Liverpool defender Andy Robertson insists the players have no concerns about “ultimate professional” Mohamed Salah’s immediate future as speculation of a potential world-record bid from Saudi Arabia continues.

Pro League champions Al-Ittihad last week had a £150million offer rejected by Fenway Sports Group president Mike Gordon, who now considers the matter closed.

However, that has not done anything to prevent suggestions they could return with a bid around the £200m mark for the 31-year-old, who is the world’s highest-profile Arab player.

Manager Jurgen Klopp reiterated the club’s stance after the 3-0 win over Aston Villa, in which Salah scored and had a hand in the other two goals, and Robertson said the squad were united in their belief there would be no departure before Thursday’s closure of the Saudi transfer window.

“For us we block that out, Mo blocks it out. We let other people talk about that,” he said.

“For us there is no concern. For us Mohamed Salah is a Liverpool player and we believe that is what is going to be the case for the foreseeable future.

“He’s the ultimate professional. He does what it does, he is one of the best players in the world and he is professional.

“He lets other people do the talking, let’s other people say what they have to say, but he’s always been committed to Liverpool and you saw that with the performance he put in.

“The club’s position was that it knocked it back, it rejected the bid and that is what the stance was.

“For me Mo has been Mo all week. He’s not been affected; I’ve been around him a lot and he’s not been affected by anything.

“Mo has reacted in the best way possible and I think you have seen that with his performance, I think he was pretty special.”

At every media appearance over the last two weeks Klopp and the players have had to deal with questions about the future of Salah, who has two years left on a contract signed last summer which made him the highest-paid player in the club’s history.

But Robertson said it had not been destabilising or affected the squad’s focus as they made it 10 points from a possible 12 to head into the international break in third place in the Premier League.

“Look, there is speculation around a lot of players and it is how we deal with it and he (Salah) has obviously done well,” he added.

“Our squad is what it is and that’s the squad that is going to go forward now with the window shut.

“It is about getting the most out of the squad, it is about looking forward to the season ahead and trying to do better than what we did last season.”

After some criticism over recruitment following the departures of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, coincidentally to Saudi Pro League clubs, Liverpool’s squad looks refreshed and re-energised.

World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, both signed before the start of pre-season, are starting to look like the long-term future of midfield they were brought in to be, with the latter scoring his first goal for the club against Villa in an impressive all-round performance in a comfortable victory.

“I thought it was probably our best performance of the season so far, which is pleasing,” said Robertson.

“I thought they (the midfield) were excellent, but to be honest I thought every player was excellent – even the subs who came on – it was a complete squad performance.”

On Szoboszlai’s goal, a sweetly-struck shot from the edge of the penalty area for which he built a reputation at previous club RB Leipzig, the Scotland captain added: “We’ve maybe not seen as much of it in games as we have seen in training but he’s got a pretty nice strike on him, that’s for sure.

“Technically he is a very gifted player, we’ve seen that already and I think he’ll have a big career here and we are looking forward to being a part of it.”

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insisted the club’s stance would not waver on Mohamed Salah, despite speculation of a potential world-record bid for the forward arriving this week.

The club rejected a £150million deal for the 31-year-old from Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad on Friday and said at the time, they considered the matter closed.

That has not prevented suggestions the Pro League champions are prepared to return with a bid of around £200m but Klopp said even though the Saudi transfer window remained open until Thursday, the position of owners Fenway Sports Group would not change.

“I didn’t realise a little bit of a distraction in the whole week, besides answering questions about it – not from people inside (the club) but people outside,” said Klopp after his side’s 3-0 victory over Aston Villa in which Salah scored the third after Dominik Szoboszlai’s first goal for the club was followed by Matty Cash putting through his own net.

“I have no clue, nobody came to me and told me something could happen or whatever. I’m pretty sure I would have got a call but I didn’t.

“And Mo didn’t look for a second like he thought about anything else other than about Aston Villa, being involved in all the goals.

“He has unbelievable numbers but it’s not a surprise that he has the numbers. And he had chances on top of that and (is) involved in creating and setting up and all these kind of things.

“He’s a world-class player, no doubt about that and I’m really pleased he is in my team.”

Szoboszlai said in a post-match television interview to that Salah wanted to stay.

“You know it is football, everyone is talking. We are really happy that he has stayed,” said the Hungary captain.

