Liverpool manager Arne Slot finds himself facing a crunch Premier League trip to Everton after the Reds’ elimination from the Champions League

After seeing their Champions League dreams ended by Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, Liverpool are braced for a huge Merseyside derby over the weekend. Defeat at Hill Dickinson Stadium could increase the pressure on manager Arne Slot, who has found things tough during the Reds’ title defence.

Slot’s team go into this weekend’s fixtures in fifth place in the Premier League table, with Chelsea four points behind them and Brentford and Everton one further back. Five English teams will qualify for next season’s Champions League through their league position but there is little margin for error.

Just 24 hours after Liverpool dropped out of Europe, their former defender Trent Alexander-Arnold followed suit. Alexander-Arnold and his Real Madrid team-mates gave themselves a fighting chance of overturning a first-leg deficit against Bayern Munich but were ultimately undone by two late goals.

We’ve got a pointed reaction from the right-back’s brother as well as a fresh verdict on Slot’s future. Here are Mirror Football‘s latest lines from around Anfield.

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READ MORE: Liverpool confirm extent of Hugo Ekitike injury as devastating statement issuedREAD MORE: Ousmane Dembele makes Liverpool thoughts clear after decisive PSG victory

Alexander-Arnold’s brother speaks out

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s brother Marcel snapped back at Liverpool fans while on a stream during Real Madrid’s European exit. The comment which appeared to prompt the response involved a Reds supporter asking “weren’t you a Liverpool fan yesterday?” and this prompted him to bring up the Reds’ home defeat.

“I am a Liverpool fan but the hate that comes in here comes purely from Liverpool fans. So I will stand on business,” Marcel replied. “Listen, I am a Real Madrid fan but when Liverpool win, I’m happy to see them win. But I care more about my brother than I care about Liverpool. Simple as that.

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“So if someone is hating on my brother, I will roast whatever team you support. If it’s Liverpool, then so be it. Your team got cooked yesterday. Relax.”

Slot sack verdict

Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane believes Liverpool can’t sack Arne Slot so soon after the Dutch coach delivered a league title. Speaking on Stick to Football, Keane backed the Merseyside club to still end the season in the Champions League places.

“Yeah, you can’t be sacking the manager a year after winning the league,” the Irishman said. “They’re [the fans] restless. Of course, but aren’t most fans?

“It’s about how they finish the season. They’ve got United in a couple of weeks. So, they’re big games emotionally for the fans, aren’t they? But I’ll think they’ll be fine for top five.”

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Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.

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Rivas Hernandez – who lived about 75 miles (120km) away from where her body was discovered – had last been reported missing by her family in April 2024, but it was not the first time she had run away from their Lake Elsinore home. A first-generation daughter of immigrant parents from El Salvador, neighbours recognised her as a girl who would visit the corner store almost daily to buy candy and soda, according to the Los Angeles Times.

This week’s Q&A takes a look at how defensive plans are shaping up for next season as well as potential arrivals over the summer.

Manchester City have given themselves a chance of doing something very special. Their win over Chelsea on Sunday followed Arsenal’s shock home defeat at the hands of Bournemouth to spice up the title race and set up a titanic clash between the top two this Sunday.

Having already claimed the Carabao Cup and with Southampton standing in their way of a fourth straight FA Cup final, City are starting to dream of the Premier League again. With so much going on at the club, we’ll be hosting weekly Q&A sessions with our chief City writer Simon Bajkowski.

The day of the week it comes out on may change depending on what City’s schedule looks like, but essentially this is your chance to get an answer on anything you want – simply pop your question here at any time of the week and Simon will pick them all up and wrap everything up in one place.

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This week we are looking at some of the potential incomings this season and how the defence could shape up next season with another batch of young players pushing to be part of City’s plans. Elliot Anderson remains City’s top target for the summer window but there are set to be other moves in both directions.

