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Rupganj Tigers pick up the first points of the season as Abdul Mazid’s unbeaten hundred seals a last-ball thriller

Mohammad Isam20-Mar-2025

Key takeaways

Agrani Bank and Gulshan Cricket Club were the surprise packages in the second week of the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League. Both teams won three matches each and are joint-top on the points table alongside defending champions Abahani Limited. All three have ten points each but Abahani Limited have a better net run rate.Meanwhile, Big-spending Mohammedan Sporting Club dropped points after their 65-run defeat against Gazi Group. Gulshan Cricket Club are also on eight points like Mohammedan, having won their last three matches. Agrani too have been impressive, with Shadman Islam and Imrul Kayes leading with the bat.Related

• DPL week 1: Naim's 176 helps Prime Bank breach 400

Best batters

Gazi Group’s Anamul Haque scored an unbeaten 149 against Mohammedan in their big win at the BKSP-4 ground on March 18. He struck 12 fours and four sixes, batting through their 336 for 5 in 50 overs. He was particularly brutal against Taskin Ahmed, who conceded 107 runs in his ten overs for his three wickets, the most expensive spell in Bangladesh’s List-A history.

Best bowlers

Left-arm spinner Mahfuzur Rahman Rabby took the only five-wicket haul this week but it was Agrani Bank’s Robiul Hoque whose 4 for 14 damaged Dhanmondi Sporting Club quite badly. He removed Ashiqur Rahman, Yasir Ali, Moin Khan and Hasan Murad in a miserly spell that helped Agrani Bank to a five-wicket win at the BKSP-4 ground on March 13. Robiul has been knocking on the senior team’s doors for a few years, only being held back by the plethora of fast bowlers around him.

Best match

Rupganj Tigers picked up their first points this season in dramatic fashion, after their last-ball win against Partex Sporting Club at the BKSP-3 ground. Batting first, Partex were bowled out for 223. Abdul Mazid held things together despite Partex keeping the chase tight. Rupganj needed ten runs in the last over, and three from the final ball. Mazid scooped the last ball for a four to win the game and bring up his first century of the season.

Points to ponder

With just over halfway through the first phase, eight teams are in contention for six Super League spots. Dhanmondi Sports Club and Prime Bank Cricket Club seem to be having a hot and cold season so far. The battle for avoiding relegation is also going to be tight, with four teams – Rupganj Tigers, Partex, Brothers Union and Shinepukur Cricket Club – on two points each.

Players to watch

Seam-bowling allrounder Tofael Ahmed has made some telling contributions for Gazi Group with 192 runs at an average of 48.00, and seven wickets at 11.85. The Sylhet-born Tofael was instrumental in his side’s superb win against Mohammedan, taking on Taskin frequently.

“I felt that I would pick up three wickets today – I felt I had more wicket-taking options,” Fahima Khatun says

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Apr-2025Nigar Sultana scored an 80-ball 101. Bangladesh put up their highest score in ODIs – 271. They then bowled Thailand out for 93 to record their biggest win in terms of runs in the format – 178. The most remarkable event in the win in the World Cup qualifying match in Lahore, though, was Fahima Khatun and Jannatul Ferdus, the spin twins, picking up five wickets each, the first time it has happened in women’s ODI cricket.In fact, it’s the second such occurrence in all ODI cricket – Greg Chappell and Gary Cosier had done it for Australia against England in Birmingham in 1977.”Such a record, where two bowlers pick up five-wicket hauls in an innings, is a remarkable achievement,” Sultana said in a video released by the BCB. “Their contribution today is inspiring for the team. I am hoping they continue to do similar things in the rest of the games.”Related

