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MOHAMED SALAH BECOMES THIRD FASTEST RED TO SCORE 100 GOALS.

Mohamed Salah has become the 17th player in Liverpool FC history to score 100 goals for the club.

The Egypt international brought up the milestone when he struck in a clinical finish during Saturday’s Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.

He is the first man to reach a century of strikes for the Reds since Steven Gerrard in 2008 and has done so in the third-fewest amount of games.

Only Roger Hunt (144 appearances) and Jack Parkinson (153) have ever netted 100 Liverpool goals faster than Salah, whose landmark came on his 159th outing.

Seventy-nine of the No.11’s goals for the Reds have been registered in the Premier League, a tally that earned him the Golden Boot in each of his first two campaigns at Anfield.

Salah has netted 20 times in the Champions League, with only Gerrard and Michael Owen having scored more in European competitions for the club.

That tally included a penalty in the 2019 final against Tottenham Hotspur, of course, one of 11 spot-kicks the forward has converted since he joined.

The other goal of his century so far came in an FA Cup tie against West Bromwich Albion in January 2018.

As you might expect, a greater proportion of his 100 efforts have been netted on home turf, with 63 scored at Anfield.

His most prolific opposition venue has been the Vitality Stadium, with five goals registered at the home of Bournemouth, including a Premier League hat-trick in 2018-19.

Salah is now level with Kevin Keegan (100) on Liverpool’s all-time scorers list and will begin chasing down John Barnes (108) and Jack Balmer (110) as he continues to rise up that ranking.

Liverpool’s top 20 goalscorers

Ian Rush – 346
Roger Hunt – 285
Gordon Hodgson – 241
Billy Liddell – 228
Steven Gerrard – 186
Robbie Fowler – 183
Kenny Dalglish – 172
Michael Owen – 158
Harry Chambers – 151
Sam Raybould – 130
Jack Parkinson – 128
Dick Forshaw – 123
Ian St John – 118
Jack Balmer – 110
John Barnes – 108
Kevin Keegan – 100
Mohamed Salah – 100
John Toshack – 96
Sadio Mane – 85
Albert Stubbins – 83

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EVERTON 2-2 LIVERPOOL: CALVERT LEWIN RESCUES DERBY DRAW FOR EVERTON.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin struck late on as 10-man Everton twice came from behind to draw 2-2 with Liverpool.

Sadio Mane gave Liverpool a third-minute lead, converting a cross from the rampaging Andrew Robertson.

But after Virgil van Dijk had limped off, Michael Keane headed in James Rodriguez’s corner on 19 minutes for Everton’s first Goodison derby goal in five seasons.

After half-time, Richarlison hit a post, before Mohamed Salah’s spectacular shot on 72 minutes made it 2-1 for his 100th goal for Liverpool.

With nine minutes remaining, Calvert-Lewin headed in Lucas Digne’s cross but then Richarlison was sent off for a foul on Thiago.

Jordan Henderson thought he had won it for the champions in stoppage time, but his effort was overturned by the VAR for offside.

Everton drop points for the first time this season but are top with 13 points. Liverpool rise to second on 10 points.

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CHAMPIONSHIP SIDES IN RACE TO SIGN OUT OF FAVOUR LIVERPOOL MIDFIELDER.

Derby County and Swansea are leading the race to sign Harry Wilson on loan from Liverpool.

Liverpool want to send Wilson out on loan after they failed to sell him during the main transfer window and Swansea and Derby are among five clubs keen to sign him.

Wilson, 23, had a successful loan period with Derby two seasons ago when the Wales winger helped them reach the Championship play-off final.

Swansea are also showing strong interest and Liverpool have good relations with the Swans because of the progress Rhian Brewster made with them while on loan last season.

Liverpool and Wilson agree that he needs to leave Anfield to play regularly and he is not part of Jurgen Klopp’s first-team plans.

The Reds have a host of options in midfield with summer signing Thiago only adding to the competition.

While in attack Klopp has a fully functioning trio and added Diogo Jota from Wolves in the summer.

Wilson’s appearance in Liverpool’s Carabao Cup defeat to Arsenal was only his second for the Reds and his first since making his debut in an FA Cup tie against Plymouth in January 2017.

