longer be operating in their current guise. The team will compete under a new name, while donning different colours, in 2026 as Reynolds and Longoria begin to make their mark.

  Colombian reporter Felipe Sierra said at the time of relocation proposals first being aired: “Not only is the name change being evaluated, but also the change of city. It is one of the alternatives, although the name is almost a fact. Next week the document has to be signed to make the transfer official.”

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  Bright future: Big plans for Colombian outfit

  Fans were encouraged to attend the final fixture in 2025 as La Equidad took to the field one last time. The club posted on social media: “Let’s experience together the close of a story that defined Colombian football.”

  Club president Nicolas Maya delivered an end-of-season message as he outlined the team’s vision for what they hope will be a brighter future. He apologised for the shocking 2025 campaign, with La Equidad ending the year with a record of three wins against 12 defeats and a goal difference of -15.

  Maya said: “We know that the sporting results this season were not what we expected nor what our fans deserve. We made risky decisions, betting on young talent and building a model with projection, but not everything went as we wanted. Even so, we are convinced it was a necessary step to start building something lasting and sustainable.”

  He hinted at the mooted rebranding being announced shortly, saying of the planned changes that are about to be implemented: “Many of them will be known soon.” La Equidad are preparing to move out of their Bogota base.

• Who forms part of the La Equidad ownership group?

  The team was taken over by a U.S. consortium in January 2025. Said group is fronted by real estate investor Al Tylis and Club Necaxa executive Sam Porter but also includes Reynolds, Mac, Longoria, MLB superstar Justin Verlander and his model wife Kate Upton.

  They are said to have purchased a 99 per cent stake in La Equidad at a valuation of over $30 million (£23m) – as reported by .

  It remains to be seen what the new ownership team have in store, with it possible that inspiration will be taken from other ventures at Wrexham and Necaxa. Reynolds, Mac and Longoria have made a point of combining their sporting interests with their love of storytelling, with documentary series being delivered in Wales and Mexico.

  Those productions are intended to cover resurgences on and off the field, with ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ opening up a window to the world for a club that has risen out of the National League in British football and to within touching distance of the Premier League.

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  Another documentary after success at Wrexham & Necaxa?

  A docuseries all about Necaxa – who boast ex-Arsenal and Real Madrid playmaker Mesut Ozil among their investors – was released on FX and Hulu in August 2025. With Reynolds, Mac and Longoria among the executive producers, that show intends to showcase how celebrity owners will “reignite the soul of one of Mexico’s most storied football clubs”.

  A similar project could be lined up for La Equidad, as they enter a bold new era, with famous faces behind the scenes hoping to oversee a renaissance there that delivers more drama for a worldwide audience that can be drawn in through global streaming services.

Kent’s T20 captain addresses talk on his England candidacy and bringing his franchise success home to Canterbury

