Liverpool.com

Tottenham Hotspur is close to appointing Thomas Frank as its new manager after parting ways with Ange Postecoglou last week.

Spurs, who considered Arne Slot as a replacement for Antonio Conte in 2023, took the decision to move on from Postecoglou despite the club's victory in the Europa League final last month, as the Australian ultimately paid the price for the team's dismal Premier League campaign.

Tottenham finished in 17th place in the league after losing 22 of its 38 games, and in several previous Premier League seasons, the 38 points that the team accumulated would not have been enough to save the club from relegation to the second tier.

Relegation would have have been humiliating for a club of Tottenham's stature, and the North London outfit hopes Frank will bring more stability to the team.

In Frank, Tottenham is getting a manager who has been highly regarded in England for several years due to his exploits with West London club Brentford.

Frank has been at Brentford since 2018, and in 2021 the club achieved promotion to the Premier League. Frank helped to establish Brentford as a top-flight club, securing two top-half finishes during his four seasons in charge.

After a game between Liverpool and Brentford during the 2023-24 season, Frank drew praise from then Reds boss Jurgen Klopp — despite Liverpool winning 3-0.

"More than 20 years ago when I started my career, I wanted to create a team that nobody wants to play against and we faced that team today," Klopp said after the game at Anfield.

"It's crazy! This spell where they had six corners in a row I thought 'oh god.' But we defended with so much passion in the moment. The goals we scored were fantastic."

Klopp's successor, Arne Slot, also had some kind words to say about Frank this season. After Frank described Liverpool as "the best team in the world" in January, Slot said: "His (Frank's) opinion means something to me because he has shown at Brentford how well he has done for so many years without spending crazy amounts of money."

Slot also showered the axed Postecoglou with praise ahead of Liverpool's Carabao Cup semi-final meeting with Tottenham earlier this year.

“They (Tottenham) have always been a certain brand of football for me and have a certain identity," Slot said. "I think Ange Postecoglou gives them that identity back completely. Ange is doing great work over there. I hope this is seen a bit more. I also hope, hope, hope that he wins a trophy.

Alexis Mac Allister’s strike against Tottenham Hotspur was voted Liverpool’s 2024/25 Goal of the Season, with the Argentinian’s effort beating competition from Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo, and Darwin Nunez.

The goal was a momentous one on the day the Reds clinched the Premier League title, as his effort put Liverpool 2-1 up in the game. Dominic Solanke had netted the opener at Anfield before Luis Diaz equalized.

Mac Allister’s distance strike was celebrated so emphatically by fans that it even caused an actual seismic event on the Richter scale. Winning the ball at the edge of the box, he fired a thunderous left-foot effort into the net, which was voted for by Liverpool fans as the best of the campaign.

There was stiff competition too, with Mac Allister’s thunderbolt emerging on top from a shortlist of 20. After a 34-goal campaign, Salah was bound to be among the contenders - in fact, he featured four times in the nominees, with the finish at Old Trafford in September coming in second.

Mac Allister’s similarly powerful goal at Fulham was third following the public vote, and Salah’s curler in the Premier League home win over Brighton & Hove Albion came in at no.4.

Nunez, Gakpo, and Diogo Jota also had goals nominated, along with submissions from the youth teams and women's side.

But for Mac Allister, it meant he stole a rare prize from Salah, who hoovered up Liverpool’s end-of-season awards. He was voted the club’s Player of the Season, along with his Premier League and FWA prizes.

The award is well deserved for Mac Allister following an excellent individual season. He played 35 league matches as the Argentinian added a Premier League winner’s medal to his impressive collection.

Mac Allister missed one league match through suspension in December and the final two due to a minor injury. Overall, he made 49 appearances and scored seven goals.

Speaking about his injury in a recent interview, the former Brighton midfielder said: “Not being on the [Argentina] roster infuriates me — sometimes it's a question I ask myself every day. But I've had some issues throughout the year."

“We're aware that we're in the national team. Good players always emerge, and that means we never relax and want to be here,” he added, while downplaying the severity of the issue.