• Sana's all-round heroics take Pakistan to ODI World Cup

• Six teams, two World Cup spots on offer, many intrigues

• Sultana ton and Fahima, Ferdus five-fors give Bangladesh big win

In another BCB video, where legspinner Fahima, who took 5 for 21 in 8.5 overs, and Ferdus, the offspinner who returned 5 for 7 in five overs, chat with each other, Fahima said, “Of course it’s reason to be very happy. I have had the opportunity to do this before, pick up five wickets in an innings, but I haven’t been able to do it, so this is very pleasing.”I must say that the end I was bowling from, when I started bowling, I felt that I would pick up three wickets today. I felt I had more wicket-taking options. Fortunately, it worked out.”In an ODI career that’s worth 45 matches now, Fahima had two three-wicket hauls but never a five-for. In T20Is, she has one four-for. For Ferdus, playing just her third ODI and seventh game for Bangladesh overall, it was well beyond anything she had achieved – the five wickets took her tally to eight, across formats.”This is the first time I have picked up five wickets for Bangladesh,” Ferdus said. “Of course, it’s very special. The first time is something to remember for the rest of my life. It will be a wonderful memory. I started bowling late in this game, so I didn’t think there was any opportunity to pick up five wickets. But I was trying to maintain the process, and fortunately it worked out.”Fahima had three wickets to her name – and figures of 5-1-8-3 – when Ferdus came on to bowl in the 20th over of Thailand’s chase. Ferdus’ first over was a double-wicket maiden. Fahima came back soon enough, and they had four wickets each soon after. Ferdus got to her milestone first, and Fahima got there when she finished off the match.”At what point did you feel you could pick up five wickets?” Fahima, the senior pro, asked Ferdus.”The thought had never crossed my mind. I was trying to follow the plan of bowling wicket to wicket. And, fortunately, I was successful,” Ferdus replied.The achievement of the two spinners overshadowed, somewhat at least, a remarkable innings from Sultana, the Bangladesh captain, where she walked out in the 28th over, but still managed to get to the three-figure mark. Sharmin Akhter, the No. 3 batter who was part of two century partnerships, ended on 94 not out, while Fargana Hoque, the opener, scored 53.”It’s our first win of the tournament, and I am very happy to have contributed to it,” Sultana said. “It’s my first century in ODI cricket, but there was no such target in my mind. The target was to take the team score to 250-plus. So, when [Hoque and [Sharmin] were batting, I felt that when I go out, I should also score at a good strike rate and score quickly. So that the batters to follow are in a position to take Bangladesh past 250. There was the opportunity, we grabbed it, so we got a good total.”The margin of victory has put Bangladesh at the top of the points table after all teams have played a match each. They next play Ireland on Sunday.

Club currently sit bottom of Division Two after winless start to County Championship season

ESPNcricinfo staff13-May-2025Keaton Jennings has stepped down as Lancashire red-ball captain with immediate effect, with the club sitting bottom of Division Two in the County Championship. Marcus Harris, the club’s Australian overseas signing, will take over as interim captain.Lancashire are winless after five games of the Championship season, having drawn four and lost one. They succumbed to a three-day defeat against Northamptonshire at the weekend, prompting the club’s management to issue an apology to supporters on Tuesday morning, in which director of cricket performance, Mark Chilton, described their form as “not acceptable” and said Lancashire would “make necessary changes” to improve the situation.That has led to Jennings relinquishing the captaincy in Championship cricket, although he will continue to lead the Blast side. Appointed in 2023, he was the team’s leading first-class run-scorer last year, with 1006 at 45.72, but couldn’t prevent relegation. So far this season, he has made 337 runs at 33.70 with two half-centuries.Related

• Stand-in captain Harris signs contract extension at crisis club Lancashire

• Harris dominates for Lancashire with unbeaten 165

• Harrison spins it for Northants after Sanderson onslaught

“It’s been a huge honour to lead Lancashire Cricket in the Championship over the last couple of seasons, a club with rich history that I hold dear to my heart,” Jennings said. “This has not been an easy decision, however after reflection and conversations with the management, I believe the team will benefit from a change of captaincy.”My passion and commitment to serving Lancashire has not and will never change. Our current position in the table is not reflective of our commitment as a team and club to winning. I recognise the best way for me to serve the club is to continue to score big runs at the top of the order and put in match-winning contributions. I feel as though the team will benefit from this change and it will help to drive us forward.”I will of course provide Marcus with as much support as he wants throughout the rest of the County Championship. I know that the team is focused on our collective goal of getting Lancashire back to winning four-day cricket.”Harris is currently the leading Championship run-scorer in either division with 749 at 83.22, including three hundreds. He will be assisted in charge of the red-ball team by vice-captain, Josh Bohannon, and James Anderson, England’s all-time leading Test wicket-taker who is expected to make his first appearance of the season in the next round of games, starting on Friday.Chilton added: “Keaton has given his total commitment to the captaincy since taking over in 2023 and remains a key figure in the dressing room.”His experience and professionalism will continue to be invaluable, and I would like to thank Keaton for his service as Lancashire’s County Championship captain in recent years. We hope that the change in captaincy will allow him to concentrate fully on his batting and take some weight off his shoulders.”Marcus will provide an alternative perspective to leadership and, although relatively new to the group, he has worked with Dale [Benkenstein] before, and everyone has seen his impact on the team’s performance in the first five games of this season. We are also hopeful that James Anderson can get back on the field adding vast experience and leadership into the side.”Lancashire’s head coach Dale Benkenstein is under growing pressure•Getty Images

