Romelu Lukaku's club future has been thrown into the spotlight after an explosive interview.

The Belgian striker revealed his regret at leaving Inter for Chelsea in August.

Lukaku was subsequently dropped by coach Thomas Tuchel for Sunday's 2-2 draw with Liverpool.

TOP STORY – LUKAKU COULD MAKE STUNNING SWITCH TO SPURS

La Gazzetta Dello Sport claims that unsettled Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku could make a cross-city switch to Tottenham to re-unite with Antonio Conte.

Lukaku and Conte worked together at Inter where they won the Serie A title last term.

The striker revealed his frustrations at Chelsea over the weekend, with Tuchel offering no guarantees about his future.

ROUND-UP

- Erling Haaland will not leave Borussia Dortmund during the January transfer window, reports Fabrizio Romano. Haaland has not decided his next destination yet, despite rumours of a pre-agreement with Real Madrid and Barcelona.

- Ara claims Barcelona will offer Ousmane Dembele to Manchester United as part of a swap deal for want-away forward Anthony Martial.

- Tottenham and West Ham United  are both keen to sign Wolves' Adama Traore, claims the Telegraph. Wolves want £20million for the Spanish forward.

- Olympiakos' Guinea international midfielder Aguibou Camara is attracting interest from Milan and Liverpool, claims Calciomercato.

Liverpool are not worried about being without Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Naby Keita while they are on Africa Cup of Nations duty, according to assistant Pep Lijnders.

The trio all played in Sunday's thrilling 2-2 Premier League draw with Chelsea in their final outing before linking up with their respective national sides.

Mane and Salah were both on target at Stamford Bridge as Liverpool raced into a two-goal lead, while Keita was introduced in the second half after Chelsea had levelled up through Mateo Kovacic and Christian Pulisic.

Key attacking pair Salah and Mane have played in 26 of Liverpool's 29 matches this term – the joint-most of any Reds players, with Jordan Henderson (25) next on the list.

Between them, they have scored 33 of their side's 77 goals in 2021-22, while chipping in with a combined 10 assists.

Liverpool could now potentially be without both players, as well as midfielder Keita, until the second week of February depending on how far their countries advance at the Africa Cup of Nations.

But Lijnders, who filled in for Jurgen Klopp against Chelsea after the German tested positive for coronavirus, is confident others in the squad can now step up.

"You can try to plan it, but you can never prepare it," he said.

"It is not a worry because we have faith in the boys we have and a few boys are coming back as well.

"We know that certain players can play more offensively as well, they have been playing in midfield, but they can play more offensively as well."

Salah and Mane will link up with Egypt and Senegal respectively, while Keita is part of Guinea's squad for the tournament in Cameroon.

Losing three regulars during a hectic period in the season and with others out through coronavirus and injury is not ideal for Liverpool, but Lijnders has wished the trio well.

"I just told the boys that they should try to win the AFCON because it is a prize to catch and the careers are never long and they deserve to fight for each prize," Lijnders said.

"This prize now comes in front of them – it’s a tournament with so much passion, so much culture and it is a really proud situation if you can play for your country.

"If it's England or Germany or Holland or whoever, that's what they have and feel.

"So they are African legends, they are legends for me, but if they win it they will probably be even bigger legends so they should try with all they have to win it."

Roberto Firmino missed the Chelsea game after contracting COVID-19, while Takumi Minamino and Divock Origi are currently nursing injuries.

Asked when those players are expected to return to training, Lijnders said: "Let's see. 

"Some of the boys plan to be back, but they still didn't start team training, so we have to see."

Lijnders confirmed Klopp will still be absent for the first leg of Liverpool's EFL Cup semi-final tie with Arsenal on Thursday as he continues to self-isolate.

The first heavyweight tussle of the new year in the Premier League did not disappoint as Chelsea and Liverpool played out an entertaining 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues were held at home for the fifth time in six league games, a run that includes three straight draws in the top flight for the first time since February 2016.

But Thomas Tuchel's side can be happy with a point after recovering from two goals down as they extended their unbeaten run against the Reds in the league to four matches.

While there was nothing to separate the sides sitting second and third, Brentford, Brighton and Hove Albion and Leeds United were all victorious on Sunday.

Here, Stats Perform unpacks the pick of the Opta data from another eventful day in the Premier League.

