ANFIELD’S NEW ROBERTSON: HOW MILOS KERKEZ SILENCED THE CRITICS AGAINST BRIGHTON
Liverpool beat Brighton 3-0! Read about Milos Kerkez's masterclass and the Rio Ngumoha goal controversy in the 2026 FA Cup now.
Liverpool could’ve easily let that painful finish against Manchester City drag them down. Instead, they bounced back with real grit, a tough Premier League win over Sunderland and then a smooth FA Cup victory against Brighton on Saturday night.
That win over Brighton felt solid. Sure, they’re struggling in the league, but let’s not forget, they knocked out Manchester United in the last round, and, on their day, they can push anyone.
Honestly, Liverpool deserved even more goals. The officials got a couple of calls wrong, and Rio Ngumoha was especially unlucky to have his goal ruled out.
I have to mention that the first goal – I loved it. Milos Kerkez set up Curtis Jones, and you just don’t see full-backs combining like that very often. Real awareness from both of them. Special stuff.
I’d been hoping Arne Slot would take the FA Cup seriously, so it was good to see him name such a strong lineup, even with a few changes mixed in.
Alisson Becker's start was a bit of a shock, but it paid off. That save from Diego Gomez before halftime kept things steady. That’s two clean sheets on the bounce, which has to boost the defenders’ confidence.
You could see the difference late on at Sunderland, too. There wasn’t that familiar sense of panic as they protected a narrow lead. That’s how it needs to be for the rest of the season.
There’s just no room for big mistakes now. With so much riding on these last three competitions, one slip in a cup and you’re out. Mess up in the league, and top-four hopes are toast.
One thing still nags at me: Liverpool keeps starting games so slowly. It’s almost a running joke now.
Maybe that’s just Slot’s way; he likes control, not the wild, fast starts you’d see with Klopp. But this season, it’s way more obvious.
It definitely takes the edge off home games sometimes. The crowd doesn’t have much to get excited about early on. Clearly, Slot wants Liverpool to figure out the opponent’s plan, then turn up the tempo once they’ve got a grip on things.
But other teams have noticed. Some are coming out flying, trying to catch us cold. It can feel like Liverpool is showing too much respect instead of just backing themselves.
I get the cautious approach after those poor results earlier this season, but that’s behind us. It’s time to come out of the blocks faster.
Now that the title race is done, Liverpool should go all out for the FA Cup. It’s a real shot at a trophy.
Kerkez is growing in confidence.
What a turnaround for Milos Kerkez. Against Brighton, he was Liverpool’s best player, and it’s not the first game he’s stood out lately.
People forget how tough it is to step up and play for Liverpool. Sure, Kerkez has Premier League experience, but playing in front of 10,000 at Bournemouth every other week is nothing like the pressure and spotlight you get at Anfield.
Only Manchester United comes close to matching Liverpool’s intensity in that sense. The sheer size of the club – it’s massive.
Kerkez struggled at first, and playing in a team that wasn’t firing didn’t help. But now you can see his confidence. He’s proving that the signings Liverpool made last summer have huge potential; they’re already starting to deliver.
And as a left-back, Kerkez is bringing some of that same energy and drive Andy Robertson has given the team for years. He’s showing he’s a more than worthy replacement.
FINANCIAL EXPERTS PREDICT £120M HIT IF LIVERPOOL MISS 2026-27 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SPOT
Liverpool face a £120m disaster: Read about the Champions League race, Arne Slot’s anger, and the impact of the £400m summer spend.
Liverpool’s in a tight spot right now. After losing to Wolves at Molineux, they’re clinging to fifth place, usually good enough for a Champions League spot, but the cushion isn’t exactly comfortable. They’re just three points ahead of Chelsea, who still have a game in hand against Aston Villa. That race is heating up fast.
Virgil van Dijk summed it up pretty well: “Either we get it, and we deserve it, or we don’t get it, and we don’t deserve it. If you play for Liverpool, it’s always been like this. It’s down to us, together with our fans, to get the results we need to get into the Champions League.” He also mentioned that Arne Slot, the head coach, wasn’t exactly thrilled after the loss; “angry” was the word he used.