Arne Slot has revealed that it wasn't just Tottenham who he turned down before joining Liverpool last summer. Another Premier League side also made a move to bring him to England from Feyenoord.

"Not going to Spurs was 99 per cent a family decision," he said after winning the league title at Liverpool in his debut campaign. "I even told my kids they could easily visit me in London during the school holidays. My daughter said that during the school holidays, she wanted to spend time with her friends.

"I thought moving directly from Feyenoord to Spurs was a huge deal — because who goes from Feyenoord straight to Tottenham? At Spurs and another club — I won’t mention the name myself — I had to give a presentation, explain my tactical approach, and compete against other coaches."

Instead, Slot remained patient and stuck with Feyenoord for longer than he might have. And when Liverpool came in for him, it was a different reaction to the other clubs in England who had tried to tempt him.

"When Liverpool came along last season, everything was completely different," Slot, who was speaking to Dutch outlets including PZC, continued. "Nothing surpasses Liverpool.

"I did tell my agent, Rafaella Pimenta, that I wanted to know whether I was the only candidate. If that hadn’t been the case, I don’t know if I would have gone through with it.

"Liverpool acted completely differently. Sporting director Richard Hughes came to visit me and I was surprised by how much he already knew about me.

"A few months earlier, (technical director) Julian Ward had called me. I knew him from the time when he was responsible for Liverpool’s loaned players.

"He told me he was doing a tour around Europe, visiting clubs. He asked if he could come and watch me.

"Later, I realized that his visit served a different purpose. It shows how meticulous Liverpool is in their approach."

This weekend, Liverpool will get hold of the Premier League trophy in front of fans for the first time. Virgil van Dijk will be handed the trophy by Reds legend Alan Hansen.

"There’s a lot of — how do you call it? — I won’t say dreaming because it will be a reality but I can picture it and it will be a very emotional day," Van Dijk told reporters at Stamford Bridge earlier this month.

"My family will be there, my mum, my wife, my kids. But until we get there, we must keep focusing on the games ahead of us and try to win the last three games in front of us.

"Hopefully [it will be] even better than what we had after the Champions League final. I already encouraged everyone to wear red in the last game and keep doing that for the rest of the season because everyone saw how amazing it was."

Tottenham Hotspur chiefs have taken a zero-tolerance approach as they issued "indefinite bans" to fans who sold their tickets to Liverpool supporters for the club's trip to Anfield.

In an official statement issued on the North London outfit's official website, Spurs representatives reported that Reds supporters had been refused entry and ejected from the away end at the stadium at the weekend. Tottenham claimed that the fans in question were in possession of tickets issued to the visiting team on the landmark occasion.

The club has now confirmed that any fans who re-sold tickets to Liverpool fans had contravened their in-house Sanctions and Banning policy. Issuing a firm response on the matter, they warned that unauthorized sales of tickets to opposition supporters can lead to "uncomfortable and potentially unsafe environments" on the terraces.

As a result, Tottenham's powers-that-be have written to supporters who are thought to have sold their tickets on to rival fans ahead of the trip to Anfield. They confirmed that the following sanctions have been issued to those concerned:

Immediate removal of Season Ticket

Cancellation of all match tickets – home and away – for the remainder of the 2024/25 season

Removal of all ticketing points

Indefinite Club ban – to be reviewed after three years

In a firm statement, Tottenham Hotspur officials said: "The Club has always been clear that the unauthorised resale of match tickets is strictly prohibited.

"This is considered an offence under our Sanctions and Banning policy, and we have already issued points deductions this season to individuals who have passed or resold away tickets to fellow Spurs fans.

Forwarding away tickets to fans of the home team is considered a particularly serious offence as it creates uncomfortable and potentially unsafe environments for supporters who have purchased their tickets legitimately."

They continued: "It also undermines the integrity of our ticketing point system and brings the Club’s name into disrepute. As previously communicated, we operate a zero-tolerance approach towards ticket touting and all forms of unofficial ticket resale."