Foremost among Lancashire’s issues so far this season has been an inability to take wickets at home – in three games at Emirates Old Trafford, they have only bowled the opposition out once. Their next two fixtures are against Derbyshire, at home, and Leicestershire, currently second and first respectively in Division Two.John Abrahams, chair of the cricket development committee, said the board retained faith in the coaches, led by Dale Benkenstein.”The Lancashire Cricket Board remains fully behind the coaching group, and we want members to know that the club will do whatever the cricket department needs to effect change quickly,” Abrahams said. “We continually look at different ways we can improve the squad, whether that be loan or permanent additions to the squad.”We are also working closely with the grounds team to look at how we can perform better at Emirates Old Trafford, having experienced the challenging conditions to bowl teams out twice.”I’d like to thank the members for their continued support of the club, and we all hope to see a change of fortunes for the team in the next couple of weeks in the County Championship, ahead of the Vitality Blast starting at the end of this month.”

Eight-wicket victory settles rivalry between two in-form teams

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay04-Jun-2025Hampshire Hawks won the battle of the two in-form sides in women’s county cricket this summer as three wickets for impressive spinner Bex Tyson set up a commanding Vitality Blast win over Lancashire Thunder at Emirates Old Trafford.Left-armer Tyson returned an excellent season’s best three for 27 from four overs as Thunder scrambled to 122 for eight, including 37 not out off 20 balls for Ailsa Lister. The Hawks then sealed their second successive win at the start of the Blast, this one by eight wickets with one over remaining, as opener Ella McCaughan top-scored with eight fours in an unbeaten career best 68 off 57 balls.Hampshire currently lead the Metro Bank One-Day Cup standings from second-placed Lancashire, both sides having won six from eight in that competition. Thunder also won the Vitality County T20 Cup late last month. Thunder have now won one, lost two in the Blast.McCaughan scored a century in a 50-over win against Lancashire at Southport in April.As one left-arm spinner in Tyson impressed, Lancashire were missing England’s Sophie Ecclestone because of a quad injury.Having been inserted, Thunder were suffocated by some tight Hampshire bowling and excellent fielding, with five of eight wickets falling to spin.They reached only 20 for one after the six-over powerplay.Departing Australian overseas batter Katie Mack – she will be replaced by compatriot leg-spinning all-rounder Alana King from this weekend – was bowled for a five-ball duck as she tried to ramp the seam of Freya Davies.Seren Smale attempted to break free with a couple of boundaries, including one reverse swept off Tyson. But, later in the over, she played on for 20 trying to repeat the dose – 36 for two in the ninth.Opener Tilly Kesteven was run out for 28 and captain Ellie Threlkeld chipped the off-spin of her opposite number Georgia Adams to cover as the hosts stuttered to the 15-over mark at 77 for four.Off-spin struck again as Australian Charli Knott had Fi Morris, for 20, caught at short third attempting a reverse hoick, and Lancashire were in danger of not even reaching 100.They did that, but their total was always unlikely to trouble a Hampshire side who totalled 215 for three in their competition opener against Essex on Friday.Tyson had Tara Norris caught at long-on and bowled Darcey Carter in the 18th over – 99 for seven – before Lister hoisted a couple of late sixes over midwicket. Grace Johnson was then the second home player run out.Maia Bouchier set the tone for a routine chase by clipping the first ball behind square for four, though McCaughan was quickly into her stride as she twice drove the left-arm seam of Norris through the covers in the third over.Grace Potts had Bouchier caught off a top-edge for 12, leaving Hampshire 30 for one in the fourth over. But it already felt like a consolatory strike.Hampshire reached the 10-over mark at 69 for one, with McCaughan on 42.Knott holed out for 21 to Carter’s off-spin shortly before McCaughan, who also hit 68 against Essex last week, reached 50 again. This came off 40 balls.