Sadio Mane opened the scoring in a Premier League game for the 37th time since joining Liverpool in 2016-17 – only Tottenham's Harry Kane (40) has done so on more occasions.

However, some will argue that Mane was fortunate to be on the field at that point after catching Cesar Azpilicueta with his elbow after just six seconds.

Mane was instead issued a yellow card with 15 seconds on the clock, making it the earliest booking in a Premier League game since Opta started recording such data in 2006-07, nine seconds faster than the previous quickest caution for Scott McTominay against Newcastle United in December 2019.

Mohamed Salah went on to double Liverpool's lead with his fourth league goal against Chelsea, which is the joint-most any player has scored against the Blues after playing for them, along with Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne.

Chelsea responded brilliantly with two goals in the space of 245 seconds through a Mateo Kovacic stunner and Christian Pulisic's well-taken strike, ensuring they remain a point above their opponents having played a game more.

This was the fourth occasion in this season's Premier League that a side has failed to win a game in which they have led by two goals, with Liverpool accounting for two of those occasions, having also drawn 2-2 with Brighton in October.

Leeds United 3-1 Burnley: More Maxwell magic not enough

Leeds scored three times in a Premier League game for the first time this season on their way to ending a four-game run without a victory, putting distance between themselves and Burnley in the final relegation spot.

Previously with just one win to their name in the competition since the end of October, Jack Harrison squeezed home for Leeds to open the scoring at Elland Road before Maxwell Cornet equalised through Burnley's first direct free-kick goal since Boxing Day 2017.

That was Cornet's sixth Premier League goal in 10 appearances, the most by an African player in their first 10 games since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for Arsenal in April 2018 (also six).

Stuart Dallas restored Leeds' advantage on his 250th appearance for the club in all competitions, becoming the first United player to reach that tally since Lucas Radebe in November 2003.

The much-needed victory was sealed by Daniel James in added time, meaning Leeds are unbeaten in 10 Premier League games against sides starting the day in the relegation zone (W8, D2) since returning to the top flight last season.

As for Burnley, they have now won just one of their last 20 Premier League matches and are winless in 11 on their travels, their worst such run on the road since 17 without a victory between August 2016 and April 2017.

Everton 2-3 Brighton and Hove Albion: Mac Allister inspires soaring Seagulls

The highest-scoring game of the day in the Premier League took place at Goodison Park, where Everton suffered defeat in their opening league game of a calendar year for the fifth year running, their worst such streak since a run of seven between 1957 and 1963.

Brighton's opening goal via Alexis Mac Allister after two minutes and 43 seconds was the Seagulls' fastest-ever away from home in the competition, and their third-fastest overall.

Dan Burn doubled the visitors' lead on Merseyside, shortly before the returning Dominic Calvert-Lewin became the 22nd different player to miss a Premier League penalty for the Toffees – only Arsenal (23) have more.

Anthony Gordon scored his first senior goal to give Everton a bit of hope, only for Mac Allister to register for a second time as Brighton moved to 27 points after 19 games – their joint-best return at this stage of a top-flight campaign alongside 1981-82.

It was another afternoon to forget for Rafael Benitez, however, with Everton having now picked up only 19 points from 18 games, which is their worst return at this stage since accruing 17 from 18 matches in 2005-06.

Brentford 2-1 Aston Villa: Bees bounce back again

Comeback experts Brentford hit back to beat Villa late on thanks to goals from Yoane Wissa and Mads Roerslev after Danny Ings had opened the scoring in west London.

Only West Ham (12) and Everton (11) have won more points from losing positions in the Premier League this term than Brentford, who have now recovered nine points in total.

That is in complete contrast to a Villa side that have lost more games in the competition since the start of last season after scoring first than any other side (eight).

Ings has now opened the scoring in more different English top-flight games since the start of 2019-20 than any player (18), but that early strike was not enough for Steven Gerrard's men.

Wissa's equaliser was Brentford's first Premier League goal from outside the box and full-back Roerslev, who set up that strike, completed the turnaround to become the second Bees player to score and assist in the same game in the competition for the club after Ivan Toney.

It was a breathless game at Stamford Bridge on Sunday as Chelsea and Liverpool played out an entertaining 2-2 draw that saw Manchester City emerge as the biggest winners.

An exciting encounter that many will say was a great advert for the Premier League was in reality more an example of why there is unlikely to be any excitement in this year's title race.

