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Five ways in which Morgan the maverick revolutionised England’s white-ball cricket

Matt Roller29-Jun-20221:47

Roller: White-ball revolution will be Morgan’s lasting legacy

All-out attack
At the 2015 50-over World Cup, England played a style of ODI cricket that had long passed its sell-by date: their batters scored at 5.48 per over across the tournament, compared to champions Australia’s 6.82. The rule changes introduced in early 2013 – two new balls, and shifts in fielding restrictions – had altered the way the format was played but England did not seem to have noticed.Morgan was in charge for that World Cup but had been appointed so close to the tournament that he had scant opportunity to change England’s philosophy. In their first game of the 2015-19 cycle, they reached 400 for the first time in an ODI with a new-look, ultra-attacking side built on the principle that batting strength was a clear predictor of success in World Cups.Related

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• Eoin Morgan: Maverick, pioneer, game-changer

Crucially, Morgan stuck with his all-guns-blazing approach even in choppy waters. In the third ODI of the new era, against New Zealand in 2015, England were bowled out for 302 in 45.2 overs. “It doesn’t disappoint me,” he said. “I want the guys to continue with that [attacking] mindset and not worry about batting 50 overs: I think that makes guys hesitate and question their natural way of playing and I don’t want that to happen.”At the 2019 World Cup, England were the tournament’s fastest-scoring team by a distance and lifted the trophy at Lord’s.Building experience

Andrew Strauss commissioned a review into England’s white-ball cricket when he was appointed as managing director in 2015. One of its key findings was that ODI experience was a key contributor to success in World Cups, as measured by the number of caps in the squad: to win in 2019, Morgan and England would have to back a core of players over a sustained period of time.In the 2015-19 cycle, England gave at least 40 caps to 13 different players and backed their long-term planning rather than over-reacting to form. Jason Roy, for example, didn’t reach 40 against New Zealand in his first full ODI series, “but because he kept attacking, kept playing in the right way for his role in the team, he was kept in,” Paul Farbrace has recalled. “He started to get his runs later that summer, and has never really looked back.”Adaptability

Morgan recognised that England’s attacking style suited the flat pitches and short boundaries they normally found on home soil but left them vulnerable on slower surfaces. “The wickets are going to be slow, low, they will wear – that’s the nature of ICC events,” he said during the 2019 World Cup.England were tested on those pitches, losing to Sri Lanka at Headingley and to Australia at Lord’s, but faced with consecutive must-win games at the end of the group stages, they doubled down on their style, racking up 337 for 7 and 305 for 8 against India and New Zealand. In the final, they were bogged down by Colin de Grandhomme in the middle overs but scrapped their way to 241 thanks to Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes’ measured restraint, enough to force a Super Over.England were also adaptable when it came to selection, as shown by two major calls on the eve of the World Cup. When Jofra Archer, one of the world’s leading T20 bowlers, became available, he was selected at short notice ahead of David Willey. He was their leading wicket-taker in the tournament and sealed their win in the final, holding his nerve in the Super Over.The other was the decision to remove Alex Hales from the squad after news of a second failed drugs test came to light shortly before the tournament. Only six months earlier, Morgan – along with Joe Root, the then Test captain – had outlined a mantra of “courage, unity and respect” for England players to follow during a tour of Sri Lanka. Hales’ actions were deemed to have fallen short, and he was axed. It was a risk – not least because James Vince, his replacement, struggled in the World Cup – but it was ultimately vindicated by the trophy.Building depth

