Micah Richards explains why Premier League title race is now in Liverpool's favour

Formula One legend Lewis Hamilton was once forced to deny showering Russian president Vladimir Putin with champagne.Hamilton dismissed suggestions he covered Putin in alcoholic bubbly after winning the 2015 Russian Grand Prix.The Mercedes driver took the chequered flag at the Sochi Autodrom ahead of then-Ferrari rival Sebastian Vettel. He then went up to receive his trophy for winning the race from none other than the Russian premier himself.

Liverpool midfielder James Milner would have toasted an ice-cold Ribena in celebration of the Reds' League Cup triumph over Chelsea.Jurgen Klopp’s side won the competition for the first time in ten years, after overcoming the reigning Champions League holders in a penalty shoot-out. But while Liverpool shot-stopper Caoimhin Kelleher was the hero of the evening for the Reds, supporters reserved a special mention for Milner.The former Manchester City and Newcastle United ace, who has a dedicated parody Twitter account called ‘Boring James Milner’ dedicated to him, showed excellent leadership throughout the contest.And Liverpool fans particularly loved the way in which he pulled Harvey Elliott away from a mass pushing and shoving contest between the two sides.

Liverpool have reportedly warned Kostas Tsimikas of his responsibilities after footage appeared to show him spitting gum into the stands as Jurgen Klopp's side collected the Carabao Cup trophy. Tsimikas, 25, was an unused substitute as the Reds overcame Chelsea 11-10 in a marathon penalty shootout to win the season's first silverware.

Liverpool have won the Carabao Cup final on penalties after a thrilling affair at Wembley against Chelsea.Liverpool thought they had taken the lead through Joel Matip, but a VAR review chalked the goal off.VAR had determined that Virgil van Dijk, who was in an offside position, had interfered in the play by tussling with Reece James.Chelsea also had the ball in the net, twice, but also saw their attempts to break the deadlock thwarted by the offside flag too.Kepa Arrizabalaga missed the decisive penalty to hand Liverpool the title.And Daily Star Sport is looking at what Jurgen Klopp got right and what he got wrong.There aren't many chances in modern football to blood youngsters, but Kelleher has made the Carabao Cup his own this season.Klopp repaid the trust in the Irishman by starting him in the final.In many ways, Kelleher's performance didn't matter, with giving the youth opportunities, it presents a clear pathway to the first team for any hopefuls.Kelleher make some big stops for the Reds as they forced the game to penalties.What did you think of Liverpool's performance? Let us know in the comments sectionThiago was left in tears when it emerged that the Spaniard, who had been named in the starting side, would not be able to play due to injury.Klopp replaced Thiago with Naby Kieta, but there didn't appear to be any change of tactics from the German.Instead, Chelsea's midfield was cut open by Chelsea for two great opportunities in the first half.And a sustained period of pressure in the second half, Liverpool's midfield came under scrutiny as Chelsea players continually flooded forwards.Want to be on the ball with all of the latest football news?Well then sign up for the brilliant Daily Star football email

Liverpool came out on top in a dramatic penalty shootout to edge past Chelsea at Wembley to clinch Carabao Cup glory.Both sides were indebted to their goalkeepers in an action-packed first half, with Caoimhin Kelleher thwarting Christian Pulisic early on before Edouard Mendy pulled off a spectacular double-save to keep Chelsea on level terms.Mohamed Salah spurned a golden chance after the break before Joel Matip saw a header chalked off by VAR.Kai Havertz had two goals ruled out for offside along with Lukaku, who was denied once, before the lottery of penalties ensued.In a dramatic shootout, it was Kepa Arrizabalaga who missed the decisive penalty after all 20 outfield players succeeded from the spot to hand Jurgen Klopp his first League Cup.Daily Star Sport highlights six things you might have missed from an enthralling finale at Wembley...The Reds arrived at Wembley on the verge of creating history - and they got the job done to clinch a record-breaking ninth League Cup triumph.They made hard work of it though.Chelsea had numerous chances to snatch the initiative before the game went to spot-kicks.And Kepa's late miss ensured the Reds etched their name into the history books at Wembley in the most dramatic of fashions.Do you think Liverpool deserved to lift the Carabao Cup? Comment below.The Blues may have had the shorter trip for Sunday's final at Wembley, but their recent record under the arch has been a rotten one.Chelsea had lost their last four domestic finals before their showdown with the Reds.And unfortunately for Thomas Tuchel's men, it was more capital punishment for the Blues when it was all said and done.The decision to send penalty specialist Kepa on backfired to leave the Londoners glum again after a trip