Both teams showed immense quality at times, especially in scoring their goals, but also evidenced numerous weaknesses that simply do not exist at City, or at least not to the same extent, though it must be said that both were missing key players through suspension, injury and/or COVID-19 – or were just dropped for talking too much.

The headlines were already being written as the visitors took a 2-0 lead in the first half, with the Blues' star striker Romelu Lukaku missing from the squad after recent comments that displeased his manager Thomas Tuchel.

But Chelsea came back to level up before half-time without the Belgium international to prove that perhaps they are actually better off without him.

It is something that bears exploring more broadly across the game. Is the impact of number nine's slightly overrated? Tottenham have been unable to win a trophy despite having Harry Kane in their ranks, while Borussia Dortmund seldom look like troubling Bayern Munich even though they have the much sought after Erling Haaland to call on.

Also, for all the talk about how desperately they needed a superstar striker in the summer after Sergio Aguero left, City sit ten points clear at the top of the table with only Gabriel Jesus as a recognised number nine in their ranks, and he rarely plays there himself these days anyway.

Kai Havertz played the role of striker for Chelsea here, as he did for much of last season when they won the Champions League, and though he did not have much impact himself, Tuchel's fluid formation seemed to enable Mateo Kovacic and N'Golo Kante to dominate on the ball from deep in a way they sometimes struggle to when Lukaku is leading the line.

Chelsea have played 13 league games with Lukaku this season and eight without. While their win percentage is better with him (61.5) than without (50), they score 2.5 goals per game when he is not there compared to 1.9 when he is.

Despite two goals going in against Liverpool, they still only concede 0.5 goals per game on average when Lukaku does not feature, and 0.9 per game when he does.

When the former Everton and Manchester United striker said that Tuchel does not play in a way that suits him, it is almost certainly correct given how the team overall appears to function better without the striker, but also calls into question why Chelsea decided to spend close to nine figures on him in the first place.

As for Liverpool, boss Jurgen Klopp will have been watching from home after testing positive for COVID-19 satisfied with the score after 26 minutes, but concerned to see that once again, his men were unable to hold onto a lead.

It was the fifth time in the league this season that the Reds have dropped points from a winning position (also against Brentford, Manchester City, Brighton and Hove Albion and Tottenham) and it almost certainly extinguished any faint hopes they will have had of pegging City back in the title race, now sitting 11 points behind with a solitary game in hand.

Liverpool allowed 15 shots at their goal, with Irish stopper Caoimhin Kelleher making some excellent saves to keep his team in it after stepping in for Alisson Becker (COVID-19), and although Chelsea's goals from Mateo Kovacic and Christian Pulisic were expertly taken, they felt like they had been coming such was the visitors' inability to put their foot on the ball and calm things down.

This was something that set them apart when they ran away with the Premier League title in 2019-20, their penchant for killing a game off once they went ahead. They missed the influence of the injured Thiago Alcantara in the midfield, and arguably still have a bit of a Georginio Wijnaldum-shaped hole after the ever-reliable Dutchman left for Paris Saint-Germain at the end of last season.

Up top, they were looking as good as ever, with early goals from Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah seemingly putting them in control. Mane did well to round Edouard Mendy and fire home seconds after Mason Mount had failed to do the same at the other end, while Salah was sumptuous as he dribbled past Marcos Alonso and caressed the ball in at Mendy's near post to make it two.

Klopp will undoubtedly miss the dynamic duo as they now head off to the Africa Cup of Nations, with Salah in particular in the form of his life, getting his 16th league goal of the campaign and his 150th in all competitions in English football.

Mane actually ended a dry spell here, having gone nine games without a goal in all competitions. Senegal will be pleased at least that he seemed to have his spark back at Stamford Bridge, but with back-ups Takumi Minamino and Divock Origi currently injured and Roberto Firmino out with COVID-19, Klopp will perhaps have to get quite creative to fill the huge void Mane and Salah will leave for the next few weeks.

Both managers have selection headaches on the horizon, but after another weekend in which everything possible went the way of Pep Guardiola, the likelihood is that those selection headaches will only be in an effort to ultimately clinch second spot in this year's Premier League.

Liverpool assistant coach Pep Lijnders insists the Reds deserve credit for their determination in challenging circumstances following the 2-2 draw with Chelsea on Sunday.

The visitors claimed a share of the spoils after an entertaining encounter at Stamford Bridge, despite the hosts recovering from 2-0 down before half-time.

