Appropriately enough for the season in which VAR takes its bow at the elite end of the English club game, the consensus is the new Premier League season will have a strong whiff of deja vu about it.

AN OWN goal on the pitch, inthe very last minute, denied Liverpool at the end of a week when own goals off the field have been the primary focus; but the passion and fervour shown by Roy Hodgson’s side proves the spirit of Anfield remains undimmed.