The clarity of Morgan’s message quickly filtered down into county cricket: scoring rates in the domestic 50-over competition, the Royal London Cup, climbed from 5.38 in 2015 to 5.99 in 2019. And players increasingly took opportunities to travel the world in the off-season and play franchise cricket in order to become more versatile and develop their skills overseas.Morgan embodied his belief that more England players should play franchise cricket, missing the first ODI after the 2015 World Cup – a washout in his native Ireland – in order to stay with Sunrisers Hyderabad at the IPL. By 2021, every member of the team England fielded in the T20 World Cup semi-final had played at least one game at the IPL in their career and most said the tournament had played a significant role in their development.Last summer, England’s first-choice ODI squad were forced to self-isolate following a Covid-19 outbreak, but a hastily assembled second-string side then whitewashed a full-strength Pakistan, playing in the same attacking style that Morgan had pioneered. By 2022, there were so many talented batters that Morgan could not command a place in the side based on his batting alone; the depth he had engineered rendered him surplus to requirement.Embracing diversity
Perhaps Morgan’s greatest legacy will be the extent to which he has championed diversity in his side. “I spoke to Adil [Rashid] and he said Allah was definitely with us. I said we had the rub of the green,” Morgan said after the 2019 final. “It actually epitomises our team.”In his final series in the role, Morgan was consulted about Rashid’s desire to skip fixtures against India in order to make the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. “There were no questions asked,” Rashid told ESPNcricinfo. “That’s a big credit to Morgs for making that environment… it’s been like that with England for the past seven years since 2015.”

India have gone unbeaten in 11 straight youth World Cup games, spanning two editions of the tournament

Bharath Seervi04-Feb-20201 – India’s 10-wicket victory against Pakistan in the semi-final in Potchefstroom is the first by such a margin by any team in knockout matches at the Under-19 World Cup. Before this, there have been two nine-wicket wins in the knockout games – one each by Australia (2006) and South Africa (2014).4 – Number of ten-wicket wins for India in U-19 World Cup matches. All four wins have come in the last two editions – two in 2018 and two at this year’s World Cup. India had defeated Japan by 10 wickets in their second match of this tournament.11 – Number of consecutive wins for India in U-19 World Cup matches. Their last defeat was in the final of 2016 edition against West Indies. Since then they have won all their games – six in 2018 and five in 2020.ESPNcricinfo Ltd156 – Yashasvi Jaiswal’s average in this tournament. He has scored 312 runs in five innings and has been dismissed only twice. At present he is the highest run-getter of this year’s edition, with scores of 59, 29*, 57*, 62 and 105*. His average is the highest by a batsman in an U-19 World Cup tournament (minimum 300 runs scored).9 – Batsmen to have scored centuries in the semi-final or final of U-19 World Cups. Incidentally, the last five batsmen to do so have all been Indians – Cheteshwar Pujara (2006 semi-final), Unmukt Chand (2012 final), Shubman Gill (2018 semi-final), Manjot Kalra (2018 final), and now Jaiswal. Overall, six of the nine batsmen who have scored hundreds in the semis or final of U-19 World Cups have been Indians.176* – The partnership between Jaiswal and Divyaansh Saxena – it is the second-highest for any wicket for any team in knockout matches at the U-19 World Cup. The only bigger stand was 177 by Imam-ul-Haq and Sami Aslam for Pakistan against Sri Lanka in 2014 quarter-final. For India, it is the second-biggest opening stand at the Under-19 World Cup and the fourth-highest opening partnership in U-19 ODIs.5-5 – Results between India and Pakistan in U-19 World Cup matches. India have won the last four games between these sides, from 2012 onwards, while the four matches before that were all won by Pakistan. In their previous game before today, the 2018 semi-final, India had won by 203 runs.

The New York Mets and Seattle Mariners put on a show Sunday night at the Little League Classic. Young ballplayers competing for youth baseball's ultimate prize got a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see their favorite MLB stars up close and a tremendous amount of fun was had per usual.

The Mariners organization and its fans would have had a decidedly worse time had their cornerstone outfielder Julio Rodriguez suffered a significant injury while sledding down a hill on a piece of cardboard, which almost became a reality when a member of security took a spill and nearly landed on his ankle.

Here's the footage, which thankfully ends with everyone invovled getting up and getting on with their day.

That is too close for comfort. And you have to feel for the security person here who was simply trying to hustle to do the job and ended up losing to gravity. Before they were even able to get upright some unhelpful person is joking about a potential Rodriguez ACL injury. It's rough out there.

Rodriguez will be paramount to the Mariners' playoff hopes going forward and their ability to make a deep run if they get there. Plenty of people breathing a sigh of relief realizing this could have been worse.

Mikel Arteta has got a lot right in the almost six years he has spent in the Arsenal dugout.

He has generally got rid of the right players at the right time, he’s changed the culture for the better and reconnected the club with the fans.

