Two cramped rooms in a Moscow suburb could make or break countries’ dreams of World Cup glory.

Raheem Sterling insists scrutiny surrounding his gun tattoo has not negatively affected World Cup preparations, with the England forward instead taking heart from the love showed to him by the public.

It was a shameless act. Premeditated. Despicable, disgusting, dastardly. Did he mean it? Of course he did.

All in all, the madness was all worth it and sometimes there’s no point in trying to make any sense of it, writes John Coleman.

“And you may find yourself sleeping fitfully through a massive thunderstorm.

Here are our player ratings from the Merseyside derby stalemate.

Everton held Liverpool to a goalless draw at Goodison Park, although the hosts were left to rue a couple of golden late chances to snatch victory.

Here are three things we learned last night.

Sooner or later, the Fantasy Premier League conversation always seems to come back to Sergio Aguero.

Porto were run ragged by Liverpool in the Champions League last night - here’s what Ger McCarthy took from the game.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp had Huddersfield Town counterpart David Wagner as the best man at his wedding but the German word for sentiment — gefuhl — did not enter his mind for a moment last night.

Liverpool bounced back to winning ways in the Premier League and maintained their Champions League challenge with a 3-0 win at Huddersfield.

Bottom-side Swansea picked up a crucial and surprising three Premier League points.

Premier League

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has refused to be drawn on the future of Philippe Coutinho as speculation about another bid from Barcelona escalates.

Liverpool showed their two faces again last night, throwing threw away a three-goal lead as Sevilla fought back to earn a dramatic 3-3 draw deep into stoppage time.

The race to succeed sacked Everton boss Ronald Koeman may see a winner before the weekend is out.

Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius insists that his team's defence should not be the sole focus for why they concede goals - pointing out taking risks usually pays dividends.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp arrived in Russia looking forward to his first visit to Moscow - but his first evening in the capital left him agitated and frustrated.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has reassured Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain he has not made a mistake in coming to Anfield.

Liverpool playmaker Philippe Coutinho is ready to start against Burnley and fill the void left by the suspension of Sadio Mane.

Liverpool 2 - Sevilla 2: The Seville media described their team as visiting “where the gods play” on their first ever trip to Anfield — a slightly overblown analysis, certainly on the basis of the defensive horror show performed by the Premier League hosts in last night’s Champions League opener.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was not surprised Sadio Mane’s three-match ban was upheld but felt the club had a duty to appeal the suspension.

Liverpool 4  Arsenal 0

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger described his side's performance in the 4-0 loss at Liverpool as "not acceptable" and admitted they had been an "easy opponent" for the Reds.

Liverpool produced a devastating display of attacking football to claim a comprehensive 4-0 win over a ragged Arsenal side in the Premier League.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has reiterated his stance Barcelona target Philippe Coutinho is not for sale.

After the fairytale of Leicester City’s unexpected success last year, this season marked a brutal back to business return for the Billionaire Boys from The Bridge, writes Nick Callow.

Mourinho is now the Premier League’s style counsel

Simon Mignolet’s career at Anfield has featured more ups and downs than Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport and yet he arrives in Swansea today re-established as Jurgen Klopp’s number one and with a growing perception the club’s goalkeeping difficulty may have been overstated.

Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet believes the fact they are not reliant on one player means the club are better prepared for a title challenge than the last time they were in this situation.

Here’s a briefing on some of the stories and issues highlighted on irishexaminer.com today

Midfielder Lucas Leiva admits Liverpool’s title challenge could keep him at the club until the end of the season but he is now seriously considering his long-term future.

The Premier League’s top six take stock this week ahead of the hectic festive football programme. How many of the clubs genuinely retain hopes of being top of the tree next May? The answer may dictate how busy they are in the January window.