I’m curious about the extent of our contact with Anderson, including whether an official bid has been made and what the expected transfer fee might be. There has been talk about viewing him as a number 8, so I’m wondering if he is considered purely as a replacement for Bernardo Silva, and if a midfielder like Kovacic were to leave, whether we would sign another midfielder. Lastly, I’d appreciate any updates on our progress in bringing in a new right-back. ddide

What’s the update on Elliot Anderson to City? MCFC1894

The update on Elliot Anderson is that there isn’t much to update on Elliot Anderson. My colleague Jeremy Cross, the chief sports writer for Reach’s national titles, reported last week that City believe they have won the race to sign him and that Anderson wants a move. It feels like the Morgan Gibbs-White deal last season that City lined up, where it isn’t to say that it will definitely happen but things are in place before the end of the season. Before then, though, City are trying to win two trophies, and Anderson is trying to keep Forest in the Premier League while also upsetting the odds and attempting to win the Europa League. It is a busy time for both that doesn’t need to be interrupted with anything transfer-related.

It is definitely a possibility that City sign two midfielders this summer and there are players that they like; Sandro Tonali is one name that has cropped up who could well be available given Newcastle’s position. But it depends on whether City feel like they need another player in that position and what kind of price point they are looking at. Nico Gonzalez will expect to take a heavy chunk of Bernardo Silva’s minutes, providing he stays, while Tijjani Reijnders and Phil Foden will also be looking for more.

Add in Rico Lewis if he stays and Nico O’Reilly who can move into midfield and there are lots of options for City. Signing one midfielder is a necessity that is basically set in stone for the window but any more remain up in the air.

How can we improve our defence? I feel like that has been our major concern all season. We’ve lost or tied games we should’ve won but the defence didn’t show up. Thank you, from Chicago! Andrew Gomez

Thanks for the question, Andrew. I must admit it’s not the question I expected after three clean sheets in a row against Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea, but equally all of those games contained top saves from either James Trafford or Gianluigi Donnarumma. City have been pretty fortunate to have not conceded any goals in the last three games and they will have to be switched on if they are to keep Arsenal out on Sunday.

Strangely, I’d say they’ve been okay from set-pieces but it has been more in open play that they have been caught out with O’Reilly or Nunes targeted. I’d say City’s fortunes now will be more about their attack though. They were sticky in March and Erling Haaland had been struggling but now they’ve shown they can dominate teams and score multiple goals when they are on top. If the attack is clicking, the defence should take care of itself.

What have you heard about Vitor Reis’s future at City? Will he be part of the club’s defensive lineup next season? Vladimir

With Guehi and Khusanov being incredible, Gvardiol back soon and Reis doing amazing, why would City not cash out on Dias this summer? Seb

Vitor Reis is a player who impressed enough for City to sign him in January 2025 and his reputation has gone up since then. He has looked really good in a Girona team that has got better and better this season, and he has eyes on returning to Manchester next term and being part of Guardiola’s plans. When you consider the players already there though, it isn’t a given. Which one of Gvardiol, Dias, Guehi and Khusanov would Reis be starting ahead of at the beginning of the next campaign?

It would be controversial if it were any of them, in which case Reis could decide to be part of the group anyway and force his way into Guardiola’s thinking, but equally, having played for a year in Spain’s top division, the best option may be to build his reputation that way. William Saliba joined Arsenal as an 18-year-old and spent the first three years of his deal on loan before coming in as a ready-made option at the Emirates, and at 20 Reis has time on his side.

City have plenty of other contenders to fill that fifth spot if it isn’t deemed right for Reis. Max Alleyne and Jahmai Simpson-Pusey have both been out on loan this season and would be a greener option for that place in the squad. City had five central defenders this term and still ended up needing to bring back Alleyne from his loan and then sign Marc Guehi in January to be able to survive the season, so quite why they’d want to sell one of their senior defenders and probable captains in Dias is beyond me.