Wilson spent last season on loan at Bournemouth where he was one of their more impressive performers despite their relegation.

The Welshman was second in the Cherries’ goalscoring charts having notched seven times in 35 games.

Wilson has also had loan spells away at Crewe and Hull City earlier in his career.

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EVERTON RECEIVE TRIPLE FITNESS BOOST AHEAD MERSEYSIDE DERBY.

Everton have received a huge fitness boost ahead of the Merseyside derby with news that Seamus Coleman, Allan and Andre Gomes are ready to face Liverpool.

But the Toffees face a nervous wait on centre-back Yerry Mina who missed Colombia’s draw with Chile due to a thigh injury.

Mina will be assessed on his return to the club’s Finch Farm training base before boss Carlo Ancelotti makes a decision on his team for the weekend.

Coleman was forced off in Everton’s win over Brighton before the international break with a hamstring injury while Allan and Andre Gomes missed the 4-2 victory.

Ancelotti said: “Andre Gomes is available for Saturday, no problem.

“Allan started to train with the team this week. If nothing happens in the next few days he will be available to play against Liverpool.

I think Seamus is going to be good, too, because he started to train with us on Monday.”

Everton may face a worry at centre-back if Mina is not fit with Mason Holgate and Jarrad Branthwaite still not ready to return.

Ancelotti said: “Holgate and Branthwaite are working individually. Branthwaite is closer to returning.

“They have no problems [in their recovery programmes] but we have to wait a little bit.”

The Toffees did bring in Ben Godfrey from Norwich just before the transfer window shut but he has yet to train with his new team-mates as he has been on international duty with England Under-21s.

But he could make his debut against Liverpool on Saturday.

Ancelotti added: “Godfrey is a a really talented player.

“He is really fast, very quick. He has different characteristics from the centre-backs we have in this moment.

He is a complete defender, fast, good with his head and good with the ball. He has all the quality to be a really good centre-back.

“He has experience in the Premier League. He was really happy to come here.

“I think he will be a good signing, not only for the present because I think he is ready to play in the Premier League, but also for the future of the club.

“If he is fit, he is going to be in competition with the others [for the game against Liverpool].”

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HUGE BOOST FOR LIVERPOOL AHEAD MERSEYSIDE DERBY AS MANE, THIAGO RETURN TO TRAINING.

Sadio Mane and Thiago Alcantara have given Liverpool a huge boost ahead of their return to Premier League action against Everton in Saturday’s Merseyside derby.

Mane and Thiago were all smiles in training at Melwood on Tuesday, having completed their respective periods of self-isolation after both recently tested positive for coronavirus.

And both players were looking happy and raring to go after returning negative results for Covid-19 at the club’s training complex on Monday.

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp will now run the rule over both players to determine whether they have retained enough fitness to start against Everton at Goodison on Saturday.

The pair’s return to training will have given the manager a huge lift as he formulates a plan to topple Carlo Ancelotti’s early Premier League leaders, who have a 100% record so far this season.

Both Mane and Thiago missed Liverpool’s last game before the international break, when they were thrashed 7-2 by Aston Villa in one of the most remarkable results in Premier League history.

Thiago has in fact played only 45 minutes since joining the Reds, having impressed after being brought on at half-time during their 2-0 win at Chelsea last month.

Senegal forward Mane and Spain midfielder Thiago also missed games for their respective countries during the international break as they continued to self-isolate.

Klopp tends to turn to players who have rested during international breaks.

And with some of his stars playing across the globe and not due back until Thursday, the manager will be inclined to include both Thiago and Mane against Everton if they are fit enough.

Klopp seems likely to be without Naby Keita, after the midfielder tested positive for the virus while on international duty with his country Guinea.

The midfielder tested positive with four other members of the Guinea team while preparing for friendly games against Cape Verde and Gambia in Portugal, and went into immediate isolation.

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ANCELOTTI CONFIDENT AHEAD MERSEYSIDE DERBY.

September Barclays Manager of the Month Carlo Ancelotti says his Everton team head into next weekend’s Merseyside derby with the confidence to beat reigning champions Liverpool.

The Toffees will host their biggest rivals at Goodison Park on Saturday sitting top of the table, the position that Liverpool finished last season as the best team in the country.

