Arsenal have been slapped with a £40,000 fine for failing to control their players in the recent 0-0 draw with Newcastle United.

Gunners players mobbed referee Andy Madley in the 95th minute of the stalemate on January 3, convinced they should have been given a penalty.

Granit Xhaka's cross struck the arm of Jacob Murphy from a few yards away, and Madley opted against awarding a penalty.

Arsenal players reacted furiously, surrounding the official, while head coach Mikel Arteta vented his frustration on the sidelines.

A statement from the Football Association on Friday confirmed their punishment.

It read: "Arsenal have been fined £40,000 for breaching FA Rule E20.1 during their Premier League fixture against Newcastle United on Tuesday, January 3.

"Arsenal admitted they failed to ensure their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion during the 95th minute. An independent regulatory commission imposed the club's sanction during a subsequent hearing."

Arsenal are also awaiting confirmation of another sanction relating to the FA Cup, having been charged for the same offence after players reacted in a similar fashion to another penalty claim against Oxford United.

Besiktas have confirmed the termination of Wout Weghorst's spell at the club ahead of an expected move to Manchester United.

The Netherlands international has spent the first half of the season on loan in Turkey from Championship leaders Burnley but is poised to complete a return to England.

United have been on the hunt for a striker since Cristiano Ronaldo's departure ahead of the World Cup, and Weghorst emerged as the leading candidate fill the void at Old Trafford.

Weghorst's switch to United now appears all but done following Besiktas' confirmation on Friday that he has left the club.

"The temporary transfer agreement with our professional football player Wout Weghorst and his club has been terminated by mutual agreement with the player and his club," a statement said.

"Due to the early termination of the contract by Burnley, a termination fee of €2.8 million [£2.5m] will be paid to our club."

Earlier on Friday, Ten Hag confirmed Weghorst would not be signed in time to feature in Saturday's Premier League clash with Manchester City but outlined his desire for a deal to be completed swiftly.

Romeo Beckham has a big reputation to live up to but cannot be compared to famous footballing father David, says Brentford head coach Thomas Frank.

The 20-year-old joined Premier League side Brentford on loan this week and made his debut for the reserve side in Tuesday's London Senior Cup tie with Erith and Belvedere.

Romeo's dad was in the Park View Road stands to watch his son, who made 20 appearances for Inter Miami II in MLS Next Pro last season.

Talk of another Beckham taking the Premier League by storm has garnered plenty of attention, but Frank wants Romeo to be judged on his own ability rather than anyone else's.

"Romeo is a very good player, of course he has a name that is pretty worldwide, and big," Frank said at a pre-match press conference on Friday.

"For Romeo, he is himself. He of course has a big name. You can't compare [father and son]."

Frank drew comparisons between Michael Laudrup and his son Andreas, who the Brentford boss previously managed.

"Maybe Laudrup is also a decent player [like David Beckham]," Frank said. "I coached his son and it is important to take him as a player – not as a Laudrup, but as himself.

"Romeo is here for a reason, because we think he is a good player, and we are pleased he could make the loan deal."

Brentford B coach Neil MacFarlane praised Romeo for his display in the midweek cup tie, and Frank has challenged the youngster to do enough to earn a permanent contract.

"We're pleased to see him doing well and pleased with his performance in the last game. When you have players, either permanent or on loan, it's for a reason," Frank said.

"It's either for getting the team to perform, or to extend the loan deal and make it a permanent deal, so we just hope that he keeps progressing and makes it interesting for us."

Brentford's senior side are ninth in the Premier League and host Bournemouth on Saturday.

Leandro Trossard wants to leave Brighton and Hove Albion after a spat with coach Roberto De Zerbi ahead of the visit of Liverpool.

The Belgian winger hit a hat-trick against Liverpool at Anfield when the teams met in October, in what was De Zerbi's first Premier League game since succeeding Graham Potter.

Relations between Trossard and De Zerbi have taken a turn for the worse, however, and the former Genk player will play no part in the rematch with Jurgen Klopp's side on Saturday.