I recently read reports mentioning that Leverkusen’s Ibrahim Maza is a transfer target for City. I’m curious to know if he is actually on our shortlist and whether there is a possibility of signing him this summer. Yjj

Hi, you read correctly! Although it may depend on what you view as a target. He is definitely a player that City have watched and like, but the list that that places him on is not short. City have obviously had plenty of success recruiting from the Bundesliga and Maza is an interesting prospect, it is just that City have other priorities for the window so will concentrate on that business and then see what they need and want. Hugo Viana has already shown that he is willing to strike if he feels an opportunity is there so Maza is one to keep an eye on, even if there are many more like him.

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When do you expect City to be going on tour and why no announcement yet? Hugo

Hi Simon, I was wondering if you have any insight into this summer’s pre-season tour plans. With many senior players likely to be unavailable due to the World Cup, is the club considering an overseas tour—perhaps to places like Korea or Japan—with a squad made up largely of younger players? Or is it more likely that you’ll opt for a smaller, warm-weather training camp in somewhere like the UAE instead? I’m sure overseas fans like myself are very curious about where the team will be heading for pre-season this summer. TJ Lee

Fans will soon find out about the tour, although it’s worth pointing out there is a lot of uncertainty owing to the war in Iran. A warm-weather training camp in the UAE does not sound as appealing as it did before all the bombs started flying around that area of the world. It is likely that nearly everyone in the City squad barring a handful (if that) of senior players will be at the World Cup but I am not expecting a watered-down tour even if City have to push the schedule a bit later and have more from the squad join up for later parts of it. The other big question for the tour is will Guardiola still be in charge to oversee it? You would expect an answer on that in the coming weeks as well.

Aldi made the donations over the Easter period as part of its wider food redistribution efforts across the UK, supporting families facing extra expenses during the school holidays.

Aldi has helped provide more than 1,600 meals to people in need across County Durham during Easter as part of its UK-wide food redistribution efforts. (Image: Daniel Graves Photography)

Luke Emery, national sustainability director at Aldi UK, said: “We know the school holidays can put real pressure on families who may already be struggling – especially when it comes to putting food on the table.

“By working with Neighbourly, we can ensure good food reaches families who need it, rather than going to waste.

“That’s food on people’s plates that might otherwise have been missed.”

The supermarket chain works in partnership with Neighbourly, a community engagement platform, to donate surplus fresh and chilled food to charities and community groups.

The scheme aims to ensure families can enjoy festive occasions, regardless of their financial situation.

Aldi’s nationwide food donation programme connects each of its UK stores with a local charity or community organisation to make use of surplus food throughout the year.

More than 710,000 meals were donated across the UK during the recent school holidays, with more than 14 organisations in County Durham alone benefiting from the scheme.

The donations contribute to Aldi’s ongoing partnership with Neighbourly, which has seen the delivery of the equivalent of more than 50 million meals since the collaboration began in 2019.

Steve Butterworth, CEO of Neighbourly, said: “Aldi’s commitment means local charities and community groups can rely on regular food donations to support people in their communities.

“For many of these organisations, that consistent support is vital – helping them provide food day in, day out.”

Beyond the Neighbourly partnership, Aldi works with other organisations to redistribute surplus goods.

This includes Company Shop Group, which distributes excess food and household products from Aldi’s Regional Distribution Centres to households across the UK.

The supermarket has also expanded its work with The Bread and Butter Thing, enabling suppliers across the UK to donate products that cannot be sold in stores—such as items with packaging damage or labelling errors—but are still perfectly good to eat.

He said: “And for those who are able to, picking up an extra item to donate in store can make a real difference to local communities.”

Residents in Toronto, Canada have been left shaken after a blast sent shockwaves through the city.

Video footage circulating online captures the scene following the incident, which appears to have occurred close to Downsview Airport, a decommissioned military airfield.

Posting another image online, one user wrote: “Barely caught this explosion in Toronto, made a whole Twitter account to ask what’s going on.”

A second commented: “Explosion aftermath in Toronto around downsview airport.”

An election gimmick calling for price controls is asking for trouble, says Record View.