But the tables have turned at the start of 2020/21 and Ancelotti wants his Premier League leaders to extend their 100 per cent start and move closer to their goal of European qualification.

“Our target is to reach Europe next season and to stay at the top for as long as possible,” said the Italian after winning the fifth Barclays Manager of the Month award of his career.

We are going to play against one of the best teams in the world.

“It doesn’t matter what happened last week [against Aston Villa]. They are still a fantastic team with a fantastic manager.

“It will be difficult, but we have confidence.”

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UK GOVERNMENT SLAM LIVERPOOL AND UNITED’S “PROJECT BIG PICTURE”

The United Kingdom government has strongly criticised plans reportedly driven by Manchester United and Liverpool to overhaul the Premier League and English club football.

A report on Sunday by The Telegraph detailed a set of proposals called “Project Big Picture”, which would cut the number of teams in the Premier League from 20 to 18 and abolish the competition’s one-club, one-vote principle – handing greater power to the nine longest-serving teams in the division.

That number includes all of the so-called “big six”, who would have effective veto power on a range of issues, including potential new owners taking control of a rival club.

The plans also focus upon supporting the wider league system amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, with a £250million rescue package to be allocated to the English Football League (EFL) and a £100m gift to the Football Association.

EFL chairman Rick Parry – the former Liverpool chief executive and a key figure in the Premier League’s breakaway from the Football League in 1992 – has publicly backed the plans, which would see 25 per cent of the Premier League’s annual revenue diverted to the EFL and lead to the EFL Cup and Community Shield being scrapped.

However, the Department for Media, Culture and Sport joined the Premier League itself in condemning the mooted changes, decrying Liverpool and United’s alleged involvement in “backroom deals”.

“We are surprised and disappointed that, at a time of crisis when we have urged the top tiers of professional football to come together and finalise a deal to help lower league clubs, there appear to be backroom deals being cooked up that would create a closed shop at the very top of the game,” a statement read.

“Sustainability, integrity and fair competition are absolutely paramount and anything that may undermine them is deeply troubling.

“Fans must be [at the] front of all our minds and this shows why our fan-led review of football governance will be so critical.”

The Premier League, which has come in for criticism over recent days after the announcement of a pay-per-view television model to run while fans are not allowed into stadiums, urged its members to contribute to ongoing restructuring talks “through the proper channels”.

“English football is the world’s most watched, and has a vibrant, dynamic and competitive league structure that drives interest around the globe,” its statement read.

“To maintain this position, it is important that we all work together.

“In the Premier League’s view, a number of the individual proposals in the plan published today could have a damaging impact on the whole game and we are disappointed to see that Rick Parry, Chair of the EFL, has given his on-the-record support.

“The Premier League has been working in good faith with its clubs and the EFL to seek a resolution to the requirement for COVID-19 rescue funding.”

In a statement published on the EFL’s official website, Parry confirmed talks around Project Big Picture had been ongoing for some time but insisted the financial pressures of the COVID-19 crisis had sharpened the need for transformative action.

“Now is the time to address both the long-term health of the game and the most challenging short-term crisis it has ever faced,” Parry said.

“Project Big Picture provides a new beginning which will revitalise the football pyramid at all levels. This new beginning will reinvigorate clubs in the lower leagues and the communities in which they are based.

“The whole of English football has been negatively impacted by this pandemic and the English football pyramid as a whole is only as healthy as those at its base.

“Through this proposed restructuring we aim to strengthen those who need it most at a time when they need it most. This is about building on what is good and making the most of what works well in order to benefit the game as a whole, while simultaneously tackling those issues which trouble all of us.

“This is a blueprint for the future of English football and for everyone who cherishes it.

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MAN UNITED, LIVERPOOL BACK PREMIER LEAGUE OVERHAUL PROJECT.

Manchester United and Liverpool are backing a radical plan to overhaul English football, led by the English Football League, which would see control over the Premier League switch to the top teams, sources have confirmed.

The plan has been called “Project Big Picture” and would see an overhaul of the finances of the Premier League and the EFL.

Proposed by the EFL and its chairman, Rick Parry, the plans include reducing the Premier League to 18 teams, giving controlling power to the nine clubs who have been in the league the longest, and abolishing the League Cup and the Community Shield.

