The kick-off for the Premier League meeting of Liverpool and Arsenal next Monday is set to be moved forward due to the new 10pm pub curfew in the UK, according to reports.
The Premier League is set to switch the Anfield tie from 8.