Wigan winger Viv Solomon-Otabor has spoken of the 'fear in people's faces' as he recounted his harrowing experiences of fleeing Ukraine following Russia's invasion. The 26-year-old only joined FC Rukh Lviv in January but has already seen his career in Ukraine come to halt after Vladimir Putin's forces set about occupying the country.The former Birmingham City graduate is yet to feature for his new side as a result of joining during the nation's winter break and has now seen war spark carnage within the region.Solomon-Otabor has since successfully fled, but revealed how others were less fortunate in their attempts to escape as Russia's invasion continues to take its toll on the people of Ukraine."There was just a lot of cars, a lot of people, a lot of lorries," Solomon-Otabor opened up to Sky Sports on Sunday."They were obviously trying to get back.

Liverpool's star midfielder Thiago was spotted in tears ahead of the Carabao Cup final on Sunday afternoon.Thiago had been named among Jurgen Klopp's starting eleven to face Chelsea, with the first silverware of the season up for grabs at Wembley.However, after picking up an injury in the warm-up, Thiago was replaced by Naby Keita in the starting side.And after the national anthem, Sky Sports cameras picked up a heartbroken Thiago, in tears, being comforted by Alisson.The Brazilian had his arm around Thiago, who could barely contain his emotions of the disappointment of missing out on the showpiece.Liverpool didn't expand on the injury, only announcing that he would not be able to play in the clash.The Reds tweeted: "Thiago has got injured during the warm-up.

Gary Neville has conceded his fears that Liverpool were in 'decline' were wide of the mark - and backed them to overcome Chelsea in Sunday's Carabao Cup final.Both Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel are bidding to clinch their first domestic cup since arriving in English football.While Chelsea will contest Sunday's showpiece final at Wembley, their hopes of following up their Champions League glory with the Premier League title have fallen flat after a tough run of form at the turn of the year.The Reds, however, are still in the hunt for the domestic crown after their resurgent run of form in recent weeks.And their sizzling form of late has led to Neville, a Manchester United icon, to admit that he had feared that Liverpool's powers were waning - and that he'd been emphatically proved wrong."Liverpool. I thought Liverpool were in decline, In decline from a very, very high place," Neville told Sky Sports.

Jurgen Klopp has revealed why he will not be wearing a suit for Liverpool’s Carabao Cup final clash against Chelsea.The Liverpool manager dressed up for his two previous cup finals at Wembley Stadium, but will not be swapping his usual tracksuit and cap combo for a suit this time around.Klopp’s first Wembley final was the 2-1 Champions League loss to Bayern Munich back in 2013 with Dortmund, while his second appearance ended in a Carabao Cup penalty shootout defeat to Manchester City in 2016.But the German insists the two devastating losses are not the reason behind his change in approach on Sunday.Klopp told the Liverpool Echo: "I am not overly superstitious. I will not wear a suit but not because I am superstitious."I am pretty sure that someone told me before the League Cup final that I needed to wear a suit."With the Champions League in 2013, honestly, it is really silly but someone told me that it was expected to wear a suit on the touchline and then when I saw the first coach next to me without a suit I thought ‘are you kidding me?!!!’ “That was the moment I stopped it.”Would you wear a tracksuit for a cup final? Let us know in the comments section.He added: "No, I will not wear a suit for a football game unless it is a rule.

Harry Kane and Son Heung-min have now combined for more Premier League goals than any other duo in the competition's history following Tottenham's 4-0 demolition of Leeds at Elland Road on Saturday.Kane and Son both got on the scoresheet, as did Matt Doherty and Dejan Kulusevski, as Antonio Conte's side rained more misery down on Marcelo Bielsa.For Tottenham's fourth and final goal, Son received a lofted pass from Kane before coolly finishing past Illan Meslier, which was the 37th time either man has assisted the other in the league.They've now pulled away from Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba's total of 36 - a record which had stood for nearly a decade.Speaking to BT Sport about becoming the division's most prolific partnership, Son said:"It is a big honour. The record is important but the three points are too because the result in midweek was not the best."We take the record but most important thing is three points."It is always a tough place to come here and we needed to show character and responsibility.