The Premier League has been governed by the one-club, one-vote rule but if this change is accepted power would shift to the big six of United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester City and Chelsea as well as Everton, Southampton and West Ham. Changes would need the votes of just six of these clubs to be brought in.

“It is definitely going to be challenging and it is an enormous change, so that won’t be without some pain,” Parry told news men.

“Do I genuinely think it’s for the greater good of the game as a whole? Absolutely. And if the [big] six are deriving some benefit then why shouldn’t they. Why wouldn’t they put their names to this otherwise?”

In return for accepting the proposals, the Premier League would give 25% of its annual revenue to EFL clubs as well as gifting £250 million to the league to sure up clubs during the pandemic and a further £100m to the Football Association.

With the reduction of places in the Premier League, there would be two automatic promotion places for Championship clubs and then the third, fourth and fifth-placed clubs would compete in a play-off tournament with the 16th-placed Premier League club.

A Premier League statement, however, rebuked the plan and said it was important for all sides to work together.

“Both the Premier League and the FA support a wide-ranging discussion on the future of the game, including its competition structures, calendar and overall financing particularly in light of the effects of COVID-19,” the statement said. Football has many stakeholders, therefore this work should be carried out through the proper channels enabling all clubs and stakeholders the opportunity to contribute.

“In the Premier League’s view, a number of the individual proposals in the plan published today could have a damaging impact on the whole game and we are disappointed to see that Rick Parry, Chair of the EFL, has given his on-the-record support. The Premier League has been working in good faith with its clubs and the EFL to seek a resolution to the requirement for COVID-19 rescue funding. This work will continue.”

A conversation around these proposals began as early as 2017 but has been accelerated in recent months as the coronavirus pandemic has continued to affect clubs up and down the English football system.

“What do we do? Leave it exactly as it is and allow the smaller clubs to wither? Or do we do something about it? And you can’t do something about it without something changing. And the view of our clubs is if the [big] six get some benefits but the 72 also do, we are up for it,” Parry said.

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HUGE BOOST FOR LIVERPOOL AS THIAGO COMES OUT OF COVID-19 ISOLATION.

Thiago Alcantara is no longer being forced to self-isolate after testing positive for coronavirus late last month.

The Liverpool midfielder contracted the virus and a statement was released by the Reds on September 29, whereby the club also explained that he was “exhibiting minor symptoms of the virus but was in good health and getting better”.

Self-isolation guidelines in the UK indicate that after testing positive for Covid-19, you must self-isolate for at least 10 days.

It has now been 11 days after the initial statement about Thiago catching the virus and he has posted an update on social media with pictures of himself taking a walk around Liverpool city centre.

He was captured walking along both Seel Street and Brick Street.

Thiago was due to join up with Spain during the international break this month for their matches against Switzerland and Ukraine due to testing positive for coronavirus.

However, news that he has left isolation and is clearly no longer suffering with Covid-19 will be a huge boost for Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp.

The reds are due to face Everton at Goodison Park next Saturday.

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LIVERPOOL SIGN BRAZILIAN GOALKEEPER.

Liverpool have signed 17-year-old goalkeeper Marcelo Pitaluga on a permanent deal from Fluminese.

Pitaluga was scouted with the help of Alisson Becker’s brother Muriel while the pair were at Fluminense.

The teenager, who was part of the Brazil squad which won the FIFA U17 World Cup on home soil last November, has started training at Melwood, where he will be based with the first-team group, and will play for the club’s academy teams.

I asked Ali to speak to his brother to see how it goes and how he is doing,” goalkeeping coach John Achterberg told liverpoolfc.com.

“Ali spoke to his brother and Ali went training there (during the club’s Premier League break in February).

We saw a little bit from the training and the games he was playing for the reserves in Brazil.

“He was already 16 playing in the reserve team there so you also think, ‘they trust him to play already in the reserves at 16’.

“Now he is here, we have to improve [him]. He is still young, there is no pressure because there is still a long road and we don’t want to create any pressure for him because there is still work to do.”

Pitaluga joins Becker, Adrian and Caoimhin Kelleher in Liverpool’s pool of goalkeepers. Loris Karius is also still on Liverpool’s books but has joined Union Berlin on a season-long loan.