De Zerbi told a pre-match press conference Trossard needs to buck up his attitude, criticising the 28-year-old's conduct in training.

"On Monday, I spoke with him and I explained this attitude, this behaviour, I don't like," De Zerbi said. "We are not a big team, a Real Madrid or Barcelona. We are Brighton and we need players who work like the others."

Trossard has been linked with a possible move to Tottenham, but De Zerbi claimed to have no knowledge of a transfer in the offing.

The criticism from the Italian coach drew a response from Trossard's agent Josy Comhair.

Comhair, quoted widely in Belgian media, said Trossard has "indicated that he is ready for his next step", after failing to come to an agreement over a new contract at Brighton.

The agent also claimed there had been "an altercation between Leandro and a player in training over a trivial matter" and this had led De Zerbi to give Trossard the silent treatment.

Comhair said De Zerbi then scolded Trossard in front of the rest of Brighton's players in training on Monday.

According to the agent, De Zerbi has already suggested "several times that a transfer is the most convenient solution".

Comhair added: "It is therefore important that Brighton cooperates with a potential transfer during this transfer period and shows a benevolent attitude, which is beneficial to both parties."

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has made a strong impression on Casemiro with a winning mentality he has seen in few coaches throughout his career.

Casemiro joined United from Real Madrid in August in a deal potentially worth £70million (€78.9m), having played under the likes of Carlo Ancelotti, Rafael Benitez and Zinedine Zidane.

The Brazil international signed for the club amid a period of relative uncertainty given the disappointing nature of the previous season and Ten Hag's arrival a few months earlier ushering in a new era.

But after a slow start for both, Casemiro has excelled and Ten Hag has overseen significant collective improvement, with United fourth in the Premier League and hoping to go a point behind champions Manchester City with a win in Saturday's derby.

Ten Hag has applauded Casemiro for the impact he has made and the midfielder reciprocated with praise of his own.

"He's certainly a manager who is obsessed with winning," Casemiro told ICS. "Few managers in my career had the same obsession to win.

"He's someone who always wants to win: even in training, he always wants the best. He's a hard-working manager who demands a lot of his players so that we're always at our best and that's important for us.

"I also view him as a manager with the desire to see Manchester United grow and develop, that's one of his most important characteristics, not just his but all the coaching staff who follow his lead."

Casemiro has transformed United's midfield with a crucial blend of destructiveness and playmaking ability.

Every 90 minutes he averages 6.3 involvements in open-play passing sequences that end in a shot, a record bettered by only five central midfielders in the Premier League this term (minimum of 500 minutes), including more recognised creators such as Bruno Fernandes (7.3) and Kevin De Bruyne (8.0).

Additionally, just five players in the league (min. 500 minutes) have been involved in more shot-ending build-up sequences (48) without creating or taking the shot. Both of these highlight how central Casemiro's playmaking skills are from his deep-lying position, even if he is not necessarily the one playing the key pass.

But it is off the ball where many fans feel his presence is most welcomed, given the only other United central midfielder to record at least three tackles and eight duel wins (3.8 and 8.1) on a 90-minute basis over a season in the past 15 years is Marouane Fellaini in 2013-14 (3.1 and 9.3) and 2016-17 (3.0 and 10.8).

Casemiro does not think he is doing anything that would not be expected of him, though, and it is this simplicity and clarity from Ten Hag that he values.

"He's a very intelligent coach," Casemiro told ICS. "He knows what he can ask for from each player.

"I'd say he doesn't ask me for anything I can't do, obviously I can contribute to the team. The manager makes adjustments of course, but he doesn't ask for anything different from what I've been doing throughout my career.

"Nothing special is requested. Of course, the league and the games themselves allow you to get forward more.

"Everyone, including the manager, knows my role: bring balance to the team, support my team-mates, play between the centre-backs, provide cover for the full-backs, help the midfield, play out from the back with a quality pass. Nothing different from what I've always done in my career."