“We are of course speaking between each other but he wants to stay, he wants to be here and be with us. We are really happy – we need people in the team like him.”

Klopp was asked whether Salah had conveyed that message to him.

“No. He didn’t tell me, but he didn’t have to. He speaks with his training and performances and behaviour,” he added, after admitting the only downside to the afternoon was a hamstring injury to Trent Alexander-Arnold which was likely to rule him out of England duty in the coming international break.

“We had meetings this week and the meetings were not about what we did in the past, it was about what we will do in the future.

“Mo was with the players’ (leadership) committee and had his moments where he was talking and it was nothing like ‘By the way, this is only until next week’ or whatever.

“He is completely here and if Dom said that, fine. Mo doesn’t have to come into my office and tell me ‘By the way, boss… (I’m not going)’.

“For me it wasn’t a subject for one second, to be honest, besides the questions (from the media).”

Villa were never really in the game after Cash’s 22nd-minute own goal, and head coach Unai Emery admitted – after conceding three in the last half-hour at Newcastle on the opening weekend – he was conscious of getting torn apart at Anfield.

“It is difficult to win here and first half was the key. We had chances, we were not clinical and 2-0 was not really the result we deserved for the first half,” he said.

“Second half we stuck to our gameplan and they scored the third goal and it was match finished.

“We tried to be focused because here, like in Newcastle, we lost the last 30 minutes and we didn’t want it today. I can’t accept to let them have more goals.”

Mohamed Salah ignored the Saudi Arabian spotlight focused on him with a goal and an impressive all-round performance in Liverpool’s comfortable 3-0 Premier League rout of Aston Villa which showed his commitment and desire has not wavered.

A rejected £150million bid from Al-Ittihad on Friday merely sparked reports the Pro League champions would return with a world-record offer – with their transfer window open until Thursday – but while the speculation continues, the Egypt international got on with what he is good at.

This was his 188th goal in 308 appearances, 139th in 222 Premier League matches, his seventh in seven games against Villa and the 150th different game in which he had found the target.

His close-range poacher’s finish at a corner made the result safe but even with the game won inside an hour, he was still chasing lost causes on an afternoon when scorching temperatures inside Anfield resembled Saudi Arabia on one of its cooler days.

But while Salah provided the killer blow with the third goal, the architect of the victory was Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose corner saw Dominki Szoboszlai open the scoring with his first goal for the club and then a clever whipped pass over the top released Salah – which ultimately resulted in a Matty Cash own goal.

However, the sight of him limping off and straight down the tunnel with 20 minutes to go will be of some concern as manager Jurgen Klopp has no one else who can do what he currently does.

Klopp himself marked his 300th Premier League match with his 188th victory, losing just 43, but as he stressed in his programme notes when urging fans not to sing his song until after the final whistle, the focus was on the players.

This was only the second of seven league matches Liverpool had won without Virgil Van Dijk, currently suspended, but wearing the armband in his place, local lad Alexander-Arnold led by example.

However, even he could not have anticipated his third-minute corner reaching Szoboszlai untouched by anyone but the Hungary captain, who arrived from RB Leipzig with a reputation for scoring from distance, made sure the right-back got full value for his delivery.

As the ball dropped to him on the edge of the box the 22-year-old hit a sweet, controlled left-footed shot which, on its way back also evaded the crowd to nestle inside the returning Emi Martinez’s left-hand post.

Alexander-Arnold was the instigator of Liverpool’s second but it was the helping hand from Salah, for whom the Kop sang their first song in the 10th minute, chasing his brilliant pass with greater determination than Pau Torres which presented the chance for Nunez.

The Uruguay international scuffed a shot against the post but the rebound went in off the unfortunate Cash.

Liverpool’s right-back-cum-playmaker should have had another assist when he opted to cross a free-kick in prime shooting territory only to find the worst possible option in Joel Matip, whose free header never even threatened the target.

Villa – who lost Diego Carlos to injury midway through the first half – saw John McGinn and substitute Leon Bailey (twice) miss their best chances but the final 20 minutes of the first half was played in a bizarre atmosphere with the visitors sitting off, Liverpool at walking pace and the crowd subdued.

Nunez can always be relied upon to liven things up though and he smashed a shot against the crossbar from the narrowest of angles after the offside Salah’s clever decision not to chase Alexander-Arnold’s ball over the top.