In addition, the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust commented: "We support the Club’s efforts to crack down on ticket touting at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and for away tickets, where demand vastly outweighs supply.

"Selling or passing on tickets is unfair to fans who would otherwise have qualified for an away ticket or have been able to buy a home one."

Liverpool clinched the Premier League title on what proved to be a landmark ocassion in L4 at the weekend, dispatching of the visitors in a 5-1 demolition job. While the Reds will have to wait until the final game of the campaign to be handed the trophy, the victory meant that they claimed the title with four games to spare.

This brought to a close a 35-year wait for another league championship triumph won in front of fans - with the last Premier League crown having been won behind closed doors in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic. This achievement meant that Arne Slot had pulled off the feat of delivering the title in his first season after succeeding Jurgen Klopp in the managerial hotseat.

Even when Liverpool was counting down the last couple of minutes before officially becoming Premier League champion, Richarlison still managed to pick up his customary yellow card for some sort of aggravation against the Reds.

This time, he clashed with Harvey Elliott, with the Liverpool number 19 spotted putting three fingers up in his direction - possibly a reference to Everton's 30-year wait for a trophy. The Brazilian former Blues striker was furious at being mocked, and both players ended up in the referee, Thomas Bramall's, notebook.

It wasn't clear exactly what had caused the argument between Elliott and Richarlison but something had clearly been said. And the latter has now continued the feud online.

Reacting to a TikTok clip of a fan breaking down what happened between the pair, Richarlison commented: "He wants to reach 30 goals in his career I think."

Richarlison had grabbed hold of Elliott, before the Liverpool midfielder, who had replaced Luis Diaz, gave him a shove. The Spurs man is not the most popular player to visit Anfield, and he doesn't have the greatest record there either.

Due to a lack of minutes at Liverpool, in part through injury and in part through being used more as a squad option, Elliott has only scored 14 goals across 143 appearances for the Reds. He also netted seven goals for Blackburn Rovers, who he joined on a season-long loan in October 2020.

Meanwhile, Richarlison has scored 106 goals in 368 appearances for several clubs throughout his career, with 20 of them being for Spurs and 53 for Everton. He once scored a 93rd-minute equalizer against Liverpool, only for Diogo Jota to immediately go up to the other end of the field to score an even later winner.

Liverpool.com says: Elliott couldn't resist winding Richarlison up. He made the most of the celebrations after the game too, reveling in being part of the side that has now won a 20th league title.

Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou dismissed suggestions that he was still a Liverpool fan before facing the Reds this weekend, but he admitted after the game that his team couldn't cope in the Anfield atmosphere.

Goals from Luis Diaz, Alexis Mac Allister, Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah, plus an own-goal from Destiny Udogie, saw Liverpool win the match 5-1 to be confirmed as league champions. But the result was secondary to the celebrations as the Reds' players and coaching staff drank in the emotion and adulation that they have earned over the last few months.

"Credit to Liverpool, worthy champions, and they have been the outstanding team all year, consistent and again today obviously," Postecoglou said during his post-match press conference. "I thought we started the game well and sort of made things difficult for them.

"Even apart from the goal, I thought just in general we had decent territory. But once they got in front with the atmosphere inside the stadium, it's fair to say it was going to be difficult for us to claw them back, and that's how it proved."

Once Liverpool went ahead in the game through Mac Allister's sensational strike, it was always likely to ease across the line. Spurs offered little in the way of resistance as the title party began.

"It's not easy," Postecoglou said. "It's not easy on the players because if you sort of look at Liverpool's line-up, you can almost pick it on a weekly basis. I had made a lot of changes, but I just felt it was necessary.

"A lot of our players have missed a lot of this season with injuries and it wasn't just about bringing them back but managing their minutes because obviously we want them ready.

"Guys like Micky (van de Ven) and (Cristian) Romero today could have played. But they've missed so much of the season that we've just got to be really careful about when we use them.

"Guys like Pedro (Porro) and (Rodrigo) Bentancur have played a lot this year. It has been a juggling act for sure and that hasn't helped the team, hasn't helped the players and when you're facing the best you pay that price."

