History, Winston Churchill famously said, is written by the victors. It is also discussed by them. Deep inside the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night, the heroes of Liverpool’s draining rearguard action were reliving a display of astonishing defiance.
Andrew Robertson was talking to anyone who asked, a man relegated with Hull City last year happy to talk about the prospect of a Uefa Champions League semi-final.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, the teenager who had appeared a possible weak link but acquitted himself superbly in either leg against Leroy Sane, was a man in demand.
The multilingual Dejan Lovren expressed surprise at how many times he was asked to be interviewed in French, but acquiesced on every occasion. Virgil van Dijk was still talking long after others had taken their leave.
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The Dutchman cost £75 million (Dh390.9m), a world record for a centre-back, but together they still amounted to the unlikely lads, the supposedly fragile Liverpool back four who kept Manchester City to one goal in 180 minutes. That resilience was all the more unexpected after they conceded in the second minute on Tuesday.
“Over the two games we have been brave, and when you are brave, the luck goes with you,” Lovren said. Certainly Sane had a goal wrongly ruled out, just as Bernardo Silva came perilously close with a shot that hit the post. Yet Liverpool passed a test of character.
Lovren is a case in point, a man who has sometimes seemed to struggle with the pressure of playing for Liverpool. He has emerged as a leader of late, a role he took on at the interval. “I was shouting a bit at half-time. I told the lads to wake up because it was not good enough,” said the Croatian.
Klopp’s contribution was different, the man who brought heavy-metal football to Anfield telling his charges to press the mute button at the Etihad.
“The manager said during the half-time interval: ‘Do you know what it feels like when the fans of City fall silent? Get them silent with a goal,’” revealed midfielder Gini Wijnaldum.
Mohamed Salah got the precious away goal that meant City needed to score five. The Egyptian’s 39th of the season was taken with preternatural composure. “Most players would have put their laces through it and shot as hard as possible,” Wijnaldum said. “He doesn’t. He goes for the dink. Who does that?”
Yet Salah’s strike was also proof of Klopp’s nous. It is easy to see the animated German purely as an exuberant motivator, but his input was part psychological, part tactical. He told Lovren and Van Dijk to push up at half-time. He had already switched Salah from the right to the central striking berth. It put him directly up against Nicolas Otamendi, who is still scarred from his September introduction to the Egyptian.
Pep Guardiola had spent the first 135 minutes of the tie trying to keep Otamendi away from Salah, even moving Vincent Kompany to be the left-sided centre-back in the first leg.
Now, confronted with the prospect of leaving Otamendi one on one with Salah, Guardiola withdrew Fernandinho into defence in the second half, denying him a holding midfielder, the orchestrator of many an attack. Meanwhile, Klopp swapped James Milner for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, so the older man, a workaholic who ran 13.5 kilometres, came to the right of midfield to help Alexander-Arnold.
Now Liverpool had a platform to play. They survived the City onslaught, delivered two goals – a flummoxed Otamendi gifting Roberto Firmino the winner – and, with the unlikely lads at the back and the attack-minded Wijnaldum masquerading as a defensive midfielder progressed to a first Champions League semi-final in 10 years. No wonder they had much to talk about.
'The Batman'
Stars:Robert Pattinson
Director:Matt Reeves
Rating: 5/5
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Final scores
18 under: Tyrrell Hatton (ENG)
- 14: Jason Scrivener (AUS)
-13: Rory McIlroy (NIR)
-12: Rafa Cabrera Bello (ESP)
-11: David Lipsky (USA), Marc Warren (SCO)
-10: Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Chris Paisley (ENG), Matt Wallace (ENG), Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR)
Armies of Sand
By Kenneth Pollack (Oxford University Press)
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
TOUCH RULES
Touch is derived from rugby league. Teams consist of up to 14 players with a maximum of six on the field at any time.
Teams can make as many substitutions as they want during the 40 minute matches.
Similar to rugby league, the attacking team has six attempts - or touches - before possession changes over.
A touch is any contact between the player with the ball and a defender, and must be with minimum force.
After a touch the player performs a “roll-ball” - similar to the play-the-ball in league - stepping over or rolling the ball between the feet.
At the roll-ball, the defenders have to retreat a minimum of five metres.
A touchdown is scored when an attacking player places the ball on or over the score-line.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
The biog
Favourite hobby: taking his rescue dog, Sally, for long walks.
Favourite book: anything by Stephen King, although he said the films rarely match the quality of the books
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption stands out as his favourite movie, a classic King novella
Favourite music: “I have a wide and varied music taste, so it would be unfair to pick a single song from blues to rock as a favourite"
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10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
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