However, he has also overseen his fair share of dud signings, with Raheem Sterling’s loan move last season perhaps being the worst.

Arsenal have made more good signings than bad over the last six years, but it looks like new Sporting Director Andrea Berta may have already made his own Sterling-type addition to Arteta’s side.

Sterling's forgettable Arsenal spell

To describe Arsenal’s transfer dealings in the summer of 2024 as disappointing would be an understatement.

Yes, the club did sign two excellent players in Mikel Merino and Riccardo Calafiori, but they also failed to sign the lights-out attacking star the team were so clearly crying out for.

It might have been this lack of forward signings that led the club to go out at the last minute and bring in Sterling on a season-long loan.

During his announcement, the Chelsea loanee told the Emirates faithful they would “see the best” of him, but that was as far from what actually happened as possible.

The former England international certainly tried to make a mark in North London, but he looked miles off the pace and was limited to minor appearances throughout the campaign.

Appearances

17

6

1

4

Minutes

496′

297′

80′

270′

Goals

0

0

0

1

Assists

2

2

0

1

Goal Involvements per Match

0.11

0.33

0.00

0.50

Minutes per Goal Involvement

248′

148.5′

N/A

135′

In fact, the multiple league winner played just 1134 minutes for the Gunners across 28 appearances, of which only 13 were starts.

The Kingston-born Premier League legend left N5 with a single goal and five assists to his name, and unfortunately, a total, undeniable flop.

Now it looks like Arsenal might have another Sterling situation on their hands with a Berta signing.

Arsenal's new Sterling

Unlike last year, it would be hard to call Arsenal’s summer anything other than a roaring success.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Berta and Co signed the likes of Eberechi Eze, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Mosquera, Piero Hincapie and Viktor Gyokeres.

However, unfortunately, there is one summer addition who could potentially fall into the Sterling category: Christian Nørgaard.

Now, before the pitchforks come out, nobody is saying that the Danish international will be as big a problem for the club as the Englishman was, in terms of wages and blocking a loan slot.

Nor is he likely to be as noticeably off the pace compared to the rest of the team as the Chelsea man was.

However, what is also undeniably true is that at the moment, it’s hard to see where he is going to get any game time at all.

The 31-year-old joined the club in July, and at the time of writing, has made just seven first-team appearances, totalling 302 minutes, of which three have been starts.

Worse still, he has played just 14 minutes of Premier League football this year, with 13 minutes of those coming against Burnley.

It’s a bizarre situation, as the 39-capped international captain of Brentford last season and ended the campaign having made 34 league appearances for them, totalling 2830 minutes.

Now, nobody expected the veteran midfielder to be even a semi-regular starter for the Gunners, but it seems like Arteta has no trust in him whatsoever, refusing to bring him on when Declan Rice came off against his old side.

There may be light at the end of the tunnel in the shape of the FA Cup for the summer signing, but even then, it feels like the manager will turn to someone else.

Ultimately, Nørgaard didn’t cost much, is a consummate professional, isn’t a media focus, and, in that way, isn’t really a problem for Arsenal.

However, it does feel like Arteta doesn’t really fancy him, and, like Sterling last season, his stint in North London will be short-lived.

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ByJack Salveson Holmes Dec 5, 2025

A total of 277 players (83 overseas) will vie for a maximum of 73 slots (23 overseas) in the auction in Delhi on November 27

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Nov-2025Allrounder Deepti Sharma and fast bowler Renuka Singh are the two Indian players among the eight listed in the marquee set that will open the bidding at the WPL 2026 auction. Sophie Devine, Sophie Ecclestone, Alyssa Healy, Meg Lanning, Amelia Kerr and Laura Wolvaardt are the others in the marquee set.Among the players in the marquee set, only Renuka (INR 40 lakh) and Wolvaardt (INR 30 lakh) have listed their base price lower than the maximum of INR 50 lakh.A total of 277 players have registered for the WPL 2026 auction for a maximum of 73 available slots. A total of 83 overseas players will vie for the 23 slots available for them in the auction that will be held on November 27 in Delhi.Three players in the marquee sets – Deepti, Ecclestone and Healy – have played for UP Warriorz (UPW), who have four right to match (RTM) options available. UPW retained just one uncapped player in Shweta Sehrawat.Related