Early in the second half, Alisson Becker parried away Cash’s close-range header on the line before Salah broke down the right, leaving the collapsing Lucas Digne in his wake, to produce a sublime outside-of-the-left-foot cross to the far post – which Nunez somehow managed to bundle wide.

But Salah was not to be denied and from Andy Roberton’s 55th-minute corner, Nunez flicked on the ball to the far post for the Egyptian to blast home from close range for the biggest cheer of the day.

Liverpool are determined to rebuff further approaches from Al-Ittihad for Mohamed Salah but the next few days are likely to prove every bit of the challenge manager Jurgen Klopp predicted.

Mike Gordon, president of owners Fenway Sports Group, politely but firmly rejected the Saudi Pro League’s offer of a £150million deal for the Egypt international and declared the matter closed as far as the club were concerned.

However, with the Pro League’s transfer window open until Thursday, there is the very real prospect Al-Ittihad will return with an improved bid which will have even more of a destabilising effect.

Which is why Klopp again expressed his concern about the discrepancy as “nobody (in Europe) can react any more”.

When Saudi interest in the 31-year-old first reared its head last month, the Egyptian’s agent Ramy Abbas wrote on Twitter on August 7: “If we considered leaving LFC this year, we wouldn’t have renewed the contract last summer. Mohamed remains committed to LFC.”

Abbas has not been as forthcoming this time around and although the Salah bid has undoubtedly loomed large over preparations for Sunday’s visit of Aston Villa, Klopp said he had seen “absolutely nothing” to worry about and that Salah was “super-committed”.

However, this week’s developments look like the start of a long goodbye for Salah, who will be 32 next summer and in the final year of his £350,000-a-week contract – which easily makes him the highest-paid player in the club’s history – with Liverpool more likely to be amenable to a sale at that point.

While the focus of Salah, who has scored scored 138 goals in 221 Premier League appearances, has never been in doubt, Klopp also believes fellow forward Darwin Nunez has a renewed drive following his match-winning two-goal appearance off the bench at Newcastle last week.

“Massive, massive, that’s clear. That’s what he wants, what we want,” Klopp said of the effect it would have on the Uruguay international, who started the season as fifth-choice forward.

“It’s exactly how it should have been – being a massive threat. You could, of course, see it the next day. But everybody could feel it.”

Villa have impressed under Unai Emery this season as, after an opening-day defeat at Newcastle, they have won four successive matches in all competitions.

“Aston Villa is a machine – counter-attack, good organised, everyone committed 100 per cent. When they defend deep then they defend with their all and from there they go,” said Klopp.

“It’s a massive game, no doubt about it. Yeah, we have to play a top game to get something out of it.

“After that it is the international break, so we could make a good start (and) turn it into a really good start to the season result-wise.

“But there are a massive 115 minutes in between now and then.”

Liverpool have rejected a £150million offer for Mohamed Salah from Saudi Arabia Pro League side Al-Ittihad.

The Egypt international has been the subject of interest from the Middle East for some time and the PA news agency understands a verbal offer was made on Friday.

However, the club have rejected it out of hand and consider the matter closed as the forward is not for sale.

What the papers say

With the transfer deadline looming, Premier League sides are making their final moves as the clock ticks down to September 1. According to the Daily Mail, one of the big moves could see a star name leave the Premier League, with Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad gearing up for a £118million bid for Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah, 31. The Daily Star reports that Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp would be “furious” if the move went ahead.

The Daily Mirror reports Manchester United are keen to nab a midfielder before the transfer window closes, with Sofyan Amrabat, 27, their prime target. The Daily Mail reports Fiorentina have turned down a £1.7million loan deal but would consider a deal with an obligation to buy.

One player who could be on his way out of Old Trafford is English defender Teden Mengi. Luton are close to signing him, according to the Daily Mail.

Tottenham’s move for Wales forward Brennan Johnson, 22, from Nottingham Forest has stalled, according to The Independent. Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze, 25, has emerged as a new target.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Callum Hudson-Odoi: Nottingham Forest are close to a deal for the England winger, 22, from Chelsea, according to the Guardian.

James McAtee: Manchester City’s England Under-21s midfielder could return for a second loan spell at Sheffield United, who are leading the chase for him, according to Football Insider.

Jurgen Klopp dismissed fresh speculation linking Mohamed Salah with a move to Saudi Arabia, insisting the Egyptian forward is “essential” at Liverpool.

