Our Liverpool writers hand out some end-of-year awards after a year to remember for the Reds and share their hopes for 2026
While the current season has admittedly so far not lived up to expectations for Liverpool Football Club, 2025 will still be a year the Reds will never forget after Arne Slot led the club to their 20th league title.
Winning the Premier League at a canter, supporters had waited 35 years for the opportunity to witness and celebrate their beloved club being crowned champions of England once more.
As the calendar year comes to an end, Blood Red, the new monthly LFC standalone brought to you by the Liverpool ECHOasked our expert writers to pick out some of their highlights. But with one eye also on 2026, and Liverpool slowly showing signs of recovery on the pitch, they also offered their take on what they hope to see happen in the New Year…
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IAN DOYLE
Player of the Year – Dominik Szoboszlai
A difficult one as there has been such a discrepancy between the first half of the year and the second half. But there’s little doubt Dominik Szoboszlai has been the standout performer this term and did more than enough in the second half of last season to claim the accolade.
Match of the Year – Liverpool 5-1 Tottenham Hotspur
A much easier one. The 5-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur that clinched the title back in April was a good enough performance in itself. But the entire day – from the build-up to the game, the team bus arriving, the match itself and the subsequent celebrations both inside the stadium and later in the city centre – made it perhaps THE greatest day in Liverpool’s modern history. Whether at Anfield or Liverpool itself, you simply had to be there.
Goal of the Year – Diogo Jota vs Everton
There are many contenders for this, not least Dominik Szoboszlai’s effort against Arsenal and Alexis Mac Allister strikes against Fulham and Tottenham. But the goal that perhaps now means the most is Diogo Jota’s strike against Everton in April. It helped edge Liverpool nearer the title, won another Merseyside derby and, sadly, stands as the final goal of Jota’s career. He is very much missed.
One player LFC should sign in January – Marc Guehi
The injury to Alexander Isak might suggest the Reds should bring in a striker. But for me, it simply has to be a centre-back to ease the burden on Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate. And if Marc Guehi was about to arrive in September, he can do so again.
Player to watch in 2026 – Conor Bradley
Conor Bradley continues to have a very stop-start Liverpool career. But if he can steer clear of injuries over the next few months he can become a major player for the Reds.
Prediction for second half of the season
What happens in the Champions League is likely to depend on the draw, and whether the Reds avoid the play-offs. They are due a bit of good fortune, and it should be that they reach the latter stages. Certainly, the team seems better equipped for that. In the Premier League, surely Liverpool will improve and that means a top-four finish. Aston Villa should be the target as I don’t think Arsenal and Manchester City will be caught. And the FA Cup? Well, the lack of availability of players in the early rounds means I’m not expecting very much. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if they lost at home to Barnsley in the third round.
PAUL GORST
Player of the Year – Dominik Szoboszlai
It’s tough to pick someone who has remained consistent across both halves of the calendar year but Dominik Szoboszlai certainly has dropped below in the last few months so for that reason he gets my pick. He was a driving force for the Reds at times last season as they secured the title with four games to spare and while several have under-performed in the defence on that crown, the Hungary captain is not one of them.
Match of the Year – Liverpool 5-1 Tottenham Hotspur
The 5-1 hammering of Tottenham Hotspur was a joyous prelude to one of Anfield greatest afternoons as the Reds were crowned champions of England for a 20th time. What a day that was.
Goal of the Year – Rio Ngumoha vs Newcastle United
Rio Ngumoha’s strike to become the youngest scorer of all time at Liverpool, just days before his 17th birthday, to win it 3-2 in the 100th minute will take some beating. The way the teenager wrapped his foot around it to slot him in the dying embers was taken like a veteran.
One player LFC should sign in January – Antoine Semenyo
Antoine Semenyo would be a great addition to the forward ranks and with Alexander Isak set for a spell on the sidelines, the versatile Bournemouth frontman would offer great strength in depth and an ability to play across a handful of positions.
Player to watch in 2026 – Florian Wirtz
Florian Wirtz is starting to find his feet at Anfield. He will continue to grow and develop in the Premier League and he will end the campaign as one of the most accomplished and consistent performers for the Reds. He has world-class ability and he will show it more and more as the campaign goes on.
Prediction for second half of the season
Liverpool will finish third, behind Arsenal and Manchester City, who will battle it out for the title. I think the Reds have a decent chance of winning the Champions League but the FA Cup will fall by the wayside. Changes will be made in one of the early rounds and it will prove to be their undoing.
THEO SQUIRES
Player of the Year – Mohamed Salah
Okay, okay, I know Mohamed Salah’s season so far has not lived up to expectations – culminating with his little spat with Arne Slot after being benched. But is that really enough to overlook what he achieved last year?
He was Liverpool’s standout player by a country mile as they won the Premier League title, producing astonishing numbers in an incredible campaign. Yes, he was at his best in the first half of the season, as were the Reds, but he still produced 20 goal contributions during the second half of the campaign before cleaning up all the individual end-of-season awards.
