Saturday’s win at Anfield may have proven one thing: Arne Slot might have been right to rest some of his big hitters in that painful Carabao Cup loss to Crystal Palace.
The knives were out for the Dutchman — and honestly, he earned some of the criticism. In recent weeks, Slot has sounded a little too defensive, sometimes even drifting into excuse territory.
But against Aston Villa, after a nervy opening 15 minutes, Liverpool finally looked like a side with rhythm again and Mohamed Salah set the tone.
The Egyptian hit his 250th Liverpool goal — a milestone not many would have predicted when he first walked through the doors seven years ago.
All the goals from Salah's 250 for the Reds 😮💨🔴 pic.twitter.com/ZmAsOTmJ2F
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 2, 2025
Ryan Gravenberch, back in the side, added the second with a deflected effort that killed off an in-form Villa team.
So… what changed?
BACK TO BASICS – AND BACK TO WHAT WORKED
The biggest difference was simple: Slot stopped experimenting and went back to the core of last season’s title-winning team.
After spending close to half a billion pounds in the summer and breaking the British transfer record twice, Liverpool suddenly looked like a stranger to itself.
Alexander Isak — without a pre-season — has looked lost. Florian Wirtz hasn’t resembled the back-to-back Bundesliga Player of the Year. Milos Kerkez has struggled and Jeremie Frimpong can’t stay fit.
Add the fact that Alexis Mac Allister, Salah, Ibrahima Konaté and Virgil van Dijk have all dipped in form recently, that’s October was ugly.
But on Saturday, Slot hit undo:
- Dominik Szoboszlai returned to the No.10 role.
This clip perfectly encapsulates Dominik Szoboszlai to a tee.
— CounterPressers (@CounterPressers) November 2, 2025
89th minute of the game, 2-0 up & he is sprinting the length of the pitch to support the attack. Liverpool lose possession & he is sprinting the length to get back & help.
30 seconds later, he’s making the same… pic.twitter.com/4FmJrHUFau
- Mac Allister and Gravenberch formed the familiar trio behind him.
- Wirtz was benched.
- Most importantly, Andy Robertson started at left-back; and with Villa lacking pace down that side, he controlled both sides of the ball alongside Cody Gakpo.
It wasn’t perfect, though. Liverpool still struggled to win second balls and every time Villa broke the press, they looked dangerous. Matty Cash forced a big save from Giorgi Marmadashvili and Morgan Rodgers hit the post.
But then came the question every rival fan screamed at their TV: What exactly was Unai Emery thinking? Almost every team that got a result against Liverpool bypassed their press. Emery tried to play out from the back — and walked right into the trap. The result: Liverpool win and crisis paused… for now.
But the real test? Real Madrid at Anfield this week. Then Manchester City at the Etihad. Two games in seven days. That’s the season right there. The good news for Liverpool fans is that they had these same fixtures at about this same time last season and they won both, comfortably, I must add.
ARSENAL ARE ROLLING – BUT IT’S STILL NOVEMBER
Nine wins in a row. Five straight Premier League victories. Eight clean sheets.
Mikel Arteta’s side are cruising, and yes — they look like the team to beat.
Since that loss to Liverpool in August, Arsenal have been the most complete side in the league. Some fans are already calling the title early, but a reminder: nobody wins the Premier League in November.
The Gunners are on a nine-match winning streak and an eight-match clean sheet run after defeating Burnley away at Turf Moor, with goals from Declan Rice and Victor Gyokeres, the latter coming from a set piece.@devoyceofgod was your lead commentator, bringing you all the action… https://t.co/MOkbzLzng9 pic.twitter.com/Af93zCuqYX
— Nigeria Info FM 99.3 (@NigeriainfoFM) November 1, 2025
Liverpool and City are still within six and seven points, with 28 games to go.
Declan Rice has been the standout — the top-rated midfielder in the Premier League, according to WhoScored. He does everything: breaks play, builds play, drives forward, stops counters, delivers set-pieces and even arrives late in the box like he did against Burnley.
His partnership with Martin Zubimendi has worked brilliantly, and Arsenal’s defence deserves the hype. But of the 33 Premier League winners, only six had the best defence in the league. History says great defence helps… but doesn’t guarantee titles.
Is Declan Rice the "complete midfielder"?
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) November 1, 2025
He was everywhere on Saturday against Burnley. pic.twitter.com/TGauYrJ3rI
Maybe the Gooners should breathe. A little.
THREE-POINT LANE RETURNS
Spurs were dreadful at home against Chelsea, maybe their worst showing under Thomas Frank. The 1–0 scoreline flattered them. It could easily have finished 4–0 if João Pedro or Jamie Gittens finished their chances.
Moises Caicedo, though? Outstanding again.
And yes, the Rice vs Caicedo debates are already back. Maybe, just maybe, we can enjoy two elite midfielders without arguing about who’s better.
A lone goal from Joao Pedro with assist from Caicedo was all Chelsea needed in this London Derby as they defeated Tottenham at the Tottenham Stadium.
— Nigeria Info FM 99.3 (@NigeriainfoFM) November 1, 2025
The victory takes the Blues level on points with Spurs in fourth place, pending the outcome of Liverpool’s home game against… pic.twitter.com/HqZzCKVVEn
REAL MADRID AREN’T SLOWING DOWN
Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid followed up their El Clásico win with a 4–0 demolition of Valencia. Kylian Mbappé scored twice, Jude Bellingham looks sharp again, and Álvaro Carreras scored the goal of the game. You need to go to Youtube to watch the goal from Carreras if you haven’t seen it.
Madrid now sit five points clear of Barcelona — but the next month will define them as they face a run of games away from the Santiago Bernabeu
🚨 Éder Militão has not been dribbled past even ONCE in the last 5 matches for Real Madrid:
— Madrid Xtra (@MadridXtra) November 2, 2025
• Valencia: 0
• Barcelona: 0
• Juventus: 0
• Getafe: 0
• Villarreal: 0@AlbertOrtegaES1 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/9eSUNHX7kr
- Liverpool at Anfield (UCL)
- Rayo Vallecano (away)
- Elche (away)
- Olympiakos (away)
- Girona (away)
- Athletic Bilbao (away)
If they’re still top after that run, hand them the trophy early. Haha, just joking.
SERIE A: THE PENALTY CURSE
Napoli and Como went toe-to-toe in a thrilling match until veteran striker Álvaro Morata missed a late penalty that would’ve given Como a famous win. That miss ensured Napoli stay top of the Serie A.
It was the same story in the AC Milan vs Roma. Rafael Leão powered into the box and set up Pavlidis for Milan’s opener. I must confess that I only saw the first half as I slept off. And I woke up this morning to see that late in the game, Paulo Dybala had a chance to at least get a point in the game for Roma, but he ended up missing his spot. The win ensured AC Milan moved into third position with Roma dropping down one position.
And with Inter’s late win over Verona, just one point now separates Napoli (1st) and Roma (4th). Title race? Absolutely.
THE WEEK AHEAD
The Champions League is back — and it’s a beauty of a week.
- Liverpool vs Real Madrid at Anfield
- PSG vs Bayern at the Parc des Princes (the pick of the round)
- Arsenal, City, Barca, Inter — all in action
Grab your popcorn. Sleep is cancelled.