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Tahlia McGrath, who played for UPW, and Sophie Molineux, who represented Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), are not part of the 23 players from Australia. That aside, there are 22 players from England, 13 from New Zealand and 11 from South Africa in the auction pool. Chamari Athapaththu, batter Harshitha Samarawickrama and left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera are the three from Sri Lanka. Athapaththu was part of UPW last season. Three players from Bangladesh – Marufa Akter, Shorna Akter and Rabeya Khan – have listed themselves at INR 30 lakh.India batter Harleen Deol, who played for Gujarat Giants (GG) for the first three seasons, has listed her base price in the highest bracket of INR 50 lakh and in the capped allrounders’ list. Her GG team-mate, Australia’s Phoebe Litchfield also has a base price of INR 50 lakh. But since GG have retained two overseas players, Beth Mooney and Ashleigh Gardner, they cannot exercise their RTM for Litchfield.Alyssa Healy and Sophie Devine are part of the marquee set for the WPL 2026 auction•ICC/Getty ImagesRadha Yadav, Sneh Rana, Grace Harris, Chinelle Henry and N Shree Charani are among those in the set of capped allrounders. In that set all players except Deol have a base price of INR 30 lakh.Assam’s Uma Chetry, who was the back-up wicketkeeper in India’s World Cup-winning squad, and allrounder Kranti Gaud, who has represented UPW, both have listed themselves in the highest bracket of INR 50 lakh. Australia legspinner Alana King (INR 40 lakh), India’s Asha Sobhana and Priya Mishra (both INR 30 lakh) as well as Saika Ishaque (INR 30 lakh), who was part of Mumbai Indians (MI) for the first three seasons, are all part of the first set of spinners, which is the sixth set.Left-arm spinner Thipatcha Putthawong is the only Thailand player listed, while Tara Norris, who played for Delhi Capitals (DC) in WPL 2023 and is the first player to pick up a five-wicket haul in the competition, is the only player from USA.UAE captain Esha Oza and wicketkeeper Theertha Satish round-off the four players from Associate teams. No players from Ireland or Scotland are in the list; Scotland wicketkeeper Sarah Bryce was part of DC last season.UPW and GG will enter the auction for WPL 2026 with the highest purse – INR 14.50 crore and INR 9 crore respectively – followed by RCB (INR 6.15 crore), MI (INR 5.75 crore) and DC (5.70 crore). MI and DC, who retained five players each, will not have any RTM option available.

The Colorado Rockies are 4-25 after suffering an 8-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night. It was the team's eighth straight loss and they are currently on a historically bad pace. If they continue at their current pace they'll only win 22 games, which would be the second-worst season in baseball history behind the 1899 Cleveland Spiders who went 20-134.

The Spiders were 7-22 through their first 29 games.

With a current winning percentage of .138 the Rockies are on pace to set a modern-era record for losses. The 2024 Chicago White Sox, who broke the 1960 New York Mets' record for most losses in a season with 121, started 6-23.

The good news is that there really are five full months remaining in the season and the Rockies have a chance to turn things around. Or maybe short of that, not compete for one of the worst records in professional baseball history.

They're already 15.5 games out of first and since they're in the same division as the Los Angeles Dodgers, it's seems likely that the Rockies will set a new record for most games out of first. The 2018 Orioles finished 61 games back. The1942 Phillies finished 62.5 games out of first. The 1909 Boston Doves finished 65.5 games back. The aforementioned 1899 Spiders finished an astonishing 84 games behind the Brooklyn Superbas.

The Dodgers, who lead the NL West, are currently on pace to win 108 games. Even if the Dodgers slow down and the Rockies speed up, there is going to be a 60-something game difference in the standings at the end of the season.

If there's any good news here it's that the Rockies are only three games behind this year's edition of the Chicago White Sox. Those two teams are scheduled to play a three-game series that starts on the 4th of July. Good seats will most likely still be available.

Manchester City’s victory over Liverpool on Sunday afternoon was a sensational performance which gave Pep Guardiola’s side even more daylight on the 2024/25 Premier League champions.