Lijnders took charge of the 2019-20 Premier League champions in the absence of manager Jurgen Klopp, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday.

Alisson, Roberto Firmino and Joel Matip also missed the trip to London for the same reason, while Andrew Robertson was suspended.

Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane – who both netted for the Reds – were playing their final match before linking up with Egypt and Senegal respectively at the Africa Cup of Nations.

And Lijnders hailed the character demonstrated by his players.

"It is never boring with us. [There was] incredible intensity from the start with both teams," he told Sky Sports.

"We would have wanted more control. We had so many good counter-attacks, but it was just missing the last pass. 

"Overall, for the public, it must have been an unbelievable game. The situation we are in, it is a big compliment for the team. We could have made a lot of excuses for today, but our boys fought hard with all the heart they have.

"We want to approach each game like it is a final. In each game we play, whoever is wearing the shirt or on the bench, we are showing this character."

Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson concurred that his team-mates can be proud of their efforts against the Blues.

"Chelsea are a good team, and we gave it everything," he told Match of the Day. "The lads showed heart in defending and nearly got the reward towards the end on the counter-attack.

"We are disappointed with the two goals close to half-time.

"We reacted the right way in the second half; we dug in, defended well as a team and on another day, we might have found a winner.

"Stamford Bridge is always a difficult place to come, so we take a point and move on." 

Cesar Azpilicueta says Liverpool forward Sadio Mane should have been sent off for catching the Chelsea captain in the face just six seconds into the 2-2 draw on Sunday.

Mane was shown a yellow card by referee Anthony Taylor after his arm struck the Blues defender as they attempted to jump for a header at Stamford Bridge.

Forward Mane went on to score the opening goal following a mistake from Trevoh Chalobah and Mohamed Salah put the Reds 2-0 up in the Premier League battle between second and third.

Chelsea were back on level terms just before half-time following two goals in the space of four minutes, Mateo Kovacic reducing the deficit with a sublime volley and Christian Pulisic equalising.

Neither side could conjure up a winner in a pulsating contest, so Manchester City hold a 10-point lead over the Blues and Liverpool are a further point adrift with a game in hand.

Azpilicueta is in no doubt Mane was fortunate not to be given his marching orders in what was his last game before departing for Africa Cup of Nations duty.

The defender told Sky Sports: "A clear red. I don't mind if it is five seconds into the game, it is a red. I don't understand – we have had these kind of decisions the other day.

"It is a clear red card. We are getting these decisions against us and it can change the way of the game.

"I watched the replay but I didn't need this because live I knew it was a red.

"We had to fight our way back. We left everything on the pitch but it was not enough.

"Both teams had their moments. When they were 2-0 up they think they have a clear chance to score a third and maybe that could kill the game but after that we played well.

"We were 2-0 down, we fought hard to come back. We wanted more of course. We never lost the trust. We felt in the second half we could push for the third goal but we didn't score."

Azpilicueta acknowledges it was a great day for reigning champions City as their two nearest rivals slipped up again.

He added: "They are the ones at the top. The more points we are behind the happier they will be. They have been setting the standards really high.

"It was up to us to close the gap. We know they are a quality team – they have been playing together for a while. We are on our way but until now we didn't reach that level of consistency that would keep us at the top."

Mateo Kovacic scored one of the goals of the season as Chelsea fought back to draw 2-2 with Liverpool in a pulsating Premier League encounter.

Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah had given the Reds a two-goal lead at Stamford Bridge on Sunday in their final game before departing for Africa Cup of Nations duty.

Chelsea were not lacking firepower in the absence of dropped record signing Romelu Lukaku as they roared back with two goals in quick succession late in the first half, Kovacic reducing the deficit with a sumptuous volley and Christian Pulisic equalising.

Both sides had their chances to come out on top in the battle between second and third, but it was leaders Manchester City who were the big winners as they hold a 10-point advantage at the summit.

Mane may have been fortunate to only be shown a yellow card when he caught Cesar Azpilicueta in the face with his arm just six seconds into a game that saw the introduction of safe standing at Stamford Bridge.

Pulisic wasted a great chance to open the scoring early on, rounding Caoimhin Kelleher – starting with Alisson out due to a positive COVID-19 test – after Trent Alexander-Arnold's attempted clearance struck Mason Mount and left the United States forward with only the Reds' stand-in goalkeeper to beat.