Basket case plan doesn’t check out

High school pupils currently ­studying for their Nat 5 exam in economics could have warned John Swinney of the perils of the state dictating price controls. The First Minister is right to want to do more to ease the cost-of-living crisis which continues to hammer household budgets.

But state intervention on how much shops can charge for everyday items like bread or milk is asking for trouble. As a student of political history, the SNP leader should be aware of the mess Ted Heath’s Tory government found itself in during the early 70s when it introduced price controls across the UK in a desperate bid to reduce inflation.

The sums didn’t add up then and they don’t look any better in 2026. The independent Institute of Fiscal Studies yesterday warned that price controls could have the unintended consequence of creating shortages on supermarket shelves.

If prices for basic items such as bread are set above the market average, the policy is toothless. But if prices are set below, the sober-minded IFS warns this “radical and risky” position could cause havoc.

Given the polling lead commanded by the SNP with three weeks until the ­Holyrood election, it’s incredible that senior party figures agreed on such a bonkers policy. They might have no intention of seeing it through, and instead view it as a pleasing distraction from their ­decidedly patchy domestic record in office since 2007.

But it’s now caused many Scots to question whether the party can be trusted to run the economy.

READ MORE: John Swinney warned price cap plan for food will ‘line the pockets of lawyers’ instead of ordinary Scots

OPINION

Paul Hutcheon

No friend of ours

In his latest foray to Scotland, Nigel Farage has chosen to treat us to his views on independence. The Reform UK leader said IndyRef2 would be “quite reasonable” if the issue becomes “relevant” in future.

He said he remains opposed to ­independence but said he cannot predict how people will feel about the issue in 20 years’ time. The reality is Farage cares not a jot about Scotland and his views about independence are irrelevant.

He is no fan of the Scottish Parliament and would scrap the Barnett Formula, which provides Holyrood with a funding boost, in a heartbeat. Independence is a live issue north of the border but it is the people of Scotland whose views count.

Farage is nothing more than an occasional day tripper whose bar room outbursts should be ignored. He is a menace and voters across the UK should give him the cold shoulder.

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Outrage has been sparked by the trailer for a new film starring the late Val Kilmer in which his presence and performance is entirely AI-generated.

The star appears in upcoming movie As Deep As the Grave from writer-director Coerte Voorhees, alongside Harry Potter star Tom Felton, Abigail Lawrie, Abigail Breslin, Wes Studi and Killers of the Flower Moon’s Tatanka Means.

The film follows real-life archaeologist couple Ann (Lawrie) and Earl Morris (Felton) and their discovery of the unearthed Ancestral Puebloans remains in the 1920s.

Kilmer, who died in April 2025 aged 65 from pneunonia after a long battle with throat cancer, had been cast as Father Fintan, a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist, before his death.

However, he was ultimately too ill to ever shoot any of his scenes and so Voorhees, with the support of Kilmer’s daughter Mercedes, opted to digitally create his performance in full for the film.

The Batman Forever actor is glimpsed throughout the atmospheric trailer, launched at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, as both a young, middle-aged and older version of his character, before his likeness declares at the end, as the camera hovers on his AI-generated face: ‘Don’t fear the dead, and don’t fear me.’

Twilight actor Jackson Rathbone was one of the most vocal critics of As Deep As the Grave’s choice, tagging US actors’ union Sag-Aftra and tweeting: ‘About that strike we had… You owe us an explanation. This is cool? Wtf.’

He then added of the ‘gross’ trailer, addressing Kilmer’s daughter directly: ‘Mercedes… I’m sorry for your loss, but this move begs the question… are you sorry for your loss? Or are you capitalising on your father’s death for your own financial gain? This is truly the MOST disgusting thing I’ve ever seen.’

‘Just because you can doesn’t mean you should,’ commented Michael Mrucz underneath the trailer, while another fan asked: ‘How can they label the movie as starring Val Kilmer when that is not actually Val Kilmer? Shouldn’t there be an asterisk or label like “AI Val Kilmer” to differentiate?’