Liverpool comfortably beat Tottenham Hotspur 5-1 at Anfield to secure its place as 2024/25 Premier League champions, with the midfield and attackers putting in excellent displays.

But everything didn't go quite as planned in the early stages with Dominic Solanke heading in after 12 minutes to temporarily put a lid on expectant Anfield atmosphere.

It lasted just a few minutes just a few minutes though, until Luis Diaz turned in Dominik Szoboszlai's cross to restore parity - after a quick VAR check. From there, Liverpool was relentless. Cody Gakpo tapped in from Ryan Gravenberch's back-post pass - again the offside flag was raised, this time correctly. It mattered little; sooner after the Dutch midfielder regained possession at the edge of the box and Alexis Mac Allister unleashed a sublime left-foot rocket that flew beyond Guglielmo Vicario.

It was three by the end of the first half as Liverpool again capitalized on some slack Tottenham defending. This time, Lucas Bergvall's weak clearance from a corner was pounced upon by Gakpo, whose unorthodox and quick-witted finished curled in past an unsighted Vicario.

Mohamed Salah was always going to get his name in on the act and he made it 4-1 after half-time when he cut inside and unleashed an unstoppable shot. He even tried to claim Liverpool's fifth, but replays showed the ball clearly cross the line after Destiny Udogie's touch.

Here's who stood out and had a day to forget on a momentous day at Anfield.

Winners

Well everyone, really. But Salah getting back among the goals earned one of the biggest cheers of the day - he also set the record for the most goals involvements in a 38-game season. Szoboszlai, Diaz and Gakpo were also excellent, but it was Mac Allister who starred in midfield. Darwin Nunez getting a run out from the bench will have boosted his morale after a tough few weeks as well.

Losers

Conor Bradley missed out on a place in Sunday's title win due to a knock he sustained in midweek. While not a serious problem, it meant the boyhood Red wasn't part of the squad as his team was crowned champions. His absence won't convince those concerned about Bradley's injury record that he is ready to be first-choice right-back next season. Meanwhile, it was another bruising day for Tottenham once again, who was naive and second best in every department.

Player ratings

Alisson (6). Couldn't get anywhere near Solanke's header, but the few saves he had to make after that were routine.

Trent Alexander-Arnold (7). Starting a first league match for nearly two months, the right-back looked at ease. He played repeated long, accurate passes to teammates, including several down the line for Salah. It was Alexander-Arnold's pass to Salah that resulted in Udogie inadvertently tapping into his own goal.

Ibrahima Konate (7). Made a big tackle to stop Mathys Tel scoring in the 42nd minute and carried a threat from set-pieces.

Virgil van Dijk (6). Was unsettled once or twice by Solanke in the early stages, but responded well. The defender becomes the first Dutchman to captain a Premier League side to the title. Van Dijk even tried his luck from distance late on - that would have been the sweetest of moments.

Andy Robertson (6). Serenaded by the Anfield crowd at the start of the second half following a tough campaign. Robertson put in a solid display as he returned to the side and dealt well with most of Spurs' attacks down its right.

Ryan Gravenberch (8). Didn't have to worry about much defending and tended to motor forward in possession. He set up Mac Allister's pile driver and also the offside Gakpo goal.

Alexis Mac Allister (9). Outstanding from the World Cup winner, who produced one of his best displays in red. Mac Allister was everywhere, a constant presence in Liverpool's pressing game and also excellent on the ball. His left-foot strike put Liverpool in the lead, while his range of passing and speed when moving the ball bamboozled Spurs.

Dominik Szoboszlai (8). His runs from deep caused Tottenham real issues, as they did in December's meeting. Szoboszlai linked well with teammates, was dynamic in possession and provided the assist for Diaz and Salah's goal.

Mohamed Salah (8). He was destined to end his recent lean spell in front of goal against Tottenham. Salah's 62nd-minute goal was the moment fans craved as he set the record for the most goal involvements in a 38-game season, celebrating with a selfie in front of the Kop End. He had looked a little desperate to net up until then, but settled afterwards and linked well throughout.