City put Liverpool to the sword in Guardiola’s 1000th game as a manager, running out 3-0 victors.

The East Mancunian side are still some way off the top of the table, with Arsenal four points clear and comfortably leading the way. Yet, City are finding their best form, having now won four of their last five games, and leading the way for the most goals scored in the top flight.

The main reason for that form in front of goal is Erling Haaland.

How Haaland's start to 2025/26 compares to other seasons

It has got to the point where you watch Haaland now and wonder when, not if, he will score. The Norwegian striker is the most clinical player in the Premier League, and, despite being 108 games into his English top-flight career, is already one goal away from a century.

This season, Haaland has been at his very best. In the Premier League, he’s found the back of the net 14 times in just 11 games.

All of those have come from open play, too, a run which has stayed intact after missing a penalty against Liverpool. Of course, he still got on the scoresheet on Sunday anyway.

City’s striker is in exceptional form, and it does seem nigh on impossible to stop him. But, this is not even his best start to a Premier League season for City. That came in his debut campaign back in 2022/23, when he bagged 15 goals in the first 11 matches.

The following term, 2023/24, was his worst start. That is ironic, given that his 11 goals in as many games would be the ideal way for most strikers to begin the campaign. In 2024/25, Haaland has 12 goals in the first 11 games.

With 19 goals for City in all competitions, it is fair to say the City number 9 is in the form of his life. Yet, there is one of his teammates who could also be in that category.

Man City star is hitting his best form alongside Haaland

Things are starting to click for Guardiola’s side in recent weeks, with Haaland, of course, looking at his very best. Phil Foden is another player who is motoring and has put in some excellent performances in the Champions League.

But it is the man who was player of the match against Liverpool who looks to be in the form of his life. Jeremy Doku shone against the Reds with a dazzling display, capped off with a goal of the highest quality.

It was a performance from the winger which will live long in the memory of City fans. He completed an unbelievable seven out of eight dribbles and was relentless against Conor Bradley.

His goal from the edge of the box saw him drive inside, buy a yard of space and unleash an effort that sailed into the top right corner.

It is not only that game that suggests Doku is playing his best football yet. City’s number 11 has some exceptional underlying numbers, averaging 3.33 key passes and 10.72 progressive carries per 90 minutes. Both of these rank him in the top 1% of positionally similar players in the Premier League.

Key passes

3.33

99th

Passes into penalty area

2.9

99th

Shot-creating actions

6.81

99th

Take-ons completed

4.93

99th

Progressive carries

10.72

99th

Described as an “unstoppable” force by BBC Sport analyst Umir, the Belgian winger already has three goals and four assists in 16 games for the Citizens this term. His best campaign saw him get 17 goals and assists across all competitions, so to be 41% of the way to that total is impressive.

With the sort of form the 23-year-old is showcasing this season, it is easy to see how he is in the form of his life. At the current rate, he could easily have his most productive season in terms of goals and assists, whilst helping City push for titles in all competitions.

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Wrexham star James McClean delivered a shock message to Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's side amid a lack of game time. The winger has dropped a stunning revelation, claiming that his passion for boxing has eclipsed his love for football, and he’s planning to hang up his boots for gloves sooner rather than later.

When football turned feisty for McClean

McClean’s tempestuous edge boiled over as tensions flared behind the scenes during Wrexham’s Carabao Cup derby clash against fierce Welsh rivals, Cardiff City. Emotions were running hot at the Racecourse Ground, and after the match, an incident in the players’ car park threatened to turn ugly. A group of Cardiff City fans reportedly breached a restricted area and confronted McClean, forcing him to defend himself. Witnesses claimed that he stood his ground and handled himself well. An internal investigation is now underway into how rival supporters gained access to the secured zone. But for McClean, the encounter only deepened his belief that he might be better suited to a ring than a pitch.

AdvertisementAFPMcClean is a fighter at heart

Over the past year, McClean has been training intensively in boxing. He has been posting workout clips to his Instagram that show sharp jabs and fierce combinations. 

Speaking in an interview with Westlife star released on Thursday, he said: "I'll be honest, I've really enjoyed it [at Wrexham] up until the last two or three months. It's not been ideal, I've not been playing as much as I'd like, which is never a good thing. You want to be playing and you want to be in the mix. I've never dealt really well with not playing."

