The 25-year-old was Liverpool’s leading scorer last season with 14 goals in all competitions and the Brazilian’s influence on games has grown this campaign after he switched to a deeper role
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The Reds dominated the contest from the very first whistle and finally broke the deadlock against an obdurate defensive display through Mohamed Salah in the closing stages of the first half
A rejuvenated Everton make the short trip to Anfield having recorded back-to-back wins in the top flight for the first time this season, but Sam Allardyce will be aware that defeat to their rivals would wipe out his bright start at Goodison Park
The result sees Liverpool finish top of Group E, while Spartak Moscow are condemned to Europa League football
Manager Jurgen Klopp has previously used cup competitions to rotate his squad, but the German may now be forced to play his star names against the club’s city rivals
The 24-year-old has scored 47 goals in 46 games for his club and England in the calendar year
Liverpool wasted little time in going on the offensive on the south coast and Firmino should have done much better when heading over the crossbar during the opening stages of the game
The Reds have won four of their last five top-flight matches to remain firmly in top-four contention, though the gap on leaders Manchester City remains at a surely insurmountable 14 points
However, Solanke has been limited to 85 minutes in the Premier League, with his only start coming in an EFL Cup defeat to Leicester City in September.
Liverpool dominated possession from the off, but found Chelsea difficult to break down as a compact midfield saw Antonio Conte’s side setup adroitly to exploit the hosts on the brea
The Reds are still playing catch-up following a slow start to the campaign, but they have won three in a row domestically to haul themselves back into top-four contention, while the Blues sit three points better off
The phrase “a game of two halves” certainly applied at the Ramon Sanchez Pizhuan stadium on Tuesday night as the Reds were rampant in the first half, storming to a 3-0 lead inside half an hour, but their Spanish opponents came out fighting in the second and pulled off a comeback
The Saints make the trip to Merseyside having won just one of their last half-a-dozen fixtures in the top flight, and Mauricio Pellegrino is under pressure to deliver a result on their visit to the North-West
The nomination follows another he received earlier this month for the African Footballer of the Year award, organised by CAF, the continent’s governing body
West Ham’s early solidity was undone by some very sloppy defending as Liverpool countered from a Hammers corner to open the scoring on 21 minutes
The Reds are currently sixth in the Premier League table, three points adrift of the Champions League places, whereas the Hammers are just one point clear of the relegation zone
Stoke has never beaten Leicester at home in the Premier League in three attempts (D2, L1) with the Potters’ last home league win against them came in March 2007, with a 4-2 victory in the Championship
Just two weeks on from thrashing the same opponents 7-0 in Slovenia, the Reds found things more difficult on home soil but second-half strikes from Mohamed Salah, Emre Can and Daniel Sturridge ensured that they came away with all three points
Sturridge joined Liverpool in 2013 and the club have since qualified for the Champions League twice, starting with the 2014/2015 season.
The hosts were quickest out of the starting blocks but were up against a resilient side that held firm at the back for the entirety of the first half.