Andrew Miller15-Mar-2025Sam Billings doesn’t exactly roll his eyes at the question, but knows it is coming, and he delivers his answer with a grin.”It’s funny how everyone just picks out a specific quote and then, once you’ve read the context, you’re like, actually, he’s been pretty balanced and measured there, but the quote obviously sticks out. It gets you to read the piece.”Billings might as well be describing the subtle art of headline-writing (and bracing for the one above, no doubt!), but in fact he’s clarifying his comments, as reported in the wake of Wednesday’s Hundred draft, that he’d “jump” at the chance to be England’s next white-ball captain. The nuance, he explains, is a little bit more subtle than that.At the age of 33, Billings is technically entering the autumn of his career – although, as he points out, Faf du Plessis is still at the top of his game aged 40. And besides, “you can take five years off that, because I did five years running the drinks … so I’m actually a 28-year-old!”However you carbon-date him, Billings’ time with England was not without its highlights (in between those long bouts of bench-warming) but he is having the time of his life right now, precisely because he has long since stopped worrying about chasing the dream.In February 2023, Billings opted out of a white-ball tour of Bangladesh to fulfil his contract with Lahore Qalandars, and though the ECB insisted he and his fellow refuseniks would not be punished for their choices, he’s never been in the mix since. Seeing as he had been averaging 47.88 with a strike rate of 91.12 in ODIs since the 2019 World Cup, you could argue he’d have been a handy option at either or both of those last two ICC events.Instead, he’s channelled that form and focus into the lucrative world of franchise cricket. Billings is a two-time winning captain of The Hundred with Oval Invincibles, led Dubai Capitals to the ILT20 title last month, while his three-year deal with Sydney Thunder hit instant pay-dirt in the BBL in January, as he helped haul last year’s wooden-spoonists up to the play-offs, with promise of better times yet to come.”I made that decision a couple of years ago, and all the cricket I have played since then has been incredibly enjoyable,” Billings says. “Like anything in life, if you keep chasing something and putting all your eggs in that basket, it actually eludes you even more.”I’m content, I’m winning things, and I’m playing good cricket. You wouldn’t turn down an opportunity, but you’ve got to have clarity and control, and stand up for yourself a little bit. Every decision you make in life, there’s a cost to it, and I’m very aware of the cost of the decision a couple of years ago. But that’s fine. I’m 33. I’m here to win games of cricket and play consistently and perform.”Billings is a two-times winning captain in the Men’s Hundred with Oval Invincibles•PA Photos/Getty ImagesRecent fatherhood has been a factor in Billings’ contentment, too. “Obviously, life has changed a little bit for me the last couple of years, having a little one,” he says. “It just gives you that perspective and real clarity about what cricket you want to play, and what you want to achieve yourself, as opposed to what other people want for your career. Ultimately, as a professional sportsman, just you want to win.”As he acknowledges, the fact he has been winning so much in recent years is one key reason why his name is even remotely in the frame for the England captaincy. However, he can’t help but recognise the absurdity of the situation too.”It’s funny in all these conversations, when Rooty [Joe Root] gave up the [Test] captaincy, my name was there,” he says, before recalling the crazy circumstances around his Test debut in 2022, when he drove for 12 hours down the Gold Coast from Brisbane to Sydney to bail England out of a wicketkeeping crisis ahead of the fifth Test in Hobart. “Like all of these things, I only get called when they’re desperate!”On a serious note, it’s obviously flattering, and I’d love to have the opportunity [to play for England] again. But there’s a reason why your name gets mentioned, if I’m honest. My track record over the last few years, every team I go into, it gets better. I’m not saying that’s all down to me, but I like to be a part of that influence, and shape things. And that’s probably narrowed people’s focus, because international cricket is about winning games of cricket.”One area where that hasn’t been quite such a given for Billings has been on the home front with Kent, for whom he remains T20 skipper after handing over the club captaincy to Daniel Bell-Drummond last year. He did guide the side to glory in the T20 Blast in 2021, but last year’s campaign was a rough one, even though Billings’ personal haul of 411 runs at 31.61 included a maiden Blast hundred, from just 54 balls, against Somerset in June. That was one of just four wins in 14 games, as Kent finished rock-bottom in the South Group.Sam Billings and his opposite number Lockie Ferguson pose with the trophy on the eve of last month’s ILT20 final•ILT20″I would love Kent to be right at the very top, but how we do that, how we how we get there, it’s obviously going to be a long journey,” he says, although the coming season promises to be a fascinating season nonetheless – and not simply because of the stature of their incoming head coach, Adam Hollioake, a man whose aura was on full display during his unveiling at their pre-season media day on Friday.”A 10 minute chat with him, not even about cricket, and you understand the journey that he’s been on,” Billings says. “He’s had various challenges that he’s had to move through and, as a man, I’m just looking forward to soaking it all up and learning from him. He’s obviously a tough guy externally, but internally as well. And that’s what we need. He’ll have an incredible impact on our group.”Few clubs epitomise the history of county cricket to quite such an extent as Kent, while at the same time having such an ostensibly small stake in the game’s future direction. And given his dual allegiance to the big beasts of Surrey through his exploits with Oval Invincibles, few players are better placed than Billings to gauge the delicate balance between English cricket’s haves and have-nots, in the wake of The Hundred equity sale.”That’s the key word, balance,” he says. “The amount of money that has the potential to come into the game is incredible, but with any investment, it’s about how you use that progressively and smartly.”Only Yorkshire has more cricket clubs in their own county than Kent,” Billings adds. “So how can we utilise that really strong cricketing culture, to make it sustainable, both from a county system point of view, so we can keep on producing players, but also from a business point of view for the future and ongoing generation?”I’m obviously a player, but I’m very aware of the stage of career that I’m at. We’re only custodians of the game, and we need to preserve it and make sure people can continue to enjoy it, and it goes from strength to strength. And this is the opportunity. I live in hope from a Kent perspective.”