The Republic of Ireland international, who joined Wrexham from Wigan Athletic in August 2023, has helped guide the club to back-to-back promotions. But the step up to the Championship has brought new realities. And it seems to have bruised his pride.

"Nowadays, I just channel that frustration and annoyance and do my training. Before, I'd throw my toys out of the pram," he said. "Now, I just channel that frustration into the punch bag and it seems to blow off a bit of steam. You kind of feel better for it afterwards."

Taste of the big stage for McClean

McClean isn’t just shadowboxing, but he has already dipped his toes into the professional world. On September 5, the Wrexham winger walked out with Michael Conlan for his high-profile bout against Jack Bateson at Dublin’s 3Arena. Now, he confirmed that talks have already taken place about entering the Misfits Boxing circuit. It is an influencer-led crossover promotion that’s given everyone from YouTubers to ex-footballers a shot at the spotlight.

"I do want to box," he admitted. "Misfits (boxing company) is opening up opportunities for a lot of people who aren't professional boxers to give them the opportunity to step in and experience what it's like to be a boxer. Absolutely, it's something I want to do and there has been background chats about it, but I'm contracted at the moment. It's definitely something I want to do in the near future.

"A lot of my training now is boxing training. I have a bigger passion now for boxing than I do for football. I would rather watch boxing than watch football. It's something I want to do and it's something I want to experience to tick off my bucket list. I've done the ring walk for Mike Conlan in Dublin. Being on the stage that night and doing the ring walk was unbelievable. I was thinking, imagine doing that, where this is for you and you're going into the ring for a tear up. I get goosebumps."

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GettyWhat comes next for McClean?

McClean was once seen as one of the dressing room’s emotional leaders. But he has now found himself watching from the sidelines more often than not this season as he has made just 10 appearances across all competitions. Wrexham currently sit 14th in the table, comfortably clear of the relegation zone but well off the play-off pace. Their next test is a home tie against Charlton Athletic on Saturday, which will be their final game before the international break.

Midfielder Sandro Tonali was conspicuous by his absence as Newcastle trained on Monday morning ahead of Tuesday night’s Champions League clash with Jose Mourinho’s Benfica.

The 25-year-old Italy international did not take part in the open section of the session in front of the cameras at the club’s Darsley Park base.

Tonali, a £55million signing from AC Milan during the summer of 2003, was replaced by Jacob Ramsey with 20 minutes of Saturday’s 2-1 Premier League defeat at Brighton remaining.

The Italian has become a key member of Eddie Howe’s midfield alongside Brazilians Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton since returning from his 10-month ban for gambling offences in August last year.

Tonali, a Carabao Cup winner with the Magpies in March, played all but a few minutes for his country in their World Cup qualifying victories over Estonia and Israel during the last international break.

Head coach Howe will hope to have him at his disposal on Tuesday evening as Newcastle attempt to add to the three points they collected from a 4-0 victory over Union Saint-Gilloise in Brussels earlier this month after losing their opening fixture to Barcelona at St James’ Park.

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A 2-0 lead is the worst lead. So goes the footballing cliché. But it’s a saying aptly applied to Arne Slot’s Liverpool as they continue to face adversity when two goals to the good this season.

Three times had Liverpool ceded their lead when two goals up before meeting Everton in the Merseyside derby at Anfield on Saturday afternoon.

After a barnstorming start to the all-Liverpool clash, the Reds looking back to their ferocious best, old habits crept in, with Idrissa Gueye pulling one back after the interval and casting an anxious blanket across most of Anfield.

However, this time Slot’s men didn’t need to dig deep and find a last-gasp winner, instead coming together to repel the impressive Toffees and see the game off.

Five wins from five in the Premier League. The hosts might have made a slight meal of things in the second half, but they got the job done once again, with a series of players stepping up.

Liverpool's best performers vs Everton

Virgil van Dijk is imperious as Liverpool’s leader and centre-back supreme, but Ibrahima Konate performed very well indeed against Everton, putting that shaky start to the season firmly behind him.

Against Everton, the France international won seven of eight aerial duels that came his way (data courtesy of Sofascore), while making eight clearances and two tackles, showing off that physical robustness when powering forward to stamp out danger or cover a wandering midfielder.