It was a positive fortnight for the competition's Premier League contingent, with Liverpool and Manchester City in particular making a big impression

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  1Sadio Mane (Liverpool)

  Three goals for the Senegal sharpshooter mean the Reds should have an easy stroll into the last eight, after blowing away Porto 5-0 in Portugal. Mane became the fourth Liverpool player to score a hat-trick in the Champions League, after Michael Owen, Yossi Benayoun and Philippe Coutinho.

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  2Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)

  Another Champions League night to remember for Lewa as he helped put Besiktas to the sword with a late double in Bayern's 5-0 walkover. Since 2015/16, only Cristiano Ronaldo scored more Champions League goals (39) than Lewandowski (22 – Lionel Messi 3rd with 21).

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  3Willian (Chelsea)

  Was unlucky to see two cracking long-range attempts hit the woodwork, but it was third-time lucky for the Chelsea star as he beat Marc Andre ter Stegen to put the Blues temporarily ahead. Since joining Chelsea in 2013/14, Willian has scored more Champions League goals from outside the box than any other player (6, followed by Cristiano Ronaldo & Neymar on 5).

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  4Mousa Dembele (Tottenham)

  Man of the match in Turin as Spurs secured a famous draw against the Italian giants. Dembele sent 95 successful passes v. Juventus: only Harry Winks has sent more successful passes for Tottenham in a Champions League game.

Of all the teams the Barcelona forward has faced, he has failed to hit the net against just 12, including Tuesday's Champions League opponents

A career spent as one of the world's most prolific goalscorers and perennially at the top of the game, Lionel Messi has upset a huge number of teams as a star for Barcelona.

The Argentine's exploits have led the Catalan side to global success and helped keep them within the top echelons of European football.

So consistent has Messi been that it is easier to name the teams he has failed to score against in his senior career since he emerged in Barca's senior side as a 17-year-old in October 2004.

Of all the teams Messi has faced in the near 13 and a half years since his first appearance for the Blaugrana, he has failed to hit the net against just 12.

He will get the chance to knock one of those teams off the list on Tuesday when his side visit Chelsea in the Champions League. Goal runs through the teams the Camp Nou icon has never scored against.

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  12Gramenet

  Messi's third official appearance and first start for Barcelona was also his first defeat with the senior side, as Frank Rijkaard's men lost to Gramenet in the Copa del Rey.

  Despite the presence of Messi, Henrik Larsson and Andres Iniesta in the starting XI, the Blaugrana could not find a way through against the third-tier team and conceded the decisive goal in extra-time.

  It is the only time Messi has come up against his side's Catalan neighbours.

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  11Udinese

  With just one goal to his name for the Camp Nou outfit, Messi was still far off the level that carried him to five Ballons d'Or when he lined up against Udinese in September 2005.

  Back then, he was just a promising youngster lucky enough to be playing in attack alongside Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o.

  It was the Brazilian who showed he was still the grandmaster in the Champions League encounter, scoring a hat-trick in a 4-1 win.

  Messi, meanwhile, was withdrawn in the 70th minute and although he scored in his next Champions League appearance, he was left out of the next two group games, one of which was the return clash with Udinese.

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  10Cadiz

  In December 2005, Messi missed another rare chance to add another name to his long list of victims in a game against Cadiz.

  The Argentine got an assist as Barca won 3-1, setting up Samuel Eto'o early in the second half.

  Messi was injured when the two sides met later in the season in a much tighter affair but, luckily, Ronaldinho was on hand to score the winning goal as Barca went on to win the league.

  He has not faced them since.

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  9Real Murcia

  The 2007-08 season may have been a disappointment for Barcelona, as they finished third in La Liga, an incredible 18 points behind champions Real Madrid.

  However, it ended with a lot of fun, as they recovered from the concession of an early goal to storm to a 5-1 lead over Real Murcia in the final game of the season.

  Messi again got two assists, but it was Giovani dos Santos who took the plaudits for his hat-trick. While Barca have faced Murcia several times since, Messi has not played in any of those games.

