The 2017–18 season was Liverpool Football Club's 126th season in existence and their 56th consecutive season in the top flight of English football. It was also the club's 26th consecutive season in the Premier League. Along with the Premier League, Liverpool also competed in the FA Cup, EFL Cup and UEFA Champions League. The season covered the period from 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018. It began with an away 3–3 draw against Watford in the league and ended with a 3–1 loss to Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League final.
Season review Pre-season Liverpool began their preseason in the same manner as last year, a visit to Tranmere Rovers on 12 July. Liverpool won 0–4 with goals from James Milner (from the penalty spot), Marko Grujić, Pedro Chirivella, and Ben Woodburn (from the penalty spot as well.) The Reds next trip was to Wigan Athletic on 14 July where they drew 1–1 going 1–0 down early, but the equalizing goal coming in first half stoppage time from new signing Mohamed Salah. On 19 July, Liverpool played their first match of the 2017 Premier League Asia Trophy friendly tournament in Hong Kong against Crystal Palace. The Reds won 2–0 thanks to goals from another new signing, Dominic Solanke, and Divock Origi. The Reds advanced to the final, played on 22 July, the day after announcing new signing Andy Robertson on a deal from Hull City, against Leicester City. Liverpool won the tournament defeating Leicester in the final 2–1, despite conceding first, due to goals from Salah and Philippe Coutinho.
Liverpool returned to Europe to play their next pre-season match on 29 July against Hertha BSC, a match that celebrated the two clubs respective 125th anniversaries of existence. Liverpool got the better of the German side winning 0–3 in Berlin with goals scored by Solanke, Gini Wijnaldum, and Salah. Liverpool's next two matches were as a part of another pre-season tournament as the club partook in the 2017 Audi Cup, defeating Bayern Munich at Bayern's home stadium 0–3 in their first match of the tournament on 1 August, the goals coming from Sadio Mané, yet another from Salah, and Daniel Sturridge. In the final on the next day, Liverpool lost to Atlético Madrid, 1–1 (4–5 in penalties) with a Roberto Firmino spot kick pushing the game to penalties before ultimately losing. In the days before their final pre-season match, Liverpool were dealt a blow as it was revealed that Adam Lallana was injured in the final and, according to manager Jürgen Klopp, would be out for "a couple of months." In the final friendly on 5 August in Dublin against Athletic Bilbao, Liverpool finished strong winning the match 3–1 thanks to Firmino's spot kick, Woodburn's strike in the second half, and Solanke's headed finish.
August Liverpool began their Premier League campaign on 12 August with a trip to Vicarage Road to take on Watford. Watford opened the scoring in the eighth minute with a Stefano Okaka header off a corner kick, however Mane levelled in the 29th minute, only for Abdoulaye Doucouré to give Watford a 2–1 in the 32nd where it stood at the half. In the second half, Liverpool took the lead after goals from Firmino from the spot and Salah in the 55th and 57th minutes, respectively. However, in the 93rd Miguel Britos once again levelled the game with a controversial equalizer off another corner kick to set the score at 3–3 where the game finished. Following the match, manager Klopp expressed disappointment in the equalizer counting making the claim that Britos was offside when scoring. Liverpool had no time to despair over lost points as they set off to Germany to square off with Hoffenheim in the first leg of their Champions League qualifier on 15 August. The match was Liverpool's first Champions League match since December 2014. In the tenth minute, Simon Mignolet made a penalty save to keep the game level at 0–0 where it stood until Trent Alexander-Arnold's 35th minute free kick goal, the first in a Liverpool shirt for him. A James Milner attempted cross deflected off Håvard Nordtveit and that went down as an own goal to make it 0–2 in the 74th. Hoffenheim responded with a Mark Uth 87th-minute goal but, despite the nervy finish, Liverpool saw off the final minutes of the 1–2 victory in the away leg. Liverpool returned home for the first time in the season where on 19 August they played Crystal Palace. The Reds were victorious defeating Palace 1–0 thanks to a Mane goal in the 73rd. This marked the first victory at home against Palace for Liverpool since 2013. On 23 August, Liverpool played the home leg of their Champions League qualifier against Hoffenheim. Liverpool got off to a fantastic early start with a 3–0 scoreline after 21 minutes thanks to two goals from Emre Can and one from Salah. Uth pulled one back in the 28th to make it 3–1, however, Firmino tacked one more on in the 63rd making it 4–1. Sandro Wagner made it 4–2 in the 79th, but it was only a consolation goal as Liverpool won 4–2 (6–3 on aggregate) and advanced on to the Champions League group stage. Liverpool's final game of the month, and before the international break, was at home against Arsenal on 27 August. In what was called a "dazzling attacking display", Liverpool won 4–0 thanks to goals before the half from Firmino and Mane in the 17th and 40th minutes, respectively, and goals after the half from Salah in the 57th minute and Sturridge in the 77th minute. On 29 August, Liverpool made a transfer move for the 2018–19 season as the club announced Naby Keïta from RB Leipzig would join the club effective 1 July 2018.