‘Theatres shouldn’t screen this,’ insisted another commenter as others argued that it felt ‘immoral and obscene’, even if Kilmer and his family gave consent.

‘I mean, one has to wonder: did NOBODY involved think “hey, maybe we should draw the line when we reach NECROMANCY”?’ asked a horrified Redditor as other people agreed they’d refuse to watch a film with an AI actor.

‘I hope this fails so hard that other studios are scared to try it again. Biggest, most judgmental “YIKES”,’ added someone else.

Until now, Kilmer’s last role had been in 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick, where he made an emotional return to his iconic role as Iceman opposite original star Tom Cruise. For that film, AI was used to help recreate the actor’s old speaking voice.

‘When Val came onboard the project five years ago, he immediately identified with the historical southwestern spiritual character of Father Fintan, and understood the importance of elevating awareness of Ann Morris’ incredible story as the first female archaeologist in North America,’ filmmaker Voorhees said in a previous statement to Variety.

‘It was very unfortunate that his health at the time prevented him from playing this role which spoke to him spiritually and culturally.’

Kilmer’s daughter added: ‘He always looked at emerging technologies with optimism as a tool to expand the possibilities of storytelling. This spirit is something that we are all honoring within this specific film, of which he was an integral part.’

Producer John Vorhees repeated those reassurances to Entertainment Tonight at Wednesday’s CinemaCon presentation: ‘This is a character Val wanted to play, he was really clear about that before he passed and he spoke with his children about this, about continuing his legacy beyond his life.’

‘I think as long are families are okay, most people believe there shouldn’t be a problem,’ suggested Coerte Voorhees.

‘We really believe we need to prove the ethical, correct way to do this as an artistic endeavour,’ his producer brother John continued.

‘We currently have a free-for-all on the internet and all these places. With consent, compensation and collaboration – those are the three ‘C’s of what Sag-Aftra’s put forward -this is the way to do it and we believe we’re demonstrating that with our film.’

As Deep As the Grave is yet to confirm a release date.

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The rich list was published the TaxPayers Alliance, which has tracked how many local government employees across the country are paid more than £100,000 every year since 2007.

In Bolton’s case the campaign group found that chief executive Sue Johnson was the highest paid employee with a total pay of £232,698, including pension contributions, for 2024-25.

TaxPayers Alliance chief executive John O’Connell said: “Taxpayers are caught in a pincer movement with a record-breaking tax burden on one side and a bloated public sector feathering its nest on the other.

“Our latest Town Hall Rich List exposes a surging class of council bosses enjoying six-figure packages, even as they plead poverty, slash frontline services, and hike council tax bills far beyond inflation.

Bolton Town Hall (Image: Phil Taylor)

“Residents can see exactly how many local bureaucrats are receiving plush packages and judge for themselves whether they’re getting value for money.”

The TaxPayers Alliance describes itself as a grassroots campaign for lower taxes, government transparency and an end to wasteful government spending.

But the group has also faced criticism over its lack of transparency about funding and donors

The group’s campaigns manager Susie Squire left to become head of press for David Cameron in 2012 which founder, Matthew Elliot went on to found Conservative Friends of Russia in 2012.

The group’s findings also showed that six figure pay was awarded to director of corporate resources Lee Fallows with £164,710 including pension contributions.

Though Ms Johnson was the highest paid employee at Bolton Council, she did not feature amongst the top 20 highest paid local government employees in the country over that period.

Other high earners included director of place Jon Dyson with £158,189 including pension contributions.

Director of adults, communities and integration Rachel Tanner was paid £150, 689 including pension contributions.

But Bolton did not feature in the TaxPayers Alliance’s top 10 councils with the largest rise in employees receiving more than £100,000 from 2005-6 to 2024-25.

The borough also did not feature in the top ten of council for the highest number of employees paid more than £100,000 over 2024-25.

