A selection of Liverpool Football Club-related stories and titbits you may have missed over the past seven days…
Liverpool FC united with the rest of the footballing world over the weekend in wishing Sir Alex Ferguson a speedy recovery after the legendary figure suffered a brain haemorrhage. A statement published on Liverpoolfc.com read: “The thoughts of everyone at Liverpool Football Club are with Sir Alex Ferguson and his family following the news that the former Manchester United manager is ill in hospital. A great rival but also a great friend who supported this club during its most difficult time, it is hoped that Sir Alex will make a full recovery. In the meantime, the club will offer its full support to Manchester United and also his family.”
Left-back Andrew Robertson has declared the final day Premier League fixture against Brighton & Hove Albion as the first of two cup finals. Victory will guarantee a top-four finish for the Reds, meaning Champions League football again next season regardless of the outcome of their European Cup final with Real Madrid on May 26. “Effectively, we have got two cup finals now,” he told the Liverpool Echo. “We can’t think about Kiev. We know the media and the fans will be focused on that but for us it’s all about Brighton. We know that if we win our final game we will be in the top four, regardless of how the other results go. It’s going to be a massive game. Getting in the top four has been our main objective since the start of the season. We need to tick that off by beating Brighton. All our work this week will be going towards achieving that.”
Mohamed Salah’s in-off-the-bar curler against AS Roma at Anfield has been named Liverpool’s Goal of the Month for April. The strike beat Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s piledriver in the 3-0 home win over Manchester City in an online poll conducted by the official website.
The Egyptian forward, recently crowned PFA and FWA Player of the Year, has been shortlisted alongside Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling (both Manchester City), Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), David De Gea (Manchester United) and James Tarkowski (Burnley) for the Premier League Player of the Year award. The winner will be announced on the morning of Sunday May 13.
It could be a Premier League awards double for the Merseysiders with manager Jürgen Klopp nominated for the Manager of the Year prize. The German is vying with Pep Guardiola (Manchester City), Rafael Benitez (Newcastle United), Sean Dyche (Burnley), Roy Hodgson (Crystal Palace) and Chris Hughton (Brighton and Hove Albion). The winner will be announced on Tuesday May 15 at the LMA awards evening.
Goalkeeper Loris Karius has won the German Football Ambassador award. The accolade, presented at a ceremony in Berlin on Tuesday night, honours German coaches and players who are working abroad and convey a positive image of the country around the world.
Harry Wilson has been named the Championship PFA Player of the Month for April after four goals for loan club Hull City. The 21-year-old’s fine form helped the Tigers move clear of relegation trouble.
Liverpool U23s ended their Premier League 2 season in style with an emphatic 5-1 win over Chelsea at Anfield on Tuesday night. The result, courtesy of goals from George Johnston (two), Bobby Adekanye and Yan Dhanda (two), confirmed a second-place finish for Neil Critchley’s side. LFC U23s: Grabara, Whelan, Gallacher (Juanma, 88’), Phillips, Johnston, Coyle (Whyte, 80’), Adekanye, Kane, Millar (Gomes, 84’), Lewis, Dhanda.
A Bethany England header helped Liverpool Ladies to an excellent 1-0 win over Women’s Super League leaders Manchester City at the Swansway Chester Stadium on Tuesday evening. Scott Rogers’ side moved level on points with third-placed Reading by virtue of the result. LFC Ladies: Chamberlain, Murray, Bonner, Ingle, Harris, Longhurst (Rodgers, 81’), Coombs, Weir, Greenwood, Charles (Johnson, 71’), England.
Elijah Dixon-Bonner has been called up by England for the U17 European Championship. The midfielder is part of Steve Cooper’s 20-man squad for the tournament on home soil, which begun with a 2-1 victory over Israel on Friday.
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