Liverpool star’s latest clutch moment resolves two issues but could precede Man Utd manager repeat | OneFootball

Virtually from start to finish, Liverpool’s 2025/26 campaign has been a shambles with numerous issues contributing to the incredibly weak defence of their Premier League title.

Liverpool supporters were afforded an overdue reprieve of a win at Everton at the weekend, though.

The Reds’ exasperated fanbase has gradually been losing patience with head coach Arne Slot this season, which is entirely understandable given the utter dross he has served up.

And heading into the final five games of this season, there are two big questions hanging over Liverpool: will they sack Slot, and will they qualify for the Champions League?

The reported consensus is that Liverpool’s hierarchy want to stand by Slot and will do so if they qualify for the Champions League, while the fan clamour for his sacking would surely be too significant to ignore if they miss out, especially with club icon Xabi Alonso lingering in the background.

And this picture has become an awful lot clearer after last weekend’s results, with Liverpool all but qualified for the Champions League after beating Everton following Chelsea’s disappointing loss to a depleted Manchester United side, which came before an even worse defeat to Brighton.

But Liverpool salvaging Champions League qualification in a dismal season is only going to be achieved because of the lack of quality competition from Chelsea (and others), not what has been produced by Slot’s side as they stumble over the line.

As the unconvincing win over Everton showed, Liverpool remain a shadow of the team they were last season and had to rely on another clutch moment from captain Virgil van Dijk to earn a win in a game they only deserved to draw.

Everton were no good either, and they would have earned a priceless win if it were not for Beto’s erratic finishing, with Liverpool’s star signings producing very little once again.

Still, results are the main priority at this stage of the season, and Van Dijk’s last-gasp winner means Liverpool’s performance has largely been glossed over in the aftermath of the derby.

But the truth is that Liverpool are still in a really troublesome predicament, with Van Dijk said to be among five Liverpool players who highlight the severe issues the club faces heading into the summer.

Despite spending over £400m on signings last summer, this window’s squad rebuild could easily be just as seismic, and it’s hard to have confidence in FSG’s ability to pull it off after the slapdash preparations for this season.

Replacements and/or upgrades are required in several positions, while Sunday’s win over Everton may only delay the inevitable with Slot after a decisive update on his future surfaced.

A win over rivals Everton will act as somewhat of an olive branch from Slot to supporters, but it will not be long until any peace treaty is scrapped, and the head coach will be back under immense pressure with a losing start to next season.

This situation has all the hallmarks of Erik ten Hag’s exit from Manchester United, which came in October 2024 after he was naively backed after winning the FA Cup.

If/when Liverpool mess up a second successive summer window, they will find themselves in a similar situation as their rivals during the 2024/25 season, with a foolishly delayed manager sacking further setting back their rebuild and essentially writing off an entire campaign.