Al-Ittihad have snatched Fabinho from Liverpool this summer, signing the midfielder for £40million, and have reportedly renewed their interest in Salah, who still has two years left to run on his contract.

The sums being mentioned are staggering, with a £60m fee touted for the 31-year-old, who could allegedly pocket £155m over two years to become one of the highest paid footballers in the world.

However, Klopp revealed Liverpool have had no contact from any of the big-spending Saudi Pro League clubs, adding any official bids exceeding even £100m for their star asset would be rejected.

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s Premier League trip to Newcastle, the Liverpool manager said: “It’s always a bit difficult to talk about media stories because there is nothing to talk about at the moment.

“We don’t have an offer, Mo Salah is still a Liverpool player, obviously for all the things we do, he’s essential and will be. There’s nothing there. If there would be something, the answer would be no.

“My life philosophy is I think about a problem when I have it. At the moment, there’s absolutely nothing. I said already if there is something, the answer would be no.”

Salah, who has scored 187 goals in 308 appearances since switching to Merseyside from Roma in 2017, is just 12 months into a three-year deal which is the most lucrative contract in Liverpool’s history.

It is barely two weeks since his agent, Ramy Abbas, insisted on Twitter Salah remains “fully committed” to Liverpool, and asked whether that remains the case, Klopp responded: “One hundred per cent.”

Diogo Jota struck a stoppage-time winner as Liverpool clinched a dramatic 4-3 win over Tottenham, who had fought back from three goals down in a remarkable contest at Anfield. 

A week on from their 6-1 defeat to Newcastle United, Spurs looked set for more of the same when Curtis Jones, Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah scored within the first 15 minutes.

Unlike on Tyneside, Spurs showed plenty of fight as Harry Kane and Son Heung-min teed up a grandstand finish, before Richarlison's first league goal for the club levelled things up at 3-3 in stoppage time.

However, as Tottenham prepared to celebrate clinching the unlikeliest of draws, Jota latched onto Lucas Moura's error to fire home, sending Anfield into raptures and moving the Reds above their visitors in the Premier League table.

Mohamed Salah's goalscoring feats are underappreciated by those outside Liverpool, believes his Reds team-mate Virgil van Dijk.

Salah scored his 183rd goal for Liverpool to clinch a 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest on Saturday, after Neco Williams and Morgan Gibbs-White struck to cancel out Diogo Jota's brace.

The Egyptian's close-range finish saw him match Robbie Fowler's goal tally for Liverpool in 71 fewer appearances, taking him to joint-sixth in the club's all-time scoring charts.

Salah has scored 27 goals across all competitions during an underwhelming season for Liverpool, and he now has Steven Gerrard's total of 186 goals for the Reds in his sights.

Asked about Salah's goalscoring exploits after Saturday's win, Van Dijk suggested the forward is underrated by those not of a Red persuasion. 

"Most of the players here have contributed to winning big trophies. Mo will definitely be seen as a legend. He's such an important player," Van Dijk told reporters.

"At a later stage, I think the things he's done will be appreciated a lot more by the outside world.

"For us, we appreciate everything he does day in, day out. We see all the hard work that he puts in. He just has to keep it going."

Having also scored in a 2-2 draw with Arsenal before grabbing a brace in a 6-1 thrashing of Leeds United, Salah has now netted in three successive Premier League games for the first time since October 2021 (during a run of seven).

Meanwhile, only Ollie Watkins (14) and Erling Haaland (13) have bettered his return of 12 Premier League goal involvements since the turn of the year.

Liverpool remain nine points adrift of the top four despite winning back-to-back games, and Van Dijk says the team's below-par campaign has been an eye-opener.

"We are very privileged. We're going out there, performing for one of the biggest clubs in the world," he said. "This season, at times, you have to remind yourself that we're really blessed.

"Everyone wants to win, no one wants to make mistakes and lose. We have been very successful over the years.

"We just need to find that joy. I'm certainly happy and buzzing to be out there, trying to get good results to put a run together."

Mohamed Salah scored the winner as Liverpool edged out Nottingham Forest 3-2 in a five-goal Premier League thriller at Anfield on Saturday.

Jurgen Klopp's side were pegged back twice as former Red Neco Williams and Morgan Gibbs-White cancelled out goals from Diogo Jota.