Luis Diaz (8). His habit of dropping deep caused Spurs repeated issues and contributed to Liverpool's fluid shape. The Colombian grabbed the first goal, but like a few of Arne Slot's soldiers, was also relentless out of possession. His levels dropped a little after the break, but the forward continued his outstanding recent form.

Cody Gakpo (8). This was the Dutchman's best performance in months and his direct runs and proved hugely effective. Gakpo nearly scored a brilliant overhead kick in 10th minute and then netted with an unorthodox side-foot effort to give Liverpool a 3-1 lead in the first half.

Substitutes

Curtis Jones (7). Kept the ball well after coming on, and nearly added his name to the list of scorers.

Diogo Jota (6). Had an early shot but, with the game wrapped up, didn't really get involved in the final stages.

Harvey Elliott (N/A).

Wataru Endo (N/A).

Liverpool fans were made to wait to properly celebrate after Luis Diaz equalized against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, as VAR overturned the on-field decision.

Anfield was silenced after former Liverpool striker Dominic Solanke gave Tottenham the lead inside 12 minutes, but Diaz responded four minutes later. Dominik Szoboszlai played a stunning pass across the face of goal which left Diaz with an empty net, but the assistant referee raised his flag for offside.

It wasn't Diaz who was initially deemed in an offside position, but the official thought that Szoboszlai made his run too early before assisting the winger. However, a brief VAR review confirmed that Szoboszlai was onside, and Liverpool was awarded with the goal.

The incident was explained on the Premier League Match Centre's official X account, as they wrote: "VAR checked the referee’s call of no goal for Liverpool - and determined that Szoboszlai was in an onside position in the build-up and recommended that the goal was awarded."

The goal being awarded was key for Liverpool, as they entered Sunday needing one point to be crowned Premier League champions. However, they quickly took the lead through Alexis Mac Allister, who fired his strike into the roof of the Tottenham net from outside the area.

After 34 minutes, Cody Gakpo added to Liverpool's lead following a Mac Allister corner, as Tottenham failed to clear the ball from the penalty area, Gakpo then received a yellow card for removing his shirt in celebration.

There was a party atmosphere at Anfield ahead of the game, with Liverpool on the verge of winning its second Premier League title, and 20th success in England's top division. Liverpool ended the 30-year wait for a title during the 2019-20 season under former head coach Jurgen Klopp, but the global pandemic meant that they couldn't celebrate in front of fans.

The prospect of winning the title in front of a sold-out Anfield crowd gave Liverpool a "big responsibility" according to current head coach Arne Slot, who stressed the importance of getting the job done on Friday. Slot looks set to lift the Premier League title in his first season as Liverpool coach, but remained focused on the job in hand.

"First of all, that's a big responsibility because we are aware that the last time this club won the league it was Covid time. So everybody is looking forward to Sunday but we know that there is still a job to be done and that's at least one point," Slot said.

"That's what we know and, hopefully, our fans know as well and they support us in the best possible way they can - like they have all season - and are aware of the fact that we still need a point. We are definitely aware of that. It's a nice game to look forward to but it's also a responsibility we have for Sunday."

Liverpool was already a major favorite heading into the game, but with Tottenham's attention on other competitions, there was added hope that the title would be secured. Tottenham is enduring a disastrous Premier League season, but could save their campaign in the Europa League.

Tottenham faces Bodo/Glimt in the first leg of the Europa League semi-final on Thursday, and winning the competition would result in a Champions League spot for next season. Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou was a Liverpool fan growing up, but denied any warm feelings about their inevitable title success.

"I'm a 60-year-old adult, I've gone past my boyhood crushes. It's got no impact whatsoever. I have great admiration for the football club. Yes, I supported it when I was younger, but that was 50-odd years ago so we’ve well and truly moved on since then."

Liverpool will confirm itself as Premier League champion by avoiding defeat at home to Spurs today. And Arne Slot has named his starting XI for what could be a historic game at Anfield.