September Liverpool's September began with a visit to the City of Manchester Stadium to take on Manchester City on 9 September. Manchester City opened the scoring through Sergio Agüero in the 25th minute, and a Mane high boot drew a hotly-debated red card putting the Reds down to ten men. From there City scored four more goals, two from Gabriel Jesus and two from Leroy Sané to mark a 5–0 victory. Liverpool manager Klopp felt that the challenge was not a red card worthy incident and noted the event was a "game-changing incident." Liverpool next began UEFA Champions League group stage play at home against Sevilla on 13 September. The Reds went down in the 5th minute after a costly Dejan Lovren mistake allowed Wissam Ben Yedder to tap Sevilla ahead. Liverpool roared back in response with a Firmino goal in the 21st and a Salah goal in the 37th to put them back on top before the half. In the 41st minute, however, with the chance to put Liverpool ahead by two goals, Firmino missed a chance from the penalty spot. Joaquín Correa drew Sevilla level in the 72nd and the game finished at 2–2. Liverpool faced a Premier League fixture next as they squared off with Burnley on 16 September. The match was notable for being Philippe Coutinho's return to the Liverpool starting eleven following a busy transfer window in which Barcelona had widely reported interest in the player to the point where the club released a statement explicitly stating Coutinho would remain a Liverpool player at the close of the summer window. Scott Arfield put the visitors up 0–1 in the 27th, however Salah responded with an equalizer just three minutes later to put the scoreline at 1–1 where it stood till the final whistle. The Reds faced another midweek test on 19 September where they faced off with Leicester City at King Power Stadium in the Carabao Cup. Leicester scored twice in the second half through Shinji Okazaki and Islam Slimani in the 65th and 78th minutes to knock the Reds out of the Cup tournament with a 2–0 defeat. That weekend, on 23 September, Liverpool played a second game at King Power Stadium against Leicester, this time in the league. Salah kicked off scoring in the 15th while Coutinho scored his first goal of the season with a stunning free kick in the 23rd to put Liverpool up 0–2. Right before the halftime whistle, Okazaki got Leicester a goal back on a scrambled effort off a corner kick. Captain Jordan Henderson put the Reds up 1–3 in the 68th with a counter-attacking goal, however Jamie Vardy got the goal back just a minute later. In the 73rd, goalie Simon Mignolet gave up a penalty kick, which, taken by Vardy, was saved by the keeper to keep the scoreline at 2–3, the final score. The final game of the month was another Champions League group stage bout, this time in Moscow against Spartak Moscow on 26 September. Spartak opened the scoring off a 23rd minute Fernando free kick, however Liverpool responded in the 31st through a Coutinho goal. The game finished level at one and Liverpool earned another point in group stage play.
October Liverpool opened their October on the first of the month at St James' Park against Newcastle. Coutinho, through an out of the box effort, put Liverpool ahead in the 29th minute, however Newcastle leveled just seven minutes later through a Joselu goal that resulted after an attempted Joël Matip tackle deflected off Joselu and into the net. The scoreline remained at 1–1 for the rest of the game resulting in a draw. Following the international break, the Reds returned to action on 14 October at Anfield to square off with Manchester United in a match that ended 0–0. The Reds then returned to midweek action heading to Slovenia to take on Maribor on 17 October. In a record breaking performance, Liverpool thrashed Maribor 0–7 breaking the record for biggest away win not just in Liverpool history but by any English side in the European competition. Goals came from Firmino, Coutinho, Salah, another from Firmino, a second from Salah, the first of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's Liverpool career, and a capper from Trent Alexander-Arnold. On 22 October, Liverpool visited Wembley Stadium to take on Tottenham. The Reds fell behind 2–0 quickly following defensive mistakes in which Lovren drew heavy criticism for. Lovren was later subbed off for Chamberlain at the 30th minute. Salah drew Liverpool back one in the 24th, but Dele Alli chipped a goal in before the stroke of halftime. Harry Kane put in his second of the game in the 56th and the Reds were given a 4–1 defeat. The final fixture of the month took place on 28 October back at Anfield against newly promoted Huddersfield Town, managed by Klopp's longtime friend David Wagner. Following a 0–0 first half, including a saved Salah penalty in the 43rd, the Reds put three past Huddersfield in the second half. The first came from Sturridge in the 50th, the second from Firmino just eight minutes later, and the final coming from Wijnaldum in the 75th to cap off a 3–0 victory.
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