Mane made no mistake in the ninth minute, capitalising on a bad mistake from Trevoh Chalobah by rounding Edouard Mendy and finishing with his left foot.

Salah then struck against his former club 26 minutes in, exquisitely controlling a brilliant pass from Alexander-Arnold and beating Mendy at his near post with a clinical finish after darting beyond Marcos Alonso in the penalty area.

Chelsea stormed back with two goals in the space of four minutes to go in at the break on level terms, Kovacic's sublime 20-yard volley going in off the right post before Pulisic raced clear and coolly tucked home in stoppage time.

The two title hopefuls continued to pose a huge threat going forward following the interval and Mendy had to dive at full stretch palm away out Salah's lob when he spotted the Blues keeper off his line.

Kelleher showed sharp reflexes to keep out Pulisic's half-volley and Mount tested the Irishman from long range, but both sides had to settle for a point.

Thomas Tuchel says leaving Romelu Lukaku out of Chelsea's squad to face Liverpool was a "difficult decision" but one he had to make.

The Belgium international was omitted from the Blues' 20-man group for Sunday's crucial clash at Stamford Bridge between the sides sitting second and third in the Premier League.

Tuchel made the big call after Lukaku sparked controversy when an interview conducted with Sky Sport Italia earlier this month was aired on Thursday and Friday.

In the wide-ranging interview, Lukaku said he "is not very happy with the situation" he finds himself in at Chelsea and expressed his desire to one day return to Inter.

Addressing the comments on Friday, Tuchel said Lukaku's comments bring "noise we do not need" at Chelsea ahead of such an important match.

And, after leaving the 28-year-old out of his squad to face the Reds, Tuchel explained he did not want his other players to be distracted.

"The issue got too big, too noisy, so close to the match, so I decided to protect the preparation for the match, so that is why he is out," he told Sky Sports. 

"Of course we have spoken, twice to the main players, but after that we had to realise it was too close to the match, it's too big.

"We delayed the decision over what to do, but while are delaying we have to protect the preparation for the match, we have a big game to play. 

"Full focus, which is hard to get even without this decision, was easier in my opinion if he is not in the squad, and that is why we did it. 

"It was a difficult decision, but in my opinion it was the decision to take."

Lukaku scored 24 times for Inter in Serie A last term and has scored seven goals in 18 appearances since returning to Chelsea in a campaign blighted by an ankle injury and a positive test for coronavirus.

The former Manchester United striker had scored in Chelsea's last two games prior to facing Liverpool.

Alisson, Roberto Firmino and Joel Matip will all miss Liverpool's trip to Chelsea on Sunday after they returned positive COVID-19 tests ahead of the clash at Stamford Bridge.

It follows the announcement on Saturday that manager Jurgen Klopp will also be absent from the game for the same reason.

The Reds are already without Thiago, Takumi Minamino, Divock Origi, Nat Phillips and Harvey Elliott with injuries, while Andrew Robertson misses the game through suspension.

Caoimhin Kelleher replaces Alisson in goal, with the Ireland international set to make just his fourth Premier League appearance, while Ibrahima Konate comes in for Matip and Diogo Jota continues up front with Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, who both play their last Premier League game before heading off for the Africa Cup of Nations.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are without Romelu Lukaku after the Belgian striker was dropped for recent comments in the media that displeased his boss Thomas Tuchel.

Thiago Silva and N'Golo Kante come back into the side after neither started the 1-1 draw with Brighton on Wednesday, while Marcos Alonso replaces the injured Reece James and Kai Havertz comes in for Lukaku.

Both sides will be desperate for a win to stay as close as possible to league leaders Manchester City after Pep Guardiola's men snatched a late victory at Arsenal on Saturday to go 11 points clear of second-place Chelsea.

TEAMS

Chelsea: Edouard Mendy, Trevor Chalobah, Thiago Silva, Antonio Rudiger, Cesar Azpilicueta, N'Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Marcos Alonso, Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic. Subs: Kepa Arrizabalaga, Malang Sarr, Lewis Hall, Jorginho, Saul Niguez, Ross Barkley, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Harvey Vale, Hakim Ziyech. 

Liverpool: Caoimhin Kelleher, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, Kostas Tsimikas, Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota. Subs: Adrian, Marcelo Pitaluga, Naby Keita, Joe Gomez, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Curtis Jones, Owen Beck, Neco Williams, Tyler Morton.