Shohei Ohtani recorded his 1,000th hit in MLB on Wednesday, and he did it in very Ohtani-like fashion.

The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar came to the plate in the third inning and sent mammoth two-run shot over the wall in center field. It was his 39th home run of the year, and more importantly, hit No. 1,000 for the Japan native since his arrival from NPB in 2018.

Wednesday's tilt against the Cardinals was Ohtani's 973rd game in MLB, and he was doing a bit of everything at Busch Stadium. In addition to becoming the 59th active player with 1,000 hits in MLB, Ohtani was also dominating on the mound for the Dodgers, making his eighth pitching appearance of the season.

He racked up eight strikeouts in just four innings and lowered his season ERA to 2.37 in the process. He then gave himself some run support by launching the 440-foot home run. His 39 homers rank third in MLB and second in the National League, trailing only Cal Raleigh and Kyle Schwarber.

With the international break coming to an end, Celtic have now reportedly discovered when Wilfried Nancy is likely to take charge for the first time after submitting a £2m compensation offer to Columbus Crew.

The Bhoys have been without a manager since the departure of Brendan Rodgers, but have watched on as Martin O’Neill has rolled back the years on an interim basis. The 73-year-old has taken his old club into a Scottish League Cup final, which will take place with or without him against against St. Mirren on December 14.

As things stand, O’Neill will still be in charge for Celtic’s return to action against St. Mirren in the Scottish Premiership this weekend in a preview of that aforementioned final. The veteran manager recently addressed fans, admitting that it was a “bit of a whirlwind fortnight” before the international break.

After this weekend’s clash, however, the Hoops may move closer to their managerial appointment. After being linked with the likes of Kieran McKenna and Ange Postecoglou throughout the process, it looks as though Nancy could be arriving.

Celtic learn Nancy timeline with deal close

As reported by TeamTalk, Celtic have now submitted a £2m compensation package to sign Nancy from Columbus Cew along with multiple members of his backroom team. The board hope to have their new manager in the dugout by November 30, when they square off against Hibernian.

The Bhoys are also reportedly close to agreeing personal terms with the MSL manager, with comparisons to Postecoglou instantly making him a top target around Celtic Park.

Nancy can forget Maeda by making £325k-per-week star his 1st Celtic signing

Celtic’s potential new manager could forget about Daizen Maeda by signing this reported transfer target.

By
Dan Emery

Nov 18, 2025

Often operating in a 3-4-2-1 system, it will certainly be interesting to see whether Nancy adjusts his ways right away in Scotland. It’s rare that Celtic are seen in such a formation, but it’s one that has brought their potential new manager plenty of success in America.

Having earned plenty of praise during his time in the MLS, Nancy now looks destined to become the next Celtic manager.

