Football writer Adrian Clarke identifies the key players, team tactics and where matches could be won and lost in Matchweek 30.
Team analysis: Liverpool
Finding flaws in a side who are currently on a 25-match unbeaten run in the Premier League doesn’t sit right, but the eye test does tell us Liverpool are below their best at the moment.
A 12-point cushion at the top of the table means any alarm bells ringing around Anfield are faint at most, but Arne Slot’s side could certainly do with an improved, uplifting performance against Everton on Wednesday.
Liverpool’s form is undeniably flat. They laboured at Wembley Stadium when losing to Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup Final and were second-best across both legs against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League.
So what exactly are the issues? We take a closer look here.
Fatigue has set in
There has been visibly less zip and intensity about Liverpool’s play since the last Merseyside derby on 12 February.
The team has looked a touch leggy and not as sharp at moving the ball around, or in their off-the-ball endeavours, as they were earlier this season.
The stats back up the theory that Slot’s players have become jaded.
During their last six league matches, the quantity of runs Liverpool have made per 90 minutes have dropped by 11 per cent, compared with their average during the opening 23 fixtures.
Liverpool's decreasing intensity 24/25
Per 90 First 23 matches Last six matches
Total runs 161.4 144.0
Runs into box 53.7 41.6
Sprints 54.1 46.2
Runs into the box have fallen by a worrying 23 per cent, while sprints are also down 15 per cent.
With dynamism a key part of their armoury, Liverpool have done well to stay unbeaten during this run, but it looks like their sterling efforts may be catching up with them.
Ball-winning has suffered
One key by-product of Liverpool’s athletic downturn is a reduction in their ability to win the ball back quickly and efficiently.
They have to be strong in this department to spring the quality transitions which are the hallmark of Slot’s side.
Opta Analyst recently reported that Liverpool’s success rate in ground duels across their last 10 matches in all competitions was 44.4 per cent, a drop from 48.4 per cent in the Reds’ first 37 matches this season.
And the stats below, from the Premier League only, also indicate a notable drop-off in their last six matches.
Liverpool are claiming fewer ball recoveries, especially inside the all-important middle third, while in advanced areas they are producing 30 per cent less turnovers.
Liverpool's reduced success in ground duels
Per 90 First 23 matches Last six matches
Possession won 44.2 37.0
Poss. won in middle third 22.0 15.7
High turnovers 8.6 6.0
Since his outstanding start to 2024/25, Ryan Gravenberch’s influence has waned a little.
Up until 3 December, his duel success rate was 64.7 per cent, the second-best of all Premier League central midfielders, but in the period since then he has won only 51.2 per cent.
The Dutchman is perhaps feeling the strain of racking up over 3,500 minutes of action so far this season, almost twice as many minutes as he managed in the whole of 2023/24.
Too reliant on Salah?
Mohamed Salah has enjoyed a dream campaign and is a shoo-in for the Player of the Season awards.
The Egyptian forward has been nothing short of phenomenal in 2024/25, scoring 27 goals and producing 17 assists.
Indeed, if you only counted the Liverpool goals that were either scored or assisted by Salah, they would still sit third in the table.
No other team in the league has an individual they are as reliant on.
PL 24/25 if Liverpool only had goals scored or assisted by Salah
After 29 matches W D L F A Pts
Arsenal 16 10 3 53 24 58
Nott'm Forest 16 6 7 49 35 54
Liverpool 13 11 5 44 27 50
Chelsea 14 7 8 53 37 49
Man City 14 6 9 55 40 48
The supporting cast must step up
Since the turn of the year, Salah has carried Liverpool’s attack almost single-handedly, serving up 10 goals and four assists.
While that is fantastic for the Egyptian's pursuit of the Golden Boot and Premier League Playmaker awards, it will likely be of concern to Slot, who needs the responsibility shared among the team.
This table below shows where the Liverpool forwards rank among Premier League players for goal involvements in the 2025 calendar year. Salah is the only one to feature inside the division’s top 20.
Liverpool forwards' PL goals and assists in 2025
Player Matches Goals Assists PL rank
Mohamed Salah 11 10 4 1
Cody Gakpo 8 3 1 24
Darwin Nunez 9 3 0 43
Luis Diaz 11 1 2 43
Diogo Jota 7 1 1 72
When Salah is not at his absolute best, it's a problem for Liverpool.
This was evident in both the EFL Cup final and their Champions League tie with PSG.
While he was involved quite heavily at Anfield in the return leg against the French champions, the Reds' No 11 was anonymous in those other two contests.
Salah's stats v PSG and Newcastle compared to his PL averages
Per 90 NEW PSG (H) PSG (A) PL average
Shots 0 4 0 3.7
Touches in opp. box 1 14 5 10.9
Key passes 0 2 0 2.4
Goals and assists 0 0 0 1.5
If Salah’s jadedness continues against Everton, David Moyes’ side will fancy themselves to pick up a positive result.
The Everton test
A 98th-minute equaliser from James Tarkowski earned the Toffees a deserved point in February’s 2-2 draw at Goodison Park.
Everton played with passion and determination to disrupt Liverpool’s flow, restricting the leaders to just six attempts on goal.
They will look to replicate this on Wednesday night, courtesy of incessant off-the-ball graft designed to knock Slot’s side out of their preferred rhythm.
Liverpool’s passing accuracy that night was just 82.78 per cent, their fifth-lowest of the campaign.
Their passing was even looser in the preceding match, at AFC Bournemouth (81.69 per cent), and the subsequent games against Wolverhampton Wanderers (82.17 per cent) at Anfield and Aston Villa (80.72 per cent) away.
This is a sign that Liverpool are less press-resistant than they were a few months ago.
With Everton unbeaten in their last six matches, and no doubt eager to prey on any signs of weariness Liverpool might exhibit, this has the feeling of another very competitive Merseyside derby.
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