Romelu Lukaku has reportedly been dropped from Chelsea's squad to face Liverpool following an interview where he expressed unhappiness with the role he is playing at the Blues.

Belgium striker Lukaku returned to Stamford Bridge in a club-record £97.5million deal in the last transfer window, ending a two-year stay at Inter where he won the Serie A title last season.

He has since scored seven goals in 18 appearances in a campaign blighted by an ankle injury and a positive test for coronavirus.

However, Lukaku sparked controversy when an interview conducted with Sky Sport Italia earlier this month was aired, in which he said: "Physically I'm doing great. I'm just not very happy with the situation, but that's normal.

"I think the boss has decided to play a different formation, but I have to stick at it and get on with it professionally. I'm not happy with the situation, but it's my job and I mustn't give up."

The Athletic has now reported Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has opted to omit Lukaku from the squad to face Liverpool in what is viewed as a must-win game amid flagging title hopes, with the Blues 11 points adrift of leaders Manchester City.

Addressing the comments pre-game, Tuchel said he has no issue with Lukaku but questioned his reasons for giving the interview, saying the striker had "brought noise we do not need".

"You have a quote from another match, another direction, and he said he had a chat with me. And then the suggestion comes that he was not happy," Tuchel said.

"Managers have chats with lots of players, where we want them, where he should be, when to arrive in spaces.

"This is a super normal chat and we had it with Romelu, and before he played we had a discussion about him being on the bench because other players suited more the style of play.

"Romelu played when he came, then he got injured, then he caught COVID and when he came back he played with no training against Aston Villa and then against Brighton.

"There is zero going on. I do not have to understand why he did it, it does not make it better, but it is not my situation - I will not enter into finding reasons now to understand the interview.

"I don't want to, I don't have to, and I don't have a reason to. We have zero problems. He gave an interview, if he has problems, he has to speak about them."

In the same interview, Lukaku went on to express his desire to one day return to the Nerazzurri.

"Now, I think it's right to talk because I have always said I have Inter in my heart. I'll go back to play there, I really hope so," he said. "I love Italy; this is the right time to talk and let people know what happened without speaking badly about people, because I'm not like that.

"I want to say a big apology to the Inter fans because I think the way I left should have been different. I should have talked to you first because the things you've done for me, for my family, my mother, my son, are things that will stay with me for life.

"I really hope, from the bottom of my heart, to return to Inter. Not at the end of my career, but while I'm still at a good level to hope to win more."

Jurgen Klopp likened Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane's mindset to that of basketball legend Kobe Bryant as he assured his players will keep attempting to respond to adversity.

Salah netted against Newcastle United in December as he equalled Jamie Vardy's Premier League record of scoring and assisting in 15 consecutive games, but followed that up with blanks against Tottenham and Leicester City in the league.

Liverpool were held 2-2 by Antonio Conte's side before a 1-0 loss to Leicester, in which Salah missed his first penalty in 16 top-flight attempts and headed the subsequent rebound onto the crossbar with the goal gaping.

In the same game at the King Power Stadium, Mane wastefully blasted over a glorious chance with the scores still level, with that miss coming back to haunt Liverpool when Ademola Lookman struck later.

But Reds manager Klopp insisted that neither Salah, nor Mane, will rest on their laurels and feel sorry for themselves as he pinpointed their persistent attitude as a key to their success.

"We don't have a lot of experience of Mo dealing with crisis or whatever, because he doesn't usually have to," Klopp told reporters.

"Missing a penalty is tough, especially after the rebound going against the crossbar, that was unlucky there's no doubt about that.

"But that's it pretty much, they are top-class players who deal constantly with failure. That's how our lives work, even in some of the best games the boys play many situations don't work out.

"And then you deal with it in the game, and that's what you learn as a footballer pretty quickly. Whoever you are, no matter how good you are, often you will constantly fail in a decisive moment.

"None of us have ever succeeded in all difficult situations. It is what it is, I'm not sure but I think Kobe Bryant is still the one player with the most missed situations in the NBA history.

"He is one of the greatest players ever, you have to try it and you have to come in these situations; if you fail, no problem just go again and everything will be fine – that's pretty much the mindset Mo, and Sadio, is in."

Salah has been in fine form this league campaign, recording 15 goals and nine assists in 19 appearances, but the same cannot be said of his frontline partner Mane.