He's better than Kenny: Nancy could unearth Celtic's new Kyogo very quickly

Nair talks about his return, Gill’s captaincy, Gambhir’s message, and how the Lord’s Test galvanised the team

Shashank Kishore09-Aug-20252:33

Ten Doeschate: Karun has been asked to do a tough job on this tour

Standing for the national anthem on the opening day of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Headingley, Karun Nair felt goosebumps run down his arms. Even imagining that moment had felt out of reach three years ago, but to live it again came as close as anything to the feeling of wearing the India cap for the very first time.”To get that opportunity was one of the best days of my life,” Nair tells ESPNcricinfo. “Just the feeling of, ‘yeah, finally I’ve made it again’. That was the moment for me.”It’s barely been a week since India’s stunning 2-2 Test series in England ended, but Nair is back on the road. Despite nursing a bruised right index finger – the result of a sharp blow from a Gus Atkinson bouncer in the second innings at The Oval – his focus is shifting to the Maharaja Trophy T20, where he’ll be a key figure in Mysore Warriors’ title defence.Related

• 'Very grateful and fortunate' – Nair on second chance at Test cricket

• Stats: Karun Nair ends 3149-day wait

• Karun Nair fifty resists England on rain-hit day

He is not back in the nets just yet. “Maybe in a week, or whenever the Centre of Excellence gives me the go-ahead,” he says. But he’s already keeping a close watch on training. His voice is hoarse, almost a whisper, prompting a laugh when asked if it’s the result of post-series celebrations.”Not really,” he chuckles. “We didn’t overdo anything.”The celebrations “weren’t as much as people think”, and the mutual respect ran deep. After wrapping up their post-match revelry, the Indian players made their way to the England dressing room.”We had a good chat, both teams were respectful of the fact that it was a great series,” Nair says. “Brendon McCullum mentioned it was the greatest Test series to be played in recent memory. As players, we didn’t feel the magnitude of it during the matches, but looking back at how the moments panned out, as a group, we feel we achieved something special.”Karun Nair celebrates his fifty at The Oval•Getty ImagesThe series completed a circle of sorts for Nair, who had waited eight years for “another chance” he had pleaded for in a remarkable show of vulnerability on social media during his lowest ebb in 2021.The journey was paved with resilience, cricket detours in England’s village greens and later in the county circuit, and a mountain of runs in domestic cricket. When the India call finally came, he walked into a dressing room that emphasised a “team-first” attitude.”Right at the very beginning, Gauti [Gautam Gambhir] said, he doesn’t want us to look at it as a team in transition,” Nair says. “He didn’t want us to feel that way. The first message we got was ‘this isn’t a young team, this is a gun team and everyone must feel it from within’. The messaging within the group was that everyone plays for the team and supports each other. It’s one thing for the coach or the captain to say it, but to feel it was amazing.”Nair was particularly effusive in his praise for Shubman Gill’s handling of the team, while also rising to the challenges of filling the void at No. 4 after Virat Kohli’s Test retirement.”The way Shubman held everyone together and the encouragement he gave was great to see. He was crystal clear with his communication from the beginning. To achieve what he did as a batter, while also leading the team…as a leader, he exemplified the spirit of Gauti .Karun Nair scored 205 runs in the series, at an average of 25.62•Getty ImagesNair himself had a far from satisfying series, though. His eight innings brought him 205 runs, and just one half-century, at The Oval. He got starts in nearly every innings but couldn’t make them count.”I was disappointed at not being able to convert the start at The Oval into a century,” he says. “But looking back, it was quite important to grind my way on that first day with the team in a tricky position. I’d done well there previously; I’d gotten a 150 for Northants against Surrey. The nerves were there, but I was feeling good. I was hoping to convert, which I couldn’t.”It was an up-and-down series in that sense, and I did reflect a lot. But it’s also important to let go of what has happened and look forward to what I need to do in the next few months. It’s about keeping my focus levels up and making sure I go on and make big scores, irrespective of the level I’m playing at.”Nair picked out the late Lord’s fightback from India’s lower order on day five as one that galvanised the dressing room. “From that position, where we had lost so many wickets, to see the fight Nitish [Kumar Reddy] and [Mohammed] Siraj put with Jaddu [Ravindra Jadeja] was inspiring,” he says. “That never-give-up attitude was on display. There was disappointment at losing the Test but everyone was inspired.”Then to see Rishabh walk out to bat with a broken toe – it was one of the moments of the series. It was astonishing for everyone to see. It told you what a great player he is, and more importantly, the person he is. That kind of exemplified the philosophy of the team. Of putting everything first for the team, it’s not about individuals.”