The La Liga giants have wasted no time in luring big names to the club this summer and already stand as the biggest spenders ever in a window

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  10AC Milan | 2017

  Transfer money spent: €192 million (£172m/$215m)

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  9Manchester United | 2014

  Transfer money spent: €195 million (£174m/$219m)

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  8Chelsea | 2017

  Transfer money spent: €206 million (£183m/$231m)

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  7Manchester City | 2015

  Transfer money spent: €208 million (£185m/$233m)

The Reds have a crop of hugely-talented youngsters coming through – here are the ones to watch out for in 2022-23…

The Liverpool production line shows no sign of slowing.

As Jurgen Klopp’s senior squad looks, once again, to challenge on all fronts again this season, at academy level the Reds look in similarly good shape.

Both Marc Bridge-Wilkinson’s Under-18 side and Barry Lewtas’ U23s will be packed full of talent once more.

Having seen the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Curtis Jones emerge in recent seasons, and first-team opportunities dished out to a host of other young prospects, there will be a clutch of players hoping to get a chance to shine at Anfield this season.

Here, GOAL takes you through the ones to watch, in 2022-23 and beyond…

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  Kaide Gordon

  OK, we’ll start with an obvious one, and one who made his first steps into senior football with Liverpool last season.

  Gordon doesn’t turn 18 until October, but he has already played in the Premier League, scored at Anfield in the FA Cup against Shrewsbury and started at Arsenal in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup.

  A smart, skilful winger with excellent finishing ability, the former Derby County youngster is perhaps the brightest prospect at the club right now, outside of first-teamers such as Jones, Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho.

  It will be interesting to see how he develops this season, when he will hope for more chances to shine.

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  Tyler Morton

  Another to have enjoyed a breakthrough campaign last time out, the Wirral-born midfielder, who has been with the club since the age of seven, made nine appearances in total, including starts against Tottenham in the Premier League and both Porto and AC Milan in the Champions League.

  A good all-rounder, he is expected to develop into a No.8 as opposed to a holding midfield player, and while there is clear room for improvement physically, the 19-year-old made a fine impression on Klopp and his staff with his technical quality and range of passing.

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  Stefan Bajcetic

  Quietly, Liverpool may have pulled off a hell of a coup in signing this versatile Spanish U18 international from Celta Vigo at the start of 2021.

  Bajcetic, the son of a former Serbian international, can play either as a centre-back or in midfield, and made significant strides last season before a back injury curtailed his campaign.

  Composed on the ball, excellent in the air and with the ability to read the game expertly, he is one whom academy staff have high hopes for going forward.

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  Oakley Cannonier

  It’s hard to ignore anyone who scores more than 40 goals in a season, and Cannonier was that man for Liverpool last season.

  He netted 28 times in the U18 Premier League North, and will now look to make the step up to U23 level this year.

  While small in stature, the Leeds-born forward comes alive in and around the penalty box, where his movement and finishing ability off either foot stands out.

  Will need to fill out physically, and may find the step up in level tough to begin with, but has made huge steps in the last 12 months.

Jurgen Klopp's side can forget about a title challenge after losing at Arsenal – at this rate they'll do well to get top four

Forget the Premier League title, Liverpool will face an uphill battle to even finish in the top four this season. The Reds’ nightmare start to the campaign reached a new low on Sunday, beaten 3-2 by table-topping Arsenal, who move 14 points ahead of Jurgen Klopp’s side as a consequence.

Liverpool, who remain without an away win this season, certainly had their chances at the Emirates, twice levelling through Darwin Nunez and Roberto Firmino, but eventually succumbed to Bukayo Saka’s 76th-minute penalty, after a careless foul by Thiago Alcantara. 

This is now the Reds’ worst start to a campaign in 10 years. They have dropped points in six of their first eight league games, and have only scored first in one of them. They conceded inside a minute here, Gabriel Martinelli firing home, and though they showed spirit to fight back, poor defending and a lack of punch in the final third cost them once more. 

For Klopp, who saw Luis Diaz and Trent Alexander-Arnold forced off with injury and substituted the out-of-sorts Mohamed Salah, the questions are mounting.

This is Liverpool, but not as we know them…

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  The Winners

  Darwin Nunez:

  The overriding theme of the day from a Liverpool perspective was a negative one, but there was certainly a positive to be found in the performance of their big-money centre-forward. For starters, Nunez picked up his first goal since the opening weekend of the campaign, and a well-taken one at that. The Uruguayan's movement is good, and his anticipation was excellent as he positioned himself perfectly to slide in Luis Diaz's cross to make it 1-1. He had already served notice of his threat, forcing Aaron Ramsdale into an early save and then getting in behind again to send in a low cross which William Saliba almost turned into his own net. He completed 90 minutes for the first time since his move from Benfica, and clearly there is a player there, even if he faded in the second half and even if Klopp still needs to find a system which enables his attacking stars to shine while retaining some semblance of control in the middle of the field. Not a good day for Liverpool, but another step forward for Nunez.