Harry Kane earned a passionate tribute from Tottenham boss Antonio Conte ahead of the north London derby where the striker could break Jimmy Greaves' Spurs goals record.

Head coach Conte described the England captain as "not also a world-class striker but also a really good man", saying he had deserved the chance to overtake club legend Greaves and predicting he would "beat every record".

At the age of 29, Kane is already the highest-scoring player in north London derby history with 14 goals, and he has scored in all but one of his eight Premier League home games against Arsenal.

Kane moved to 265 goals for the club by scoring to earn Spurs an FA Cup win over Portsmouth last weekend, now just one short of Greaves' haul.

Ahead of what would be Kane's 413th appearance for Tottenham in Saturday's early Premier League game, Conte said there was more than meets the eye to his star man's contribution.

"You know very well, much better than me, the importance of Harry for us, for Tottenham, but also for the national team, because with the club and with the national team he has great numbers," Conte told a press conference.

"We are talking about a world-class striker and for sure he is going to beat every record.

"I think he deserves this, but I want to always underline also the other aspect, the human aspect about Harry, because we are not only talking about a world-class striker but also a really good man, a really good person, and for us he is an important point of reference."

Kane is two short of becoming the third player to reach 200 Premier League goals, after Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney. Shearer's Premier League record of 260 goals will soon come into sight, providing Kane does not move abroad.

He is at that stage of his career where the records and the landmarks crop up constantly.

Greaves died in September 2021, and was already an established striker by the time he joined Tottenham as a 21-year-old, having risen to prominence with a flood of goals for Chelsea before having a short stint with Milan.

Kane will probably scorch way clear of Greaves' Spurs record, and Conte will take delight in him getting there.

"I am sure that he is going to beat this record and he is doing something incredible," Conte said. "At the same time we try to help him and if he scores, he helps us. This is important to have this exchange of favours."

Donny van de Beek will miss the rest of the season due to a knee injury, though Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is adamant his long-term outlook is encouraging.

Van de Beek was hurt in a collision with Marcos Senesi – who appeared to slip – during United's 3-0 win over Bournemouth on January 3.

The midfielder's leg bent awkwardly at the knee under the weight of Senesi, and although Van de Beek was just about able to walk off the pitch, his reaction suggested it was a serious injury.

Ten Hag confirmed the severity of the damage done on Friday, with the Netherlands midfielder ruled out for the rest of the 2022-23 campaign.

But Ten Hag did try to offer some optimism, with Van de Beek set to return in time for pre-season after avoiding a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.

"Yes, it is his knee. On the long-term, it is looking really good, he will be back for the start of pre-season. The rest of the season he is out," Ten Hag said.

"I think everyone was really…thoughts are with him, it is terrible when you are in a middle of a season and you get a bad tackle, bad injury, it is always really disappointing and thoughts, your feelings are with the player, you express that.

"Our group did that really well and we are now happy his knee on the long-term is good. Donny is also happy with that.

"But in the same moments, there are mixed feelings and disappointment he is out of this season.

"The players are feeling we are building something good and we want to be part of it and that is what I feel in this club and this moment, everyone wants to be part of it. Because of his bad injury, he is now out, so there are two sides of it.

"But the good news is on the long-term he will be back and his knee will be stable."

Dejan Kulusevski will be available to return for Tottenham against North London rivals Arsenal on Sunday.

Kulusevski was a key man for Spurs at the start of this season, but spent a spell on the sidelines with a hamstring injury prior to the World Cup.

The winger featured in Spurs' final three games before the tournament in Qatar, and with Sweden failing to qualify, the 22-year-old used the break to try and return to fitness.

But while he played the entirety of Spurs' first game back, a 2-2 draw at Brentford, Kulusevski was absent for the home defeat to Aston Villa with a muscle injury before also missing the victories over Crystal Palace and Portsmouth.

However, the former Juventus man is in contention for a clash with bitter rivals Arsenal, who hold a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League.