He replaced Edward Moore for Western Province in South Africa’s first-class competition

Firdose Moonda04-Oct-2025Western Province opening batter Joshua van Heerden has become the first like-for-like injury replacement under a new trial for substitutes in cricket. Van Heerden replaced Edward Moore in a provincial four-day game against Lions at Newlands in the second round of the CSA’s first-class competition. Moore suffered a tear to his left adductor (inner thigh muscle) while fielding on the second day.The trial, which is also being conducted in Australia’s Sheffield Shield and India’s Duleep Trophy and Ranji Trophy, is part of an ICC initiative seeking a solution for teams that lose players to serious injury during a match.Like Australia, South Africa will consider both internal and external injuries (India are only looking at external injuries for now) and have a strict protocol for determining when a player can be replaced. If the injury is internal, such as a muscle tear, which was the case with Moore, the player is required to go for an Ultrasound and/or an MRI scan. The report is then sent to CSA’s chief medical officer Dr Hashendra Ramjee and CSA’s cricket operations manager Obakeng Sepeng who study the results and determine if the injury is serious enough to allow for replacement. They then contact the match referee to confirm the decision. If the injury is external, such as a visible dislocation or broken bone, the match referee can make the decision on a substitute in consultation with Dr Ramjee and Sepeng.Related

• BCCI introduces 'serious injury replacement substitute' rule

• CA to trial injury subs with tactical twist in Sheffield Shield

The injured player can only be replaced provided he has been ruled out of the match in its entirety. He will then be required to satisfy a “stand-down period of seven days”, as stated in CSA’s updated playing conditions before returning to play. In Australia’s case, substitutions are only allowed until stumps on the second day and the injured player is mandated a 12-day non-playing period. Like Australia and India, South Africa are only trialling the system in multi-day cricket for now.The differences in protocol stem from the ways in which different countries want to trial the system. They will all report back to the ICC, which could then come up with regulations for like-for-like substitutions in the international game. Currently, substitutions in international cricket are only allowed for concussion.

Wayne Rooney has slammed Liverpool's 'leaders' after the Reds fell to a disappointing 3-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon. Goals from Murillo, Nicolo Savona and Morgan Gibbs-White condemned the Premier League champions to a sixth league defeat of the season as their title defence lies in tatters following another subpar showing.

• AFP
  

  Liverpool enduring a difficult campaign

  Liverpool were already eight points off league leaders Arsenal heading into the weekend's action and they needed a victory over Sean Dyche's Forest side in order to kickstart a comeback in the title race. However, they could be 11 points behind the Gunners should Mikel Arteta's men claim all the spoils in the north London derby against Tottenham on Sunday.

  The Reds have now lost as many games as newly-promoted Leeds ahead of their meeting with Aston Villa today and the Merseyside outfit are struggling to match last season's expectations that saw them secure a first Premier League title since 2020. The tragic passing of Diogo Jota combined with player upheaval has contributed to a poor opening few months of the campaign.

  And former Manchester United and Everton striker Wayne Rooney tore into the Reds on Match of the Day on Saturday night, with the ex-England hero pointing fingers at the club's 'leaders' in the dressing room as a reason behind the poor form.

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• The leaders need to pick the players up, says Rooney

  In the post-Liverpool vs Forest segment on Match of the Day, Rooney said: "Liverpool are a very good team and they're going through a very difficult moment. They've been going through a tough time all season really. Even at the beginning of the season, they won games, but they were struggling with performance. Throughout the season, it's those leaders in that dressing room that have to pick the players up."

  Rooney added that unless the club can sort themselves out in the coming weeks, then they'll be the latest Big Six side to drop down the Premier League table, continuing: "We've seen it over the last few years with Manchester United and we've seen it last year with Tottenham, they can slip down the table."

  United endured their worst ever Premier League finish under Ruben Amorim last season, as they finished 15th. Combined with a Europa League final loss to Tottenham, the Red Devils are going through a campaign without any European football of note.

