Liverpool seem able to exert greater control under Slot’s more studied style than on the occasions when so many victories were secured after a wild ride under Klopp.

This must never be taken as a criticism of the German, who left at the end of last season after a nine-year spell as boss, but Slot’s early statistics are hugely impressive – the home defeat by Nottingham Forest in September the one blot on his record.

This was Slot’s 10th win in 11 games, their best record in any campaign since 1990-91, when then-manager Kenny Dalglish had an identical record. During the Premier League era, only Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola, who won his first 10 matches, has reached that many wins in all competitions in fewer matches than Slot.

For someone entrusted with the weighty responsibility of succeeding an Anfield icon in Klopp, Slot has carried it comfortably in his quiet, understated fashion.

Chelsea’s pass completion rate of 88.1% was the highest on record, since 2003-04, by any away team at Anfield in a Premier League game. And yet, apart from a couple of late scares, Liverpool gave off an air of control that is fast becoming a Slot hallmark.

Maresca’s side may have had the ball but Liverpool were solid, with deputy goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, in for injured Alisson, rarely troubled.

Liverpool’s passing accuracy of 85.9% this season is only slightly improved on Klopp’s final campaign (85.8%), while Slot’s side are playing fewer long balls per game, 22.6 as opposed to 25.3 last term. While some stats are similar, there is a marked difference in passes played into the box, with 39.3 per game under Klopp last season and 28.9 under Slot.

And there is also a more structured defensive look to Slot’s Liverpool, with the stats suggesting they are pressing less aggressively this season. They regained possession in their attacking third 6.1 times per game last season, while that figure is now down to 4.3 times.

Liverpool were fourth best in the league by that measure in Klopp’s farewell campaign. This season, under Slot, they are down to ninth.

Anthony Hernandez made a major statement Saturday, and the UFC’s middleweight division may have a new contender on its hands.

Hernandez (13-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) dominated Michel Pereira (31-12 MMA, 9-3 UFC) and eventually put him away with a fifth-round TKO in his first UFC main event. The duo headlined UFC Fight Night 245 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and after a slowish start, “Fluffy” Hernandez took over and battered the Brazilian for the finish.

Hernandez won for the sixth straight time, five of which have been by stoppage. His finish of Pereira earned his third bonus in that stretch and took Pereira’s name out of the list of contenders. So who should be next for Hernandez on his current run? Check out the video above for thoughts and analysis on Hernandez’s surge into the title picture.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 245.

Tyler Reddick won the opening stage at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, only for his race to go upside down moments later — literally.

On lap 89, Reddick had a run on the outside and made it three-wide with Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr. beneath him. They drifted up and contact was made between Elliott and Reddick, leading both drivers to crash. As they moved across the track, Brad Keselowski was collected, and all three cars spun out of control through the infield grass.

Then, in a surprising flip / roll, Reddick’s car dug in and flipped over as it slid sideways over the transition between infield asphalt and grass. His race was over. Reddick will finish 36th.

Keselowski’s car went back up the track in the final moments of the incident, causing the Team Penske drivers of Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric to slam the outside wall in avoidance. Cindric, Keselowski, and Reddick were unable to continue. Defending champ Blaney went multiple laps down and Elliott went to the garage for extensive repairs after meeting minimum speed. 

“You just gotta be aggressive on restarts,” said Reddick after being released from the infield care center. “It’s how this Next Gen racing has been since the beginning. I kind of saw them both have a moment and I had just a split second to make a decision. You gotta be aggressive. You gotta try and get those spots back on a restart. It can be hard to pass after a while.”

“By the time I realized I was in trouble, it was just too late. The No. 19 [Truex] starts sliding, the No. 9 [Elliott] was coming up and I was pretty much already on their outside. At that point, there is nowhere to really go. I needed to make the decision earlier when I saw them sliding. Just be a little more conservative. That would have avoided the incident. Just not who I am, not what we do.

“It’s unfortunate. It took us out of the race. We had a really fast Camry. Thought we would have been in the mix all day long.”

LUKE LITTLER was left “disgusted” after being dumped out of the Czech Darts Open by old foe Luke Humphries. 

The teen sensation could not stop the World No1 in a clinical performance, going down 7-4 in Prague. 

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Littler, 17, simply had no answer to Humphries as he didn’t miss a double in the opening seven legs to lead 5-2. 

However, ‘The Nuke’ was still in with a shout of coming back until a messy ninth leg. 

Both players made a hash of the checkouts, Littler missing five chances to break the Humphries throw. 

‘Cool Hand’ took out double one to extend his lead to 6-3 and then delivered  double 12 kill to knock out his big rival and friend. 

Humphries ended with an average of 108 with an outstanding 53 per cent checkout success rate. 

Sky Sports Commentator Dan Dawson said: “It was a stunningly high quality game. 

“The World No1 has asserted his authority, Littler bows out with a tournament average of over 110. 

As you can see he is disgusted he has not completed one of the greatest Euro tour campaigns we’ve ever seen.”

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Humphries now faces Belgium’s World No38 Kim Huybrechts int he final.

Littler had won six straight legs to defeat Van Gerwen in the previous round.

The Warrington whizkid hit six 180s – leaving MVG’s 112.19 average as the highest ever from a loser in the history of the PDC European Tour. 

THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY..

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