Sir Keir Starmer is under fire after it was revealed Lord Peter Mandelson was cleared to become US ambassador despite failing a security vetting process.

The Prime Minister has previously insisted that Lord Mandelson had lied about the extent of his links with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

But the Foreign Office had overruled Mandelson’s vetting because Sir Keir had already announced New Labour’s spin doctor as his man in Washington.

He is said to be ‘absolutely furious’ that the former Labour grandee was granted developed vetting against the advice of UK Security Vetting, the Government has said.

He then immediately instructed officials to establish the facts about why vetting was granted, and the Foreign Office has said it is ‘working urgently’ to comply with this request.

It comes after The Guardian reported that security officials initially denied the peer clearance, but it was after the Prime Minister had already named him as Britain’s top diplomat in the US, and the Foreign Office took the rare step of overruling the recommendation.

Sir Keir has previously said that vetting carried out independently by the security services ‘gave him clearance for the role’.

But the peer was not granted approval following the secretive process by the Cabinet Office’s UK Security Vetting (UKSV) last January, The Guardian reported.

A Government spokesperson said: ‘The decision to grant developed vetting to Peter Mandelson against the recommendation of UK Security Vetting was taken by officials in the FCDO.’

They added: ‘Once the Prime Minister was informed he immediately instructed officials to establish the facts about why the developed vetting was granted, in order to enact plans to update the House of Commons.’

The Foreign Office’s top civil servant, Sir Olly Robbins, has been asked to appear again before Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee next week to explain what happened.

Dame Emily Thornberry, senior Labour MP and the committee’s chairwoman, told Sky News: ‘Perhaps he can tell us… was it his own idea, or was he being leant on elsewhere?

‘Or was he, being a civil servant, was he getting direction from elsewhere, and if so, by whom?’

She also pointed to the careful language in a letter she received from Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper on the vetting process, which noted that: ‘The vetting process was undertaken by UK Security Vetting on behalf of the FCDO and concluded with DV clearance being granted by the FCDO.’

Dame Emily said: ‘It says he was vetted, and it says he was appointed, but it doesn’t say it was overridden… I’m saying is that, you know, people have basically been telling us half the story.’

Sir Keir has faced calls to stand down over the matter.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said: ‘It is preposterous for Starmer to claim he did not know Mandelson failed security vetting.

‘If the Prime Minister doesn’t know what’s happening in his own office, he shouldn’t be in charge of our country. He should go.’

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: ‘If this is true, the PM should’ve told Parliament at the earliest opportunity, not waited for the media to force the truth out.

‘His failure to do that alone is surely a breach of the Ministerial Code.’

The Green Party and Reform UK have both called for Sir Keir to resign.

Lord Mandelson, a political appointment rather than a career diplomat, was sacked from his Washington role last September when more details emerged about his relationship with Epstein, who died in 2019.

Sir Keir has been under fire over the decision to give Lord Mandelson the job despite it being known that his dealings with Epstein continued after the financier’s conviction for child sex offences.

Questions over his judgment intensified after the first batch of documents related to the decision published last month showed that he was warned before announcing Lord Mandelson’s ambassadorship of a ‘general reputational risk’ over his association with Epstein.

That warning stemmed from the first part of the checks, carried out by the Cabinet Office, which was based on information in the public domain at the time.

The second was the highly confidential background vetting by security officials, which followed the announcement but was before Lord Mandelson took up his role in February 2025.

Information unearthed in this process – including any concerns – is never shared with ministers, and the result is binary, either clearing the candidate or barring them.

Foreign Office officials deployed a rarely used authority to override the decision to deny Lord Mandelson clearance, and he was told days later that he had passed, according to The Guardian.

The Foreign Office has said it is urgently working to comply with Sir Keir Starmer’s request to establish how vetting was granted for Lord Peter Mandelson to become ambassador to the US.

An FCDO spokesperson said: ‘The Prime Minister has initiated a process to establish the facts of the granting of developed vetting and we are working urgently to comply with that process.’

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