In the first half, Liverpool won 55% of the duels, but after the break, it was Everton who showed more impetus in the challenge, flipping that to a 56% success rate against the Anfield side.

That doesn’t tell the full story, though, and Dominik Szoboszlai is a testament to that, having only won half of his eight duels but thrived in an all-action midfield role, leading the press and showing off his first-rate stamina as the match wound down, instrumental to snuffing out a late comeback.

(GK) Alisson Becker

6/10

(RB) Conor Bradley

6/10

(CB) Ibrahima Konate

8/10

(CB) Virgil van Dijk

7/10

(LB) Milos Kerkez

6.5/10

(CM) Ryan Gravenberch

9/10

(CM) Alexis Mac Allister

6/10

(RW) Mohamed Salah

7/10

(AM) Dominik Szoboszlai

7.5/10

(LW) Cody Gakpo

6/10

(ST) Hugo Ekitike

9/10

Record signings Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak both entered the fray either side of the hour mark, but neither could write their names into the headlines as the visitors applied pressure and pushed for an equaliser.

That pairing have the skills and styles to emerge as Liverpool’s new version of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, but it’s two higher-flying members of Slot’s squad who are emerging as such stars of old.

Liverpool's new version of Gerrard & Torres

Torres and Gerrard formed one of the most iconic partnerships in Premier League history, turning aside opponents from every which way. Liverpool’s legendary skipper once said El Niño was “the best striker in the world”, before he up and left for Chelsea.

Hugo Ekitike has some stiff competition in Isak at number nine at Liverpool, but he’s playing like a man who knows it right now, having scored his fourth goal of the season after calmly collecting from a delicious Ryan Gravenberch pass and sending the ball past Jordan Pickford.

Liverpool’s £69m striker built on Gravenberch’s earlier goal, an incredible finish, dinked up and over Pickford and down and into the net after Mohamed Salah lobbed into space.

The duo have been incredible this season; they are proving invaluable proponents of Slot’s tactics, so coolly hitting the right heights under the head coach’s guidance.

Last season, Gravenberch announced himself as a major contender for a top side, but he now appears to have taken his game to the next level.

Peter Crouch remarked after the match for TNT Sports that he believes Gravenberch “has been Liverpool’s best player this season”, and it would be hard to contest that, so influential has he been across every corner of the midfield.

Now that he’s kindling a devastating attacking side to his game, the Dutchman is truly shaping into a new, modern version of Gerrard, who was the king of complete performances when in his heyday.

Moreover, Gerrard was a constant thorn in Everton’s side, with no man having scored more in the Merseyside derby than him.

Steven Gerrard

Liverpool

9

Mohamed Salah

Liverpool

8

Divock Origi

Liverpool

6

Robbie Fowler

Liverpool

6

Tim Cahill

Everton

5

Dirk Kuyt

Liverpool

5

Torres was hardly a pushover on derby day, either, scoring three times against the Blues over five appearances as a Liverpool player; all three strikes came during his first two contests.

Ekitike appears up for the task of emulating the one-time hero, and he might even be playing with an air of the Spaniard’s flair too, with former Premier League goalkeeper Ben Foster saying during the game that the 23-year-old “looks like prime Fernando Torres running around Anfield”.

There was something Torres-esque about the way Ekitike worked overtime, just as it should be in a meeting of intense rivalry. The Frenchman completed all four of his dribbles, won seven duels and made two tackles for Slot’s side.

Isak, to be sure, has his work cut out this season and beyond. But Liverpool want to defend their Premier League title while challenging for silverware across all the other fronts too this term, and the duality of elite options at centre-forward will go a long way toward achieving that.

Boasting a combined Transfermarkt valuation of £130m and showcasing a budding partnership when Grav threaded through for his new frontman, there’s plenty of reason to be excited on the Red half of Merseyside, with such players already shaping this new charge toward the title.

Gravenberch, too, shares the midfield with a host of world-class players, but it’s hard to argue against the Netherlands international being the first name on the team-sheet right now, immovable and brilliant in the middle of the park.

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ByAngus Sinclair Sep 19, 2025