The Senegal international started the 2021-22 term brightly, netting seven times in his opening 12 top-flight outings, but has since struggled – failing to find the net in each of his last seven games.

He is also the worst-performing Liverpool forward in terms of finishing. Mane has underperformed his expected goals (xG) tally of 8.88, which is perhaps best explained by the fact he has only converted 11.86 per cent of chances - Diogo Jota the second-lowest among the same group with (19.23), followed by Salah (19.74).

However, Klopp highlighted the importance of Mane's all-round influence on his Liverpool side as the most important aspect of the forward's work, despite a lean run of form in front of goal.

"Sadio has no problem with confidence, but of course the momentum is not there finishing wise at the moment," he added.

"He has been playing really well, actually my analyst made a video to show Sadio how much he contributes to our game, how good he is in certain moments and situations.

"Obviously, the intention was to show that he should not be worried about the finishing not being there and that he is still an incredibly important player for us.

"As a striker, pretty much of all of them go through these kinds of things – it's happened to Sadio before and I'm positive that he will have some good chances to score again on Sunday.

"He is too important for us to just think about these kinds of things, you have to take these situations from time to time and then after he will be good again – we work on it football-wise, but there's no point talking about it and making it bigger than it needs to be."

Liverpool sit 12 points behind league leaders Manchester City, who edged past Arsenal 2-1 on Saturday, heading into their visit with fellow title contenders Chelsea on Sunday.

Thomas Tuchel insists Chelsea will never give up hope of chasing down "winning machine" Manchester City but accepts his side have to be realistic about their title aspirations.

City opened up an 11-point lead on second-placed Chelsea at the Premier League summit with a dramatic 2-1 comeback win against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

Only twice in the competition's history has a team had a bigger advantage at the end of New Year's Day – Manchester United in 1993-94 and City in 2017-18 (both 12 points).

Chelsea will attempt to close the gap when they take on Liverpool, who are one point further back in third with a game in hand, in Sunday's contest at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues enter the match on the back of a 1-1 home draw with Brighton and Hove Albion and have taken just six points from the last 12 on offer.

That disappointing run has coincided with Chelsea being without some key players due to coronavirus and injuries, and Tuchel believes his side would be far closer to City if they had a deeper squad.

"At this particular moment, that's the key advantage," he said when asked why the gap on City is so vast. 

"The second thing is they take these advantages – they're relentless, they know what it takes to produce these high point seasons over and over. 

"There's quality all over, not only in the squad but the management, how it's run, it's a winning machine. It's not only about having an advantage but making it an advantage."

City accrued 110 points in the last calendar year, compared to 83 for Chelsea and 77 for Liverpool, and have won each of their last 11 Premier League matches.
 
Chelsea led the way at the top of the division at the start of December, but hopes of a title race that will go down to the wire appear to be fading by the week.

"They're very good. We have to admit where we come from, from one year ago, and when you look at 2021 we are 20 points behind," Tuchel added. 

"We have to be careful that you are ambitious but not overambitious about catching Man City in half a year. 

"This can happen, but we have to go through this because this is part of the process of closing the gap. Everyone here wants to make it happen fast. 

"Two, three weeks ago we had a super close title race. We had three teams competing. Now we lost the edge a little bit because of circumstances we cannot influence.

"That has given City a certain advantage and belief and they are five years now of consistency with the squad they have. 

"It makes it hard. But it does not make it impossible; we will never stop believing and stop pushing but we have to be realistic."

City are going in search of their fifth Premier League title and a fourth in the past five seasons.

But Tuchel does not fear the Premier League becoming a closed shop like the Bundesliga, where Bayern Munich have dominated for the past decade.

"As long as I am here I will do nothing else but to try and make other teams underperform," the former Borussia Dortmund coach said.

"We will not stop chasing, not stop believing. That is maybe the difference to the situation right now in the Bundesliga. We have to believe, but we have to face reality. 

"It helps in life if you are dreaming and you are realistic at some point. If you look at 2021, City had something like 20 more points than us and Liverpool – we're next in that race. 

"Everything has to fall in place for us so we can produce that consistent level that City and normally Liverpool produce. There's no need to get negative, no need to lose faith. 

"The opposite. We will stay hungry. Jurgen [Klopp] did it with Dortmund, we came close [at Dortmund] but were stopped in the middle of the process. 

