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Liverpool maintained control throughout the first half and Salah's curling effort in the 42nd minute gave Liverpool the lead. Liverpool continued to dominate but a dubious penalty decision against Lovren saw Wayne Rooney converted a penalty in the 77th to tie the game at 1–1 where it finished. Klopp said following the game about the controversial penalty incident, "In my understanding, it's not a penalty." The next game was yet another held at Anfield where Liverpool hosted West Brom on 13 December. The game was a 0–0 stalemate against West Brom at Anfield, with the most notable event being an 82nd minute Solanke goal was disallowed for a handball drawing conversation on whether or not the correct call was made.
Salah scored again in the 76th giving Liverpool a 2–1 victory and ensuring the Reds would end 2017 in the top four. Liverpool's first match of the month was a home bout on 3 March against Newcastle, as the Reds welcomed back manager Rafa Benítez, who won the 2005 Champions League with the club. Salah opened the scoring in the 40th minute and Mane put in another in the 55th to give the Reds a comfortable 2–0 victory over the Magpies. The Reds then played mid-week at home on 6 March against Porto in the return fixture of the Champions League round of 16. It was a quiet affair, Mane had a chance that hit the post and Danny Ings had a strong effort saved, but the game ended 0–0 and Liverpool moved on to the quarterfinals.
FOOTBALL FASHION
That weekend, Liverpool would take on Chelsea on 6 May at Stamford Bridge, with a win sealing top four and Champions League for the next season. Alas, in the 32nd minute, it was Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud who found the lone goal of the game and Chelsea won 1–0, giving them an opportunity to be level with Liverpool on points on the last match-day. This, however, was not the case for Chelsea as they stumbled to Huddersfield 1–1 on 9 May, meaning Liverpool would need, barring a massive goal differential swing, just a draw regardless of Chelsea's final day result to clinch fourth place.
The next game was the final game of the Champions League group stage, a home bout against Spartak Moscow on 6 December. Liverpool needed a result to make it to the next round so tensions were running high at Anfield. However, the Reds dispatched Spartak 7–0, with goals coming from Firmino, Salah, a double from Mane and a hat trick for Coutinho and finished the group at the top. The next fixture was the first league installment of the season of the Merseyside derby against crosstown rivals Everton on 10 December at Anfield.
Premier League
On 14 January, Liverpool took on the undefeated Manchester City at Anfield in hopes of deal City their first loss in the league as well as a measure of revenge for the 0–5 loss the Reds were dealt in the reverse fixture. Liverpool started off strong with an Oxlade-Chamberlain goal in the ninth minute, but City scored an equalizer through in the 40th through a Leroy Sane effort. From the 59th to the 68th, Liverpool extended the lead to 4–1 through goals from Firmino, Mane, and Salah in a thrilling ten minutes of action. City got one back in the 84th from Bernardo Silva and another from İlkay Gündoğan in the 91st put it at 4–3, but the Reds held on and doled City their first loss of the league season. The next game for the Reds was a 22 January meeting in South Wales against Swansea and recently placed manager Carlos Carvalhal. Alfie Mawson scored the lone goal of the match in the 40th minute and the bottom place Swans took all three from the Reds with a 1–0 defeat given to the visitors.
In the final on the next day, Liverpool lost to Atlético Madrid, 1–1 (4–5 in penalties) with a Roberto Firmino spot kick pushing the game to penalties before ultimately losing. Kyiv's Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex hosted the Champions League final on 26 May against the two-time defending champions in Madrid. Liverpool suffered an early blow as Salah sustained what Klopp later specified as a serious injury to "either the collarbone or the shoulder" after just 30 minutes of play. Regardless, the score was 0–0 at the half but in the 51st minute, Karim Benzema pounced on a Karius roll-out of the ball and ultimately get a foot to direct the ball net-bound and give Madrid the 1–0 lead.