  Roberto Firmino:

  There's something about the sight of Arsenal which brings out the best of Firmino in the penalty area, and so it proved again here. The Brazilian has scored more goals against the Gunners than he has any other side, and he took his tally to 10 here with a clinical left-footed finish, having been played in by Diogo Jota's astute pass. Firmino had started on the bench, somewhat surprisingly, but was called upon before half-time after Diaz was forced off, and left his mark on the game. He remains Liverpool's leading goalscorer this season, though perhaps that in itself says something about his team's struggles.

  Jurgen Klopp's eye for a player:

  You don't have to dig to deep to find out what Jurgen Klopp thinks of Gabriel Martinelli, and there will have been a wry smile from the Liverpool boss at the way Arsenal's Brazilian star ripped his side apart here. Martinelli, clearly, is a player on the up. He looks, in fact, like the kind of player Liverpool would enjoy, full of running, full of quality and, at 21, with so much potential to get even better. What a scary thought that is. He needed less than a minute to make his mark, finishing clinically from Odegaard's pass, and it was his pace and awareness which created Saka's goal for 2-1, right on the stroke of half time. Liverpool removed Trent Alexander-Arnold at half-time – although that may have been partly down to the whack the England man took on his ankle when trying to block a cross – which told its own tale. His replacement, Joe Gomez, had a similarly torrid time against Martinelli, whose running power and ability to go either way with the ball at his feet makes him such a slippery customer. "The talent of the century," Klopp once called him. How he'd love a player like Martinelli to help kickstart his own team right now.

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  The Losers

  Mohamed Salah:

  It was a day for attackers, but the most high-profile one on display endured an afternoon to forget. While Gabriel Martinelli, Darwin Nunez, Bukayo Saka and Roberto Firmino found themselves in the thick of the action, and on the scoresheet too, Salah was very much on the periphery, and didn't it show? Up against Takehiro Tomiyasu, a makeshift left-back, the Egyptian was replaced more than 20 minutes from the end, having barely had a sniff. He managed only one shot and only one touch in the Arsenal penalty area, kept away from goal and away from the action. He netted a penalty against Rangers on Tuesday, but he hasn't scored in the Premier League since August, and Liverpool need him to rediscover his sparkle soon. Without him firing, the Reds are missing an awful lot.

  Trent Alexander-Arnold:

  Another swing on the Trent-o-meter, and this time in the negative direction. Having suffered against Brighton and shone against Rangers, this was another difficult afternoon for the full-back, who turned 24 earlier this week. The battle between Alexander-Arnold and Gabriel Martinelli was billed, pre-match, as key, and the Arsenal man needed less than a minute to strike the first blow, ghosting in behind on the blind side to sweep home Odegaard's pass. If that hurt, so did the blow he took on the ankle attempting to block a Martinelli cross. He did well to soldier on, in fairness, but he might have wished he hadn't when Martinelli ran at Jordan Henderson just before half-time. Alexander-Arnold was there on the cover, but unwisely chose to charge across to help his captain, allowing the Arsenal man to cut back inside and cross low for Saka. That was Alexander-Arnold's last action. He was replaced by Gomez at half time. We wait to see how bad the damage to his ankle is, but Klopp may have even contemplated leaving him out against Rangers on Wednesday regardless. He's a class act, but his form right now is anything but reliable.

  Luis Diaz:

  This was a damaging day for Liverpool, in more ways than one. Sure, the defeat stings, but the sight of yet another key player leaving the field injured will have Klopp tearing his hair out. Diaz has been the Reds' best player so far this season, and it was the Colombian who helped drag them back into this game too. His sharpness got him away down the right, and his cross was perfect for Nunez to level at 1-1. But his afternoon was done soon after, after he collided with Thomas Partey and having initially attempted to play on, had to admit defeat and was replaced by Roberto Firmino. A knee injury, it turns out. He left the Emirates wearing a brace and using crutches. "Not good," said Klopp. With so many of his stars out of form, he can ill-afford to lose one of the ones who is actually playing well.