"Both of us know how to catch favourites, we will not stop dreaming."

Sunday's encounter will be the 17th between Tuchel and Klopp-managed sides, with the latter boasting nine wins to his compatriot's three across those previous meetings.

However, Klopp will not be present at Stamford Bridge after returning a suspected positive coronavirus test on Saturday.

Tuchel in unbeaten in three against Klopp, but he does not believe he stands a chance against the Liverpool boss when it comes down to a personality contest.

"This is maybe the most unfair question that you could ask me," he said. "Jurgen could arrive without any team and the stadium would be full! I cannot do this, I will never try. He can do it."

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will miss their Premier League clash with Chelsea after returning a suspected positive test for coronavirus.

The club confirmed on Saturday that Klopp was reporting mild symptoms and is now isolating.

His assistant Pep Lijnders will take charge of the Reds' encounter with Thomas Tuchel's side at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Klopp had previously revealed three positive cases among his squad during his pre-match media conference.

No further positive cases among the playing staff have come about following further testing of the entire first-team set-up.

However, three members of Klopp's backroom team have returned positive tests.

Liverpool head into the game 12 points adrift of leaders Manchester City following their late win over Arsenal on Saturday.

January 1 2022 is a date Real Madrid and Kylian Mbappe have been anticipating for some time.

Los Blancos were the subject of two failed bids for the Paris Saint-Germain superstar in the previous transfer window.

But the new year sees Mbappe enter the final six months of his contract at the Parc des Princes meaning he is free to talk to clubs outside of France.

And it seems Madrid are more confident that ever of landing their top target.

TOP STORY – MADRID HAVE 'TOTAL OPTIMISM' ON MBAPPE

The future of Mbappe has dominated the rumour mill for months and Spanish publication Marca claims there is "total optimism" among the Madrid hierarchy they will land their man.

One complication is the fact the two teams are set to meet in a Champions League last-16 grudge match, with any announcement unlikely to happen before that tie.

But come July 1 there is growing expectation Mbappe will be a Madrid player, with the signing of Lionel Messi and potential future arrival of Zinedine Zidane as head coach seemingly not enough to convince him to remain in the French capital.

ROUND-UP

- Chelsea's need for defensive reinforcements may be exacerbated by the fact Andreas Christensen has no intention of signing a new contract. Spanish paper Sport says the Dane, who is out of contract at the end of the season, is close to joining Barcelona.

- Speaking of Barcelona, AS reports the future of Memphis Depay is shrouded in doubt. With Ferran Torres having arrived from Manchester City and Alvaro Morata a top target, Depay may be set for a close-season exit after a solitary campaign at Camp Nou.

- Manchester United could be about to get one over old boss Jose Mourinho by landing Boubacar Kamara. The Daily Mirror reports the Red Devils are attempting to beat Roma to the signing of the Marseille midfielder.

- Roma have also been in the hunt for Arsenal midfielder Ainsley Maitland-Niles, but they apparently face competition from Everton according to the Liverpool Echo.

- Over on the Red side of Merseyside, Italian agency ANSA is reporting Liverpool are about to pip Arsenal and Tottenham to the signing of Milan midfielder Franck Kessie.

- The Athletic suggested the Gunners are also likely to have more frustration. Arsenal have been linked with a move for Lille forward Jonathan David but will apparently have to wait until the end of the campaign to land their man.

Barcelona are in the market to bolster their squad in January.

The Spanish giants have financial challenges to overcome.

But after an ordinary start to the season, they are ready to get busy to build Xavi a stronger squad.

TOP STORY – BARCELONA TO MOVE FOR LAPORTE

Barcelona could move for another Manchester City star, with The Sun reporting that the Blaugrana want to sign Spain international Aymeric Laporte.

The defender has lost his starting spot to John Stones and is said to be unsettled at City.

Barcelona announced a deal to sign Ferran Torres from City this week.

ROUND-UP

- Juventus have no interest in a potential swap deal with Barcelona whereby Alvaro Morata would trade places with Memphis Depay, reports Football Italia.

- Newcastle United are set to complete their first piece of January transfer business by signing Lille defender Sven Botman, claims the Mail.

- Liverpool are interested in Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka, claims the Express. Saka is contracted to the Gunners until 2024.

- Liverpool have also pitched a contract offer to Milan midfielder Franck Kessie, reports Ansa.