EFL Cup
The New Balance strip features the club’s commemorative crest for the first time, with the Liver bird emblem flanked by ‘1892’ and ‘2017’ embroidered onto the breast of the shirt – a unique element of the team’s kits for the next campaign. The goalkeeper kit has been engineered in line with the outfield players’ jerseys, sporting a mock vent and back jacquard cage system to compliment the outfield kit aesthetic. The rich green design with white crest, sponsor and NB branding has a strong look, completed by the tonal three colour sleeve pattern. Tonal pin stripes are engineered into the weave of the fabric of the kit, acknowledging the Liverpool FC teams of the early 80’s and a highly successful period in Liverpool FC’s history. The jersey features a debossed ‘125’ to the shoulder seam tape and is framed with a v-neck white tipped collar.
Liverpool's final Premier League match of the season took place at Anfield against Brighton & Hove Albion on 13 May. The Reds wasted little time in finding the breakthrough as Salah scored in the 26th minute and sealed the record for most goals in a 38-game Premier League season, with 32. Just five minutes before halftime, Lovren doubled the Reds lead with a massive header. Liverpool continued forward as Solanke and Andy Robertson scored their first Liverpool goals in the 53rd and 85th minutes as Liverpool cruised to a 4–0 victory and, as a result, fourth place in the Premier League. Liverpool returned to Europe to play their next pre-season match on 29 July against Hertha BSC, a match that celebrated the two clubs respective 125th anniversaries of existence. Liverpool got the better of the German side winning 0–3 in Berlin with goals scored by Solanke, Gini Wijnaldum, and Salah.
Liverpool FC unveil new home kit for 2017/18
Harry Kane put in his second of the game in the 56th and the Reds were given a 4–1 defeat. The final fixture of the month took place on 28 October back at Anfield against newly promoted Huddersfield Town, managed by Klopp's longtime friend David Wagner. Following a 0–0 first half, including a saved Salah penalty in the 43rd, the Reds put three past Huddersfield in the second half.
That weekend, on 23 September, Liverpool played a second game at King Power Stadium against Leicester, this time in the league. Salah kicked off scoring in the 15th while Coutinho scored his first goal of the season with a stunning free kick in the 23rd to put Liverpool up 0–2. Right before the halftime whistle, Okazaki got Leicester a goal back on a scrambled effort off a corner kick. Captain Jordan Henderson put the Reds up 1–3 in the 68th with a counter-attacking goal, however Jamie Vardy got the goal back just a minute later. In the 73rd, goalie Simon Mignolet gave up a penalty kick, which, taken by Vardy, was saved by the keeper to keep the scoreline at 2–3, the final score.
Liverpool opened their October on the first of the month at St James' Park against Newcastle. Following the international break, the Reds returned to action on 14 October at Anfield to square off with Manchester United in a match that ended 0–0. The Reds then returned to midweek action heading to Slovenia to take on Maribor on 17 October.
Following these matches, on 10 March Liverpool traveled to Old Trafford in another iteration of the Northwest Derby against Manchester United. Marcus Rashford scored twice in ten minutes to give United a 2–0 lead within 25 minutes, were the score stood till the half. An Eric Bailly own goal put Liverpool back in business in the 66th, but it was not enough and a 2–1 scoreline was final. On 16 March, the Reds learned that their Champions League quarterfinal opponent would be the only other English team remaining, Manchester City. The following day, Liverpool returned to Anfield to square off with Watford and, in stylish fashion, dispatched the Hornets 5–0.
Liverpool equalized in the 55th through Mane off a corner kick, but nine minutes after that Gareth Bale came off the bench and deliver a stunning bicycle kick to break the deadlock again. Bale found his second of the game and Madrid's third in the 83rd off a long shot that Karius mishandled into his own net. Madrid went on to win the Champions League 3–1 and Karius found harsh criticism for mistakes described as part of a "horror show" of a night for the Liverpool keeper. A few days after the game, Karius was diagnosed with a concussion which likely occurred in a clash between him and Sergio Ramos a few minutes before Madrid's first goal. Despite the season-ending heartbreak, this was Liverpool's best Champions League performance since 2007 and widely considered another step in the right direction for Liverpool as a whole.
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