Dominik Szoboszlai has arguably been Liverpool’s most consistent performer across the entire calendar year, and has been their best player so far this season. But firing the Reds to a Premier League title still gives Salah the edge in my book!
Match of the Year – Liverpool 5-1 Tottenham Hotspur
An easy choice, especially with so little to choose from this season. The 5-1 victory over Spurs that clinched the Premier League title. A day supporters had waited 35 years to witness and boy, did it live up to expectations!
Goal of the Year – Alexis Mac Allister vs Tottenham Hotspur
I’m probably getting caught up in a wave of title romance here when reflecting on 2025, but Alexis Mac Allister’s rocket against Spurs was good, wasn’t it?
Anfield exploded after he fired Liverpool ahead, finding the top corner with a thunderbolt from the edge of the box. Having fallen behind early on to a Dominic Solanke header, it was very much a moment supporters needed to settle any nerves and kick off the title celebrations once and for all!
One player LFC should sign in January – Marc Guehi
Liverpool need a forward heading into the New Year, after seeing Alexander Isak suffer a fractured leg. They needed a versatile option before the Swede was injured, with their limited numbers even more apparent now.
But they need a centre-back more. Their defensive woes this season have been well-documented, while they remain somewhat limited on numbers after Giovanni Leoni’s season-ending ACL injury.
Marc Guehi currently looks set to see out the season at Crystal Palace before departing on a free transfer. But having agreed to join Liverpool in September, surely it’s worth another go.
Player to watch in 2026 – Hugo Ekitike
This is perhaps a rather more obvious shout than it would have been at the start of December, but Hugo Ekitike has emerged as one of Liverpool’s stars of the season – and there is no reason to believe he can’t keep it up in the New Year.
He started incredibly well for the Reds, only for his form to dip alongside Liverpool’s as they embarked on that horrendous losing run.
But he has been in incredible form in December, following up braces against Leeds United and Brighton & Hove Albion with the winner at Tottenham Hotspur.
With Alexander Isak now sidelined for a couple of months with a fractured leg, the Frenchman is the Reds’ leading striker. With 11 goals to his name heading into the festive period, he will certainly play a decisive role if Liverpool’s recovery continues during the second half of the campaign.
Prediction for second half of the season
The title-race looks beyond Liverpool, though the Reds could provide a January re-think depending on what the gap to Arsenal is following their trip to the Emirates on January 8th.
Realistically though, the reigning champions will have to settle for Champions League qualification. They will have enough for top four (or five), and should surely improve from the first half of the season as their new signings continue to gel.
Arne Slot’s men are not perfect yet, as their win against nine-man Tottenham Hotspur proved. So a good run in this year’s Champions League will come down to the mercy of the draw.
We’ve been waiting for the new-look Reds to click into gear once and for all. If it happens, maybe Budapest beckons. We can but hope.
MARK JONES
Player of the Year – Dominik Szoboszlai
It’s difficult to marry together what was a coast to the league title in the second half of last season with the ups and more frequent downs of this one, but Dominik Szoboszlai has been a strong constant throughout.
The 2-0 wins over Manchester City and Newcastle in February which effectively secured the title were both marked by Szoboszlai goals, and this season he has been the player to deliver constantly when others around him have struggled.
Some of Szoboszlai’s team-mates might be more closely associated with the standout moments of 2025, but few if any of them are ending the calendar year as well as the Hungarian.
Match of the Year – Liverpool 5-1 Tottenham Hotspur
An obvious one but the 5-1 win over Tottenham which led to scenes not witnessed at Anfield for 35 years simply has to be the standout occasion of the year, and the scenes around the ground that day will stay with those of us who were there for a very long time.
Goal of the Year – Diogo Jota vs Everton
Great strikes, brilliant team goals and important moments en route to the title all come to mind, but the 2025 goal I will always remember above all others will be Diogo Jota’s winner against Everton in April.
The quick feet, the sharp mind, and the deadly finish. It was everything we had come to expect from Jota, who will always be so fondly remembered and so sadly missed.
One player LFC should sign in January – Marc Guehi
There are attackers out there that would improve the current squad, but I’m all for finishing the job that was almost completed in the summer and signing Marc Guehi. The next two summers look to be pivotal ones in the centre-back department, and so getting a good one in quickly has to be the priority.
Player to watch in 2026 – Curtis Jones
He always seems to have had his path blocked by either injuries or competition for places, but there are real signs now that Curtis Jones is developing into the player that we know he’s capable of being. He could become a mainstay in this side in the very near future.
Prediction for second half of the season
Things will smooth out in the Premier League and I think Liverpool will end up a comfortable third, which isn’t great but also isn’t terrible given the amount of changes. Throw in a Champions League quarter-final and a run to Wembley in the FA Cup and we’ll wonder what all the fuss of recent months was all about.
