Salah is currently enduring a rough patch of form

Salah is currently enduring a rough patch of form

This selection is slightly odd considering what happened when he arrived on the field

This selection is slightly odd considering what happened when he arrived on the field

Egyptian is on longest goal drought of Anfield career

Egyptian is on longest goal drought of Anfield career

City is in the running with three other European destinations to host the European finish of the ‘Trans-Atlantic’ stage.

City is in the running with three other European destinations to host the European finish of the ‘Trans-Atlantic’ stage.

The Liverpool midfielder is set to make his return to the first team after the international break

The Liverpool midfielder is set to make his return to the first team after the international break

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Reds forward's sparking form has been put into context

Reds forward's sparking form has been put into context

Rebeca married Fabinho in 2015, after they first got together in 2013

Rebeca married Fabinho in 2015, after they first got together in 2013

The driver was given medical treatment for shock after the upsetting incident

The driver was given medical treatment for shock after the upsetting incident

Hillsborough match commander David Duckenfield has been treated as a "target of blame", a jury has heard.

Continuing his closing speech for the defence at Preston Crown Court, Benjamin Myers QC said evidence from the 2015 Hillsborough inquests should be dismissed.

The barrister described Mr Duckenfield as an "excellent police officer".

The retired chief superintendant, 74, denies gross negligence manslaughter of 95 Liverpool fans, on 15 April 1989.

Mr Myers told the jury: "David Duckenfield has not been treated as a normal person, but as a target of blame.

"We suggest the human compulsion to find someone to blame when something goes wrong is very powerful."

He said Mr Duckenfield "went to work that day to help people" and accused the prosecution of relying heavily on evidence from the inquests in Warrington.

'Relentless questioning'

The court heard that, during those hearings, Mr Duckenfield admitted several failures and accepted he froze as the disaster unfolded.

Mr Myers said many of the answers were given in hindsight and taken out of context.

He argued Mr Duckenfield had been subjected to intense scrutiny over seven days in the witness box.

"What you have," he said, "is the relentless questioning of a man struggling to recall what he knows and what he doesn't, until it seems he ends up accepting some of it.

"For the prosecution to use it in this way is very unfair. Ultimately we dismiss this evidence."

On Friday Mr Myer said the prosecution of his client was "breathtakingly unfair" and the jury was being invited to "give him criminal responsibility for a decade of incompetence on the part of others".

On Thursday, prosecutor Richard Matthews QC said Mr Duckenfield had "ultimate responsibility" and should have made "lifesaving decisions".

Under the law at the time, there can be no prosecution for the 96th victim, Tony Bland, as he died more than a year and a day after the disaster.

Former Sheffield Wednesday club secretary Graham Mackrell, 69, denies failing to discharge a duty under the Health and Safety Act.

The trial continues.

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Reds left-back determined to give himself every chance of being available for Scotland Euro 2020 qualifiers

Reds left-back determined to give himself every chance of being available for Scotland Euro 2020 qualifiers