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  Liverpool Ratings: Defence

  Alisson Becker (6/10):

  Left exposed twice in the first half and was punished both times. Was one of the few to keep his cool throughout, but helpless to stop Saka from the spot. One moment of indecision at the end with Van Dijk.

  Trent Alexander-Arnold (4/10):

  Undone by some good Martinelli movement for the Arsenal opener. His ball forward led to the equaliser at 1-1 but he then went walkabout for Arsenal's second. Taken off at half-time having taken a blow to the ankle.

  Joel Matip (5/10):

  A few dodgy passes into midfield, and struggled to clear his lines effectively. Replaced by Konate.

  Virgil van Dijk (5/10):

  Generally OK, though his radar with long passes was off. Important work at the start of the second half to deny Saka. Looks far less dominant than in recent years, and his team are suffering as a result. Late hesitancy over a long ball summed it up.

  Kostas Tsimikas (5/10):

  Struggled to get the balance between attack and defence right, and was second best against Saka. Lacked composure.

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  Midfield

  Jordan Henderson (6/10):

  Looked edgy at first but settled as Liverpool took control. Then caught out over-committing against Martinelli for Arsenal's second goal. Kept plugging away throughout, but couldn't keep control of the game.

  Thiago Alcantara (6/10):

  Got a grip of the game after the shock of the opening goal, but was beaten too easily for the second goal and then made some sloppy mistakes in the second half, culminating with the concession of the penalty.

The Reds expect to make significant signings ahead of next season, but who could be on their way out of Anfield?

Change will be in the air at Anfield this summer, and rightly so. This, unquestionably, is the end of an era at Liverpool, with on-field struggles this season matched by off-field uncertainty.

The club is up for sale, the sporting director is leaving, a new stand is opening and a new team needs to be built, with contracts expiring, key players ageing and Jurgen Klopp’s midfield options, in particular, in need of serious reinforcement. 

Klopp has already hinted that an overhaul is likely to take place. Jude Bellingham is the Reds’ No.1 transfer target, with the likes of Matheus Nunes and Teun Koopmeiners also linked. A summer of spending is anticipated, regardless of whether Liverpool qualify for next season’s Champions League.

It is likely to be busy in terms of outgoings, too, with several players expected to leave the club.

Here, GOAL looks at those who could be heading for the Anfield exit door…

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  Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

  Oxlade-Chamberlain’s six-year stay on Merseyside is set to end this summer when his contract expires. 

  The former England international has failed to hold down a regular starting spot in recent years, but has offered a useful squad option for Klopp, playing on the wing or in midfield. 

  But at 29 – he will turn 30 in August – Oxlade-Chamberlain’s time at Anfield is up. He will not be offered a new deal, and has already been linked with a move to various Premier League clubs, including West Ham and Southampton. 

  Likelihood of leaving? 10/10

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  Naby Keita

  Another player out of contract at the end of this season, Keita has found himself back in favour of late, starting each of the Reds’ last three matches and helping improve a midfield that had struggled badly beforehand.

  The Guinea international’s injury record, though, means any optimism surrounding his form must be tempered, and the fact there has been no breakthrough in talks over a new deal does not bode well. A number of German clubs have expressed interest in signing the 27-year-old.

  Likelihood of leaving? 8/10

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  Roberto Firmino

  If Klopp gets his way, Firmino will be staying around. The Brazilian will be a free agent in June, but his manager is eager for him to extend his contract for at least another year, believing he still has an important role to play.

  As yet, though, there has been no resolution. Firmino is understood to be open to the idea of remaining on Merseyside, but is expected to receive lucrative offers from elsewhere, and the January arrival of Cody Gakpo hardly bodes well for his future prospects.

  Likelihood of leaving? 5/10

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  James Milner

  The last of Liverpool’s out-of-contract quartet, Milner had been expected to leave the club last summer, only to sign a one-year extension in June. 

  A repeat this time around cannot be ruled out – Klopp hinted as much recently – but at 37, the vice-captain certainly does not represent the long-term, and with the Reds set to bring in at least two senior midfielders, and probably more, the time might be right for Milner to move on. 

  If he does, he has more than played his part in a wonderful era on Merseyside.

  Likelihood of leaving? 7/10