But it’s not just about pride or missing out on big European nights. There’s a lot of money on the line. Football finance expert Kieran Maguire pointed out that missing out on the Champions League could leave a big dent in Liverpool’s bank account, even if the club runs pretty sensibly these days.
UEFA’s numbers tell the story. Liverpool earned €98.1 million (£85.3 million/$114 million) just for reaching the last 16 of the 2024–25 Champions League. Compare that to the Europa League, where they only received €26.8 million (£23.3 million/$31.1 million) for reaching the quarterfinals last season. The gap is massive.
Even winning the lesser European trophies doesn’t come close. Tottenham got €41.4 million (£36 million/$48.1 million) for winning the Europa League, and Chelsea picked up €21.8 million (£20 million/$26.7 million) for the Conference League. It’s nowhere near what Champions League teams bring home.
Maguire also pointed out the other hits: fewer home match days, less broadcast cash, and sponsors that pay out less when the club misses the top tier. He reckons missing out could cost Liverpool around £120 million ($160 million). Still, he doesn’t think it’ll sink the club.
And it’s not like Liverpool have been shy about spending. Last summer alone, they shelled out more than £400 million ($534.5 million) on big names like Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak – the biggest single-window spend in football history, actually.
Even with all that, Liverpool just reported record revenues of £703 million ($939 million) for the year ending May 2025, turning a modest £8 million ($10.7 million) profit. And here’s the kicker: despite that wild summer, Liverpool ranks only eighth in net transfer spend over the past five years. They’ve been splashing the cash, sure, but they’ve kept things balanced in the long run.
WHAT’S MISSING? WHY 16 GOALS AND 6 ASSISTS AREN'T ENOUGH FOR HUGO EKITIKE
Liverpool's top scorer Hugo Ekitike reflects on a massive win at Anfield and explains why he’s still hungry for more goals.
Hugo Ekitike isn’t exactly thrilled with his goal tally for Liverpool this season, even though he’s still leading the pack as the club’s top scorer.
He got his 16th goal of the season on Saturday, kicking things off in Liverpool’s 5-2 win over West Ham at Anfield. Not bad for his debut year. Plus, the 23-year-old, who came over from Eintracht Frankfurt last summer for up to £79 million, set up two more goals for Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo. That puts him at 22 goal involvements so far.
Still, Ekitike thinks he’s got a lot more to give. He missed solid chances against Nottingham Forest, Sunderland, and Manchester City recently, and that’s still bugging him.
“To be honest, I could score more,” he said. “I’m not that happy! But it’s not just about goals; it’s assists too. On Saturday, I set up one or two. As long as I’m helping the team and being involved, that’s what really matters. I want to win, so in that way, I’m happy.
“Obviously, I can improve. I could’ve scored in those last games; I had some good chances. So I’ll keep working. I want to be the best I can for the team, because I know I can do more.
“It’s all about learning and getting better. I’ll try to step it up in the next games, score more, and get involved even more.”
His goal against West Ham came after Liverpool kept the pressure on from a corner. Four of their goals that day came straight from, or just after, set pieces.
“We had some problems at the start of the season,” Ekitike said about Liverpool’s set-piece struggles. “We’ve all talked about it and worked on it together in training. It’s great to see it paying off now. We deserved it; honestly, we’ve put a lot of work into this.”
Saturday was the first of seven huge games in just over three weeks. Liverpool were up 3-0 at halftime, but West Ham didn’t just roll over; they made Liverpool work for it in the second half, fighting to stay out of the relegation zone.
Talking to liverpoolfc.com, Ekitike said, “Scoring early in games like that helps, for the team and for the fans. You feel more confident. And going in at halftime 3-0 up, that’s always good.
“But they showed it’s not over till it’s over, they fought back, and we let a couple in. When that happens, you have to score more, and we did. We got five.
“We’ve got to keep going, because there’s a long way left in the season. But yeah, I’m really happy. That win mattered.”
Premier League Standings
Must Read