"The news for sure is the situation is going to improve, especially for Kulusevski," Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte told reporters on Friday. "He had training sessions in the last few days with us. He's going to be ready to play."

Conte will not be able to call upon Richarlison and Rodrigo Bentancur, both of whom picked up injuries while at the World Cup and have not featured for Spurs since.

"About Richy and Rodrigo, both situations are improving," Conte added. "I think in this moment Deki [Kulusevski] is much more ready to play. 

"For us, it is important to have patience ahead of this period and not to risk accelerating and lose them for a long period. We will see."

Lucas Moura has also endured a frustrating time due to injury and the club have decided not to renew his contract, which expires at the end of this season.

Conte said: "This is the decision of the club [not to renew]. 

"Honestly in my mind, when we planned this season Lucas was an important player for us. If you see the season, he's played one or two games."

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has recently come under fire for his touchline antics after an angry confrontation with Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe during a goalless draw at the Emirates Stadium, with the Gunners feeling they should have had a late penalty.

But Conte, who clashed with former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel earlier in the season, feels Arteta is within his rights to be animated, explaining: "Arteta is another coach that shows his passion and transfers this into the pitch and his players.

"Our job now has become really difficult, so to see a coach sat on the bench is very difficult. For sure Arteta is a coach like me, we show our passion. Nothing is prepared in your mind.

"Sometimes you can celebrate in a strange way, but this passion is a pure passion. Arteta is another coach who likes to live the game."

Conte was more critical of Arsenal's conduct as a team, after receiving two FA charges in the space of six days for their behaviour against Newcastle and then Oxford United in the FA Cup, stating: "To intimidate and create a bad atmosphere is not fair. I hate the people who try to do it."

Pep Guardiola always expected Manchester United would challenge Manchester City again as the sides head into Saturday's derby separated by only four points.

That gap was eight points after their previous meeting in early October, which City sensationally won 6-3 at the Etihad Stadium.

But United are the Premier League's form team, winning 15 of their subsequent 18 games in all competitions and losing just once.

Erik ten Hag has improved the Old Trafford outfit to the point they could really pile the pressure on second-placed City with a victory this weekend.

Guardiola was asked about United's progress ahead of that match and replied: "It's normal. A new manager arrived, many things must be settled, then the improvement of the team is clear.

"It's not just in terms of results, it's everything."

United have improved "a lot", he accepted, but a Red Devils revival was always on the cards at some stage.

"What happened in the previous seasons is a Man United problem, so I don't know, but now it's normal that United is there," Guardiola said. "Still there, top, fighting.

"The position is there because it's the position Man United has to be.

"For me, did they surprise me? No. Must be there? Yes. Alongside the other teams? Yes. That's why this competition is so difficult, but I'm not surprised at all."

Guardiola, entering his 500th top-flight match as a coach, said earlier in the week he had "a few ideas, thoughts, ridiculous ones" for taking on United, but he was in less entertaining mood following an EFL Cup exit to Southampton.

"A joke," he said of those comments. "It was a joke."

With the defeat to Saints fresh in his mind, denying him a fifth success in that competition, Guardiola was similarly unimpressed by discussion of the title race as City head into the weekend five points behind leaders Arsenal.

"It's not a knockout game, so there are many games still to play," he answered on the topic.

"Yes, it's important, it's always important against United, but it's a football game like many that are going to happen in the future.

Mikel Arteta is aware of the impact a first victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium could have on Arsenal's season ahead of Sunday's huge North London Derby.

Having beaten Tottenham 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium in October, Premier League leaders Arsenal are looking to claim a first league double against their local rivals since the 2013-14 campaign.

That season also represents the last time Arsenal won a North London Derby as the away team, with the Gunners losing on all three visits to Spurs' new home since it opened in 2019. 

With Arsenal looking to go 14 points clear of their rivals and maintain their advantage over Manchester City at the summit, Arteta is embracing the challenge ahead of them.