But Salah's 183rd Liverpool goal – moving him level with Robbie Fowler – sealed the points 20 minutes from time.

The Reds close the gap on fourth-placed Newcastle United to six points, having played one game more, while ensuring their opponents remain inside the relegation zone.

Keylor Navas came to Forest's rescue in the 26th minute with a tremendous reflex save to deny Virgil van Dijk's close-range header, while Williams thwarted Cody Gakpo on the line.

But the hosts broke through within two minutes of the restart. Forest failed to clear a corner and Fabinho's header back into the danger zone was flicked home by Jota.

Forest responded well and levelled four minutes later following a sweeping move that saw Gibbs-White find Williams, whose first-time shot deflected in via Andrew Robertson.

However, Robertson turned provider as Liverpool regained the advantage within four minutes, Jota taking advantage of sloppy defending to control his free-kick before drilling a volley past Navas.

The former Real Madrid goalkeeper did brilliantly to deny Jota a hat-trick before Forest levelled again, Gibbs-White's volley deflecting off Trent Alexander-Arnold and into the bottom corner.

But Salah edged the hosts back in front 20 minutes from time, reacting quickest to steer home Alexander-Arnold's free-kick.

Substitute Brennan Johnson almost rescued a point when he hit the crossbar, as the Reds held out for victory.

Just as Premier League managers toy with their options for crucial run-in games, fantasy bosses are weighing up who should slot into their teams this weekend.

Some will be looking to consolidate lofty positions, but many will be eyeing a gamble in a late attempt to shuffle up the standings.

It comes down to analysing form, whether recent or over a longer course of time.

Using Opta data, Stats Perform selects four players you might consider for the latest set of matches.
 

Jose Sa (Leicester City v Wolves)

In a midlands battle between hosts in the relegation mire and visitors who are creeping clear of trouble, Wolves may need goalkeeper Jose Sa to be at his sharpest.

Only three teams have recorded more Premier League shutouts than Wolves in 2023 (5), while Sa is the eighth different goalkeeper to have recorded at least 20 clean sheets since the start of last season.

He is targeting a third successive clean sheet this weekend, and since the start of last season, only Alisson (14.2) and Bernd Leno (9.9) have prevented more goals than Sa (6.4), based on Opta's xG model.

Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace v Everton)

We've seen an April shower of goals from Crystal Palace this month, and now lowly Everton are the visitors to Selhurst Park.

Since the start of April, only Manchester City (11) have scored more goals in the Premier League than Palace (9), with Eberechi Eze netting three of those.

With seven goals and three assists this season, he has already equalled his best tally for goal involvements in the Premier League season (also 10 in 2020-21), and under Roy Hodgson's leadership he is clearly thriving again.

Mohamed Salah (Liverpool v Nottingham Forest)

Setting penalties to one side, Liverpool's Mohamed Salah has been showing some serious form of late, hitting a double last time out at Leeds United.

Only Ollie Watkins (14) and Erling Haaland (13) have been involved in more Premier League goals in 2023 than the Liverpool forward, with Salah totting up 11 involvements (8 goals, 3 assists), nine of which have come since the beginning of March.

In his last 10 Premier League games against teams that have come up from the Championship, as Forest did at the start of this campaign, Salah has been involved in nine goals (6 goals, 3 assists).

Dominic Solanke (Bournemouth v West Ham)

When Dominic Solanke gets hot, the opposition soon know about it.

He has become just the fifth different player for Bournemouth to record at least five goals and five assists in a Premier League season, achieving that by scoring once and providing two assists last time out against Tottenham.

The 25-year-old former Liverpool player had a stunning 2021-22 campaign in the Championship with the Cherries, and while he has not consistently hit the same heights in the top flight, the Tottenham game was the third of the Premier League season in which he has both scored and assisted. Nobody in the league has done so on more occasions, heading into this weekend's round of games.

Pascal Gross has signed an extension to his deal at Brighton and Hove Albion, meaning Seagulls fans can expect their team to keep creating plenty of chances.

The 31-year-old has been at Brighton since arriving from Ingolstadt in 2017, contributing 23 goals and 33 assists in 184 Premier League games for the club.

Since Gross came to England's top-flight in Brighton's first season after promotion from the Championship, only Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne (535) has created more chances than his 388, ahead of Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold (381) and Mohamed Salah (361).