  Spurs, meanwhile, ended their lengthy wait for silverware as they beat United 1-0 in Bilbao in May, but the league form suffered as the north London side prioritised the Europa League, which meant they finish 17th on 38 points.

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  Liverpool boss Slot laments 'another big disappointment'

  Liverpool boss Arne Slot admitted after the loss to Forest that the result itself was "another big disappointment" with the Reds now on a run of six defeats in their last seven league outings.

  "Another big disappointment," Slot started after Saturday's defeat. "We started off quite well for the first half an hour. We conceded the 1-0, and we weren’t able to play the way we did in the first half hour.

  "If things go well or things go bad, it’s my responsibility. We weren’t able to create enough. I tried to adjust a few things, but it didn’t work out. We were unable to score a goal. You never know in this stadium, if you score a goal, then things can work out."

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  Reds not up to 'battles, challenges, the fight' states Van Dijk

  Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk also claimed that the club are not up to the "battles, challenges, the fight" as the Dutchman discussed the performance with Premier League Productions.

  "We concede too many easy goals," Van Dijk started. "They scored obviously from a set piece again. You can ask if he was in front of Alisson, but it counted, so we’re 1-0 down. We were not good in terms of battles, challenges, the fight, too rushed. It’s a very difficult situation at the moment.

  "There was nervousness after we conceded, but not before. We tried to rush things and that’s human when you’re in a difficult moment. We cleared the ones before and in the end, we’re in a very difficult moment. We don’t get out of it by just speaking about it. It will take a lot of hard work.

  "It’s a problem. Everyone in the team has to take responsibility as well. Football is a team and everyone has to take responsibility. We have to digest this and take it on the chin. We need to work harder. We have to keep going."

  The Reds skipper continued "We concede too many easy goals. They scored obviously from a set piece again. You can ask if he was in front of Alisson, but it counted, so we’re 1-0 down. We were not good in terms of battles, challenges, the fight, too rushed. It’s a very difficult situation at the moment.

  "There was nervousness after we conceded, but not before. We tried to rush things and that’s human when you’re in a difficult moment. We cleared the ones before and in the end, we’re in a very difficult moment. We don’t get out of it by just speaking about it. It will take a lot of hard work.

  "It’s a problem. Everyone in the team has to take responsibility as well. Football is a team and everyone has to take responsibility. We have to digest this and take it on the chin. We need to work harder. We have to keep going.

  "I can’t decide what the supporters are doing if they leave early. I know the fans have been through thick and thin with us. They will be there with us when we come out of this because we will come out of this."

The Brewers turned one of the most improbable double plays in MLB postseason history on Monday night, thanks to some abysmal baserunning from Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández.

An attempted home run robbery from Sal Frelick ultimately resulted in an incredibly rare 8-6-2 double play, the first of its kind in the history of the MLB playoffs, thanks to an abundance of confusion on the base paths during the fourth inning of Game 1. In short, Hernández failed to score from third base despite the ball being live at the center field wall after Frelick failed to come up with the heroic home run robbery.

Hernández addressed the incident on Tuesday, and he didn't mince words while taking ownership of his mistake.

"I f—ed up," said Hernández, via Bob Nightengale of . Hernández said that he's watched the replay of the incident and said he was entirely to blame for the mistake he made on the bases.

On the play in question, Hernández was thrown at out the plate after Frelick gathered the ball and rifled it to the cutoff man, Joey Ortiz. Hernández should have left third base the moment the ball hit Frelick's glove, but he remained on the base for far too long, enabling the defense to throw him out at home.

Milwaukee was then able to get the force out at third base, because catcher Will Smith had run back to second as if the runners needed to tag up.

It was a confusing play, to say the least, but Hernández acknowledged the significance of his mistake and took accountability for not getting the run home. Ultimately, the Dodgers were able to edge out a 2–1 victory over the Brewers, but they'd have gotten some crucial insurance runs in the fourth had Hernandez been more alert on the base paths.