"We haven't won there, so that's the challenge we have ahead of us, we have to beat them at their place," the Spaniard said at Friday's pre-match press conference.

"We've had a few in the last few years – places where we didn't win in 15 or 20 years. We have a great challenge and opportunity on Sunday to get that one down.

"It's one of the biggest games of the season for us. We know how much it means right now for us in the table, and how much it means for our fans.

"We don't think about sending messages, we think about performing, playing well and earning the right to win the games.

"We know where we are. At Arsenal, we do not have any expectations other than winning games every three days, whoever we play against."

Spurs are looking to win four consecutive home league games against Arsenal for the first time in their history, with last May's 3-0 thrashing of the Gunners proving crucial as they beat their neighbours to Champions League qualification.

Reflecting on that defeat, in which Arsenal capitulated after Rob Holding's first-half dismissal, Arteta challenged the Gunners to showcase their improvement against their out-of-form hosts.

"There were a lot of things to learn and take from it," Arteta said of last season's trip to Spurs. "We are in a different place, but we have to show that by playing the way we want to play.

"Obviously, the way we have performed and the results that we've got, confidence-wise, have put us in a good position, but that's something you have to show in every single match against every opponent.

"Especially every away game brings a big challenge and this is no different. We have to prove we are good enough to go there and play our way to win the match."

Arteta was also asked about the club's pursuit of Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk – who appeared to hint at his desire to join Arsenal by posting a praying emoji on Instagram as reports suggested the Gunners had tabled another bid on Thursday.

"You know we cannot talk about any other players. There is interest in things we would like to do to improve the team because we are a bit short in certain areas," Arteta said. "As a club, we are determined to improve the team in every window."

Asked if he had taken notice of Mudryk's social media activity, Arteta laughed: "I won't tell you how good I am with a phone!"

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag confirmed Wout Weghorst is close to joining the club but will not sign in time to feature in Saturday's derby.

United have been on the hunt for a new striker ever since Cristiano Ronaldo's acrimonious exit in November, with the Portugal forward having his contract terminated after an explosive interview.

Over the past week or so, Weghorst – who is on loan at Besiktas from Burnley – emerged as a likely candidate to fill the void until the end of the season.

Reports on Thursday suggested United reached an agreement to pay Besiktas £2.5million (€3m) to take over their loan arrangement with Weghorst, who has scored eight Super Lig goals in 16 games this season.

Some supporters have been indifferent about the prospect of signing a player who netted just twice in 20 Premier League games last term as Burnley were relegated, but a deal is seemingly near – just not close enough for him to face Manchester City this weekend.

Speaking to reporters about the rumours on Friday, Ten Hag said: "I think we are close, so he will not be available for tomorrow, no."

But with United unable to get a deal for Weghorst over the line sooner, they could once again see their options at centre-forward limited for the visit of City.

Anthony Martial has been plagued by injuries this season and is struggling with another issue, leaving Ten Hag unsure of his availability for the match.

Asked to provide general fitness updates, the manager added: "[Diogo] Dalot is not available, and Martial trained this morning, so we wait to see how he recovered and if he's available. That will be decided tomorrow.

"It's a small thing, in his leg, so I will be [waiting for] tomorrow, otherwise he'll be available for Wednesday, I think."

United are somewhat stretched in the attacking department, with Martial proving unreliable in terms of fitness and Jadon Sancho still absent after being granted time away to improve his mental sharpness.

But Ten Hag is not panicking, pointing out United have done well without Martial and Weghorst in recent weeks.

"Weghorst wasn't available in the last weeks, so it would be a bonus if he was [able to face City]," Ten Hag said. "I hope soon he will be there.

"But also we have had a month of winning a lot of games without Anthony Martial."

United welcome City to Old Trafford looking to avenge a 6-3 defeat in October. Victory for the Red Devils will see them move to within a point of the champions.

Trent Alexander-Arnold feels underperforming Liverpool are expected to be "immaculate" after enjoying such a successful spell under manager Jurgen Klopp.