Brighton announced on Wednesday that the German midfielder has extended his stay at the Amex Stadium until 2025.

Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota both scored twice as Liverpool returned to winning ways in the Premier League with a 6-1 hammering of Leeds United on Monday.

Jurgen Klopp's side had not tasted victory in any competition since the March 5 thrashing of Manchester United but ended a five-game winless streak at their relegation-threatened hosts.

Liverpool took control through a quickfire first-half double from Cody Gakpo and Salah, although Luis Sinisterra pulled one back two minutes into the second half at Elland Road.

There was to be no dramatic turnaround as a Jota brace, either side of Salah's second, made sure of three points that moved the Reds to within six of Europa League qualification, before Darwin Nunez completed the scoring off the bench.

Leeds should have taken the lead against the run of play when Rodrigo headed a glorious seventh-minute chance straight at Alisson from Jack Harrison's free-kick.

But Liverpool were in front when Trent Alexander-Arnold dispossessed Junior Firpo before playing a one-two with Salah and teeing up a simple Gakpo finish for the 35th-minute opener.

Salah doubled Liverpool's lead just four minutes later with a rasping drive past Illan Meslier after Jota's delicate offload.

An Ibrahima Konate mistake allowed Sinisterra to race through and chip Alisson, but Leeds' momentum was soon halted when Curtis Jones found Jota to curl past the onrushing Meslier.

Brenden Aaronson struck the upright with a whipped long-range attempt, before a selfless Gakpo pass rolled in Salah for a cool left-footed finish into the bottom-left corner.

Jota found the same corner from Jordan Henderson's pass, with Nunez then capping the rout by latching onto Alexander Arnold's dinked ball and dispatching past Meslier.

What does it mean? Reds atone for away struggles with much-needed win

Klopp's side had recorded just 13 points in their 15 Premier League away games this season prior to this trip, but Leeds remains a happy hunting ground for the Reds.

Liverpool have not lost any of their last six league visits to Elland Road, dating back to a 4-3 defeat in November 2000 when Mark Viduka scored all four Leeds goals.

While out of the running for any silverware this term, Klopp will want his team to produce similar away performances across the remainder of the season as they bid for European qualification.  

Super Salah

This has been a slightly quiet season for Salah compared to his usual lofty standards, having scored 13 times in 29 league outings before this clash, but the Liverpool man again came to the fore against Leeds.

The forward has scored nine times against Leeds in the Premier League, with no Reds player managing more – only Gordon Hodgson can match that tally in Liverpool's entire league history.

Leeds defensive woes continue

Leeds were thrashed 5-1 at home by Crystal Palace last time out and have now shipped 16 goals in their four league games in April, more than any other team this month.

The Whites' defensive struggles continued here, although they may have felt aggrieved with Gakpo's opener after it appeared Alexander-Arnold handled when dispossessing Firpo in the build-up.

What's next?

Liverpool host strugglers Nottingham Forest on Saturday, when Leeds visit Fulham.

Roberto Firmino's late header stunned Arsenal as Liverpool stormed back from two goals down to salvage a 2-2 Premier League draw at Anfield.

Goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus put the Gunners in command, but Mohamed Salah reduced the deficit late in the first half.

Salah missed a penalty early in the second half, but Firmino came off the bench to rock Arsenal with an equaliser in the 87th minute of a thriller on Merseyside.

Aaron Ramsdale then produced two brilliant saves in injury time as the Gunners held on for a draw that leaves them six points clear of defending champions Manchester City, who have a game in hand.

Bukayo Saka returned to the Arsenal team to face Liverpool at Anfield, while Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah were handed starts for the hosts.

Saka dropped to the bench for a 4-1 hammering of Leeds United last weekend due to illness, but the England winger replaced Leandro Trossard in the Premier League leaders' starting line-up on Sunday.

That was the only change made by manager Mikel Arteta as the Gunners looked to restore their advantage over second-placed Manchester City to eight points.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp recalled centre-back Van Dijk and leading scorer Salah to his team, along with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson and Cody Gakpo.

Van Dijk was absent for a goalless draw with Chelsea in midweek, while Salah, Robertson, Gakpo and Alexander-Arnold started on the bench at Stamford Bridge.

Thiago Alcantara was included among the substitutes for Sunday's game after two months on the sidelines with a hip injury.