Alisson Becker is in the Liverpool goal with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson making up the back four. Kostas Tsimikas are among the substitutes but Conor Bradley is missing altogether.

Slot has picked Ryan Gravenberch in every Premier League game so far this season and the Dutchman plays as the number six once again. He is alongside Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.

Mohamed Salah, who recently signed a new two-year contract, is on the right of the Liverpool attack. Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo complete the forward line.

"One more push," Van Dijk writes in the official matchday program. "One more job to be done. One more big effort needed, from each and every one of us. One more.

"All season long, I have been speaking about the need to focus only on the next game, the next challenge. That mindset has been so important for us as we have chased our goals; we deal with what’s there in front of us rather than getting carried away with the bigger picture, with the outside noise.

"Sunday, of course, is going to be a little more difficult in that respect. Because while we are still going to be concentrating on the task in front of us, which is a tough game against Tottenham Hotspur, we also know what the day means for everyone associated with the club.

"And, well, it means everything. To win the Premier League is special, however and wherever you do it. But to do it at Anfield, in front of the most incredible supporters in the world? That’s something else entirely. It’s our dream, it’s your dream, and our aim on Sunday is to make sure that dream comes true."

"The overriding message today is very simple — we have a job to do," Slot adds. "It is a job that everyone associated with Liverpool FC should be excited about because the possibilities it creates are there for all to see but, as with every other game we have played this season, hard work will be absolutely crucial.

"So focusing on the job at hand is not just desirable, it is absolutely essential. On and off the pitch, our aim has to be to get as close as we possibly can to our A-game.

"Reaching those standards will not be easy — it never is — but it needs to be the objective of everyone who is inside the stadium today. So what we have now and in the remaining weeks of the season is a wonderful opportunity that we should grasp with both hands."

Alan Shearer, the Premier League's all-time top scorer, has expressed his doubts about Tottenham Hotspur's chances against Liverpool today. He has delivered a brutal assessment of Spurs ahead of their Anfield showdown.

Liverpool fans will be arriving at the stadium with high hopes of celebrating well into the night. The Reds only need a single point to officially secure their status as top-flight champions, following Arsenal's stumble to a draw against Crystal Palace on Wednesday.

This would be an incredible accomplishment for the team and for manager Arne Slot, who stepped into Jurgen Klopp's shoes just last summer. While Liverpool is soaring, Spurs are struggling. Despite making strides in the Europa League — they have a semi-final first leg against Bodo/Glimt on Thursday — they're languishing in 16th place in the Premier League table.

Ange Postecoglou's squad has suffered a staggering 18 losses from their 33 top-flight matches, leading to serious questions about whether he'll remain at the helm next season.

And ahead of the match, the Tottenham boss hinted at rotating his squad for the Liverpool game. With a potential Europa League trophy — and subsequent Champions League qualification — on the line, it's clear that the league is no longer their main focus.

However, in his Betfair column, Shearer criticized the current state of Spurs and predicted that Liverpool will add to their woes this weekend. "It could get messy," he admitted.

"When you look at the two teams, how could you take any Spurs players and put them into a combined XI, with how Liverpool have been in the league? So if you're asking me what the combined XI is for Spurs and Liverpool, it's Liverpool one to 11.

"That will be pretty embarrassing for any Spurs fan to read but unfortunately, it's reality. If you've gone through that many managers with that amount of finance then you've got to question other things. Because, we've said it all before about Tottenham.

"When you look at Nuno Espirito Santo, you look at Jose Mourinho, when you look at Conte. All these managers that have been there and are now being successful elsewhere - you should start to think, maybe it's not the managers.

"Ange did tell us that he always wins a trophy in his second season and he's in a semi-final. So let's see. If he doesn't win, then I would fear for the club. It would be a remarkable situation with how bad they've been in the league that they could go on and actually win that competition."

Indeed, Tottenham has endured a tough time against Liverpool this season, experiencing heavy defeats of 6-3 in the Premier League and 4-0 in the League Cup semi-final second leg, although they secured a surprise victory over the Reds in the first leg of the same competition.