Since Klopp's arrival from Borussia Dortmund in 2015, Liverpool have lifted both the Premier League and Champions League, while also winning two domestic cup competitions.

Klopp's side finished runners-up in both the Champions League and Premier League last season, finishing just a point behind Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in the latter having taken the title race to the final day of the campaign.

However, Liverpool have not been at their normal levels this term and sit 16 points behind league leaders Arsenal, while they will have to overturn a seven-point deficit to fourth-placed rivals Manchester United if they are to finish in the Champions League qualification spots.

Alexander-Arnold believes Liverpool have raised the bar for themselves to a level that fans now expect constant success, telling Sky Sports: "There's a level of expectation now. It's almost like being a victim of your own success.

"People expect us to be immaculate every season and we're not allowed to have off seasons. There's a level of consistency that's demanded and we demand that from ourselves as well.

"It's a season that we've not been overly happy with, but there's still a long time left. 

"We would like to be higher up the table, pushing for the title, but at the same time we are in a position to go and challenge for Champions League football.

"There will come a time when things click into place and we'll be back to where we were and where we have been. When that happens, then everyone will be happy. It's just a matter of time."

A key part of Liverpool's recent glory was Sadio Mane, who joined from Southampton in 2016 before going on to score 120 goals in 269 appearances in all competitions for the Reds.

Mane departed for Bayern Munich prior to this season, and replacement Darwin Nunez has endured a mixed start to his Anfield career after signing for a club-record £85million fee.

While Alexander-Arnold acknowledged Liverpool are missing Mane, he also defended Nunez, who has come under fire after a number of missed gilt-edged opportunities in the early days of his Premier League career.

"Sadio is a world-class player and has been for many years," the right-back said. "He's someone who will help any team he's at and do the things he does to a level that others can't, so of course we are going to miss what he brings to the team.

"But we've got other players with different qualities who bring different things to our game who will help us in what we need to do.

"[Nunez] is a player who I think it's easy to just write him off, it's easy to say he's not scoring goals. But he's getting himself into areas and places where he's able to hurt the opposition. We have faith that the goals will start coming."

Pep Guardiola feared a Manchester City performance of the like they delivered in losing to Southampton was coming this season after years of success, and he is now calling on his team to "recover who you are".

City exited the EFL Cup, a competition they have won four times under Guardiola, with a 2-0 defeat at St Mary's Stadium on Wednesday.

That quarter-final elimination was concerning beyond simply the result, however, as Guardiola's side failed to record a shot on target for the first time in almost five years.

City have little time to recover as they face rivals Manchester United in the Premier League on Saturday. Guardiola said his team had gone through "normal preparation for the next game" despite his concerns at what he saw against Southampton, but he had a response when it was suggested fans might be concerned by Ilkay Gundogan's post-match comments.

Gundogan, the City captain, suggested they were missing "a special recipe" as "the desire and hunger is maybe not as it was in recent years".

"City fans cannot complain about what this team is able to do, has done and will do," Guardiola said in a press conference on Friday.

"We cannot talk on behalf of the City fans, because there are millions; I don't know what every single City fan thinks.

"Saying that, what happened didn't surprise me. We tried to avoid it. It happened, unfortunately.

"Hopefully it's not going to happen again, but it's happened because we've done four Premier Leagues in five years. Sometimes you have to reset.

"This competition, the [EFL] Cup, showed me exactly in terms of consistency that we were able to do it. This was our strength as a team, as a club in the previous seasons. After back-to-back two times, this could happen.

"It's normal it happens. We were not ready to go there and be ourselves. I'm not talking about winning the [EFL] Cup, I'm not talking about winning games, we must be ourselves, behaves how we have to in every single game.

"Unfortunately, I was a little bit concerned this season that it could happen. Unfortunately, it happened; I don't know if it's going to happen again.

Guardiola is at least confident there will be no repeat against United, adding he was "not concerned at all" about City's desire ahead of the derby.