Manchester City centre-back John Stones has defended manager Pep Guardiola's rotation policy, insisting he doesn't think it is "physically possible" for a player to play every game.

Luis Diaz has been wowing fans ever since he made his £37.5 million switch from Porto last month and was at it again during Liverpool training this week.The Colombian was spotted executing a mid-air 'rainbow flick', which supporters on social media rightly labelled "pure tekkerz".Diaz plucked the ball effortlessly out of the sky before sweeping it up over his head from behind, catching it, and knocking it back to his partner in one smooth motion."I literally can't stop watching this," wrote one Liverpool fan on Twitter."This man just rainbow flicked a ball out of the air.

Liverpool are weighing up a potential move for Lautaro Martinez with Jurgen Klopp reportedly 'interested' in the Inter Milan star. The Nerazzurri forward, 24, formed a key part of their title-winning side last campaign as Inter romped to a first Scudetto since 2010.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp expressed the significance of his side's 6-0 win over Leeds on Wednesday that cut the gap to Manchester City to just three points in the Premier League.

Playing full-back has always been fun for Rico Lewis.

Paul Scholes has suggested Cristiano Ronaldo would not get into Liverpool's team - and Paul Pogba is the only Manchester United star who would.Ronaldo, 37, has failed to provide the impact that many thought he would at Old Trafford this season following his blockbuster return from Juventus last summer. The Portuguese has scored nine goals in the Premier League - the same number as Sadio Mane and fewer than both Diogo Jota and the division's top scorer Mohamed Salah.

Harry Kane has revealed why he rejected the no.9 shirt for Tottenham Hotspur in favour of his preferred current no.10 jersey.The striker is regarded among some of the greatest forwards on the planet, having scored over 200 goals for Spurs since bursting onto the scene in 2014.Over the years, Kane has combined classic centre-forward play in the mould of traditional no.9s with the playmaking ability of a no.10.But he gave an insightful explanation when asked on BT Sport’s What I Wore series as to why he selected the no.10 jersey for Spurs.Kane said: “I feel like ten for Spurs was just a bigger number.“You had Robbie Keane, Glenn Hoddle and Teddy Sheringham. So I just felt like I wanted to be no.10 for Tottenham.”He added: “To be fair growing up, youth team days, I wore no.10 a lot.

Geordie Shore star is looking to become the latest reality TV regular to land a huge payday in the world of professional boxing. The sport has seen an influx of fighters who became famous in other disciplines, before trying to cash in on their popularity with a boxing career.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp only had a one-word reaction when he learned of Manchester City's defeat to Tottenham on Saturday: 'oh.'

Liverpool recorded an impressive 2-0 away win against Inter Milan in the first leg of their Champions League knockout tie, but Jurgen Klopp may have admired more than just his own side's performance.After weathering an initial storm in Milan, Liverpool punished Inter late on and as a result will take a two-goal lead back to Anfield for the second leg.Liverpool have a recent history of signing stars they have faced in the Champions League, as Takumi Minamino was snapped up from Salzburg before Luis Diaz arrived from Porto this season.But Klopp is said to be a 'fan' of one Inter star, who is reportedly keen on a move to Anfield himself.Marcelo Brozovic starred in midfield for Inter as the hosts pressed Liverpool for large periods of their clash at the San Siro, and the Reds are reportedly one of the sides interested in the Croatian international.Brozovic is out of contract at the end of the season, and Fichajes.net claim that the midfielder 'does not want to renew his contract', and if nothing changes in negotiations then he will leave the club on a free transfer.The Croatian has been locked in contract talks for some time, but no breakthrough has been made as Inter continue to hold back financially after they were forced to sell Romelu Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi in the summer.Would Marcelo Brozovic be a good signing for Liverpool next summer? Comment belowKlopp is reportedly a huge 'fan of the player', and the club are still yet to sign a replacement for Georginio Wijnaldum who left Liverpool in the summer.However, Brozovic is 29, and Liverpool are known for being reluctant to sign players who are approaching the age of 30, although the prospect of signing him for free could make the midfielder and exception to the

Manchester United were made to fight hard for all three points at Elland Road to move them four points clear in the race for fourth place.