Mac Allister winner ignites Liverpool contract drama — SkimNews
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- Alexis Mac Allister curled a left-footed strike past Oblak from outside the box to complete Liverpool's 2-1 Champions League comeback over Atletico Madrid at Anfield, hours after publicly lamenting his stalled contract talks.link ›
- Marcos Llorente put Atletico ahead before Dominik Szoboszlai equalized; Mac Allister's winner was his 20th Liverpool goal and fifth from outside the box.link ›
- Steven Gerrard told Mac Allister to 'let your football do the talking' — and Mac Allister delivered within 24 hours.link ›
- Kylian Mbappe and Federico Valverde both scored as Real Madrid opened their Champions League campaign with a 2-1 win over Inter Milan.link ›
- Kevin Pietersen, 46, returns to England's white-ball setup as a specialist mentor ahead of the 2027 World Cup in South Africa; first assignment is the three-match T20 series vs Sri Lanka starting 15 September in Southampton.link ›
- NaVorro Bowman Jr. committed to UConn as the program's first 2027 recruit — a five-star guard ranked No. 11 nationally — instantly lifting the class to No. 11 in 247Sports team rankings.link ›
- SportsLine's model simulated the 2026 NFL season 10,000 times and called Alec Pierce a top sleeper ahead of Malik Nabers and Justin Jefferson despite an ADP around No. 85.link ›
- Isaiah Likely, who followed John Harbaugh from Baltimore to the Giants, is the model's TE9 despite an ADP of 92 — ahead of Sam LaPorta and Travis Kelce.link ›
Alexis Mac Allister answered Liverpool's contract hesitation the only way he could — by curling a left-footed strike past Jan Oblak from outside the box to complete a 2-1 Champions League comeback over Atletico Madrid at Anfield, roughly 24 hours after going public that he was sad the club hadn't opened talks on a new deal. Marcos Llorente put Atletico ahead before Dominik Szoboszlai equalized; Mac Allister's fifth goal from outside the box — his 20th for Liverpool — sealed it. Steven Gerrard's pre-match advice to 'let your football do the talking' landed harder than he planned. Across Europe, Kylian Mbappe and Federico Valverde got Real Madrid's Champions League account open with a 2-1 win over Inter Milan.
The stories behind this week
Golf: Solheim CupUSA defends the trophy they won in 2024, with the 2026 edition now staged in the Netherlands rather than on home soil, and the 59-minute Day 1 broadcast captures the opening session that sets the early tone for this biennial transatlantic matchup.
SportsLine model names 2026 fantasy sleepers: Likely, PollardThe model's Achane call (RB12 ADP → finished RB6) is the credibility pitch, and its 2026 list offers concrete draft-day edges — Likely at TE9 versus an ADP of 92, Pollard in a tier with backs drafted a full round earlier — for fantasy players drafting this Labor Day weekend. The model's identity is the pick: trusting its sleeper list over consensus ADP at two or three spots could separate a middle-of-the-pack finish from a title run.
Mac Allister winner reignites Liverpool contract talkMac Allister's 24-hour arc — a public contract lament followed by a Champions League match-winner — puts Liverpool's next sporting director, replacing Richard Hughes, under immediate pressure to open talks. With five of his 20 Liverpool goals now coming from outside the box, the pattern of big-game impact strengthens his bargaining position heading into negotiations even though his contract runs until 2028.
SportsLine Model Names 2026 Fantasy Sleepers, BustsWith Labor Day drafts hours away, the model's contrarian calls — Pierce above Nabers and Jefferson, Dart ahead of Mahomes, and Walker tagged as a bust at pick 17 — give drafters a blueprint that directly contradicts current consensus ADP at every position where it matters most.
NaVorro Bowman Jr. Commits to UConnBowman's pledge extends Dan Hurley's streak of five-star hauls to four since 2023 and instantly pushes UConn's 2027 class to No. 11 in the 247Sports team rankings despite having only one commitment. For a program that already finished 19th in 2026 with two top-50 players, locking in a top-11 national recruit before the class forms signals Hurley's recruiting machine is running on schedule to sustain UConn's championship-level talent pipeline.
SportsLine 2026 Fantasy Football Rankings: Allen LeadsWith 48 hours of drafts remaining before Wednesday's NFL opener and 15 rounds per roster, SportsLine's contrarian calls — Prescott over Daniels and Maye, and Gibbs as the unquestioned RB1 after Montgomery's exit — give managers willing to break from consensus ADP a potential edge in the middle rounds.
Pietersen returns to England setup as white-ball mentorEngland are gambling that a legendary white-ball batter with intimate knowledge of South Africa — the 2027 World Cup venue — can lift a 50-over side that has slumped to seventh since 2019, and they have a queue of batters (including the Pietersen-esque Harry Brook) who grew up idolising him. The risk flagged by Vaughan is a personality collision with Brendon McCullum's existing coaching set-up, making this as much a test of dressing-room chemistry as batting technique.
Mbappe and Valverde strike as Real Madrid edge Inter MilanReal Madrid's opening-night win gives them an early foothold in the Champions League group stage, with Mbappe continuing to deliver in Europe's top competition after his high-profile summer move.
Why it matters: Alexis Mac Allister's 24-hour arc — public contract grievance on Monday, curling Champions League winner past Jan Oblak on Tuesday — hands Liverpool's incoming sporting director a forced opening of negotiations that the previous regime had explicitly delayed.
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