But the wider implication of what the match might mean for the Premier League title race was not of interest to the City manager.

"After what happened after Southampton, the last thing I'm worried about is titles, these kind of things," he said. "It's to recover who you are game by game."

Jurgen Klopp has demanded Liverpool's players show some "fight" to salvage their season.

Klopp is concerned his players are not winning enough challenges, and he has told them to take responsibility.

Liverpool's tackle success rate in the Premier League has been strong enough, with their 60.73 per cent record ranking them third among all clubs, behind only Arsenal and Everton.

But the record in duels is a different story, and dismal from a Reds perspective. A duel is defined by Opta as a '50-50 contest between two players of opposing sides'.

Only in seven out of 27 games across all competitions has Liverpool's duels success reached 50 per cent this season.

In Premier League games only, Liverpool's duels record heading into the latest round of games was the worst of all teams, with a 47.54 per cent success rate.

Klopp said the only way around the problem was to "win more challenges".

"I cannot win challenges for them," he said. "That's what we are talking about, and it's something we have to do, and that will change a lot.

"It's a basic thing to win challenges, and that's why we're talking a little bit about it.

"We are not the most shiny star because we don't play the football people expect and we expect as well, but we have good moments, and we have to fight through this."

Klopp was adamant Liverpool "have more problems than other teams at this moment", with injuries to key personnel undoubtedly hampering their progress.

They sat seventh in the table going into the weekend, after losing to Brentford in their last league game, with a tricky away game at Brighton and Hove Albion awaiting them on Saturday.

Klopp is sure Liverpowill win football games again", after their sticky start since the season resumed after the World Cup.

Liverpool's EFL Cup defence ended with defeat to Manchester City in December, while hopes of another run to FA Cup glory are hanging by a thread as they face a third-round Molineux replay against Wolves after an Anfield draw.

Klopp said the Brighton game was a "very important game for us for different reasons".

He stressed there are aspects of Liverpool's recent performances "we didn't like" and said there was no danger of underestimating Brighton, a team he feels are "full of confidence" under Roberto De Zerbi's leadership.

The game should mark Mohamed Salah's 300th appearance for an English club, with the Egypt international having to date played 280 games for Liverpool and 19 for Chelsea.

He has proven to be one of Klopp's best signings, and Liverpool hope there is plenty still to come from the 30-year-old, who has blossomed at Anfield after a spell with Roma.

"Oh my god, what a journey," Klopp said. "I would say his dreams and our dreams came true during that period, but it's not over yet.

"Mo is fit, still after all these years, after all these games, and that's important, that he's available pretty much always.

"Sometimes the performance drops here and there, but it doesn't happen too often, so I think it was a perfect match."

Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy has been found not guilty of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.

The verdict was delivered at Chester Crown Court on Friday following a six-month trial.

French full-back Mendy was found not guilty of six counts of rape allegedly committed against four women and a further count of sexual assault alleged to have been committed against a fifth woman.

The jury were unable to were unable to reach an agreement on one further count of rape, and another count of attempted rape.

Mendy had been charged following allegations of attacks on five women between October 2020 and August 2021.

Co-defendant Louis Saha Matturie was found not guilty of three counties of rape. Jurors could not reach verdicts on three counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault against him.

The prosecution will seek a retrial on the counts the jury could not reach verdicts on.

Mendy was suspended by Premier League City champions in August 2021, when he was remanded in custody. The 28-year-old was released from prison last January.

City said in a statement on Friday: "Manchester City FC notes the verdict from Chester Crown Court today, where a jury has found Benjamin Mendy not guilty of seven charges.

"The jury is hung on two charges and the trial is now over.

"Given there are open matters related to this case, the Club is not in a position to comment further at this time."

City boss Pep Guardiola was asked about Mendy at his press conference, which took place shortly after the verdicts.

He said: "The club have made a statement. I'm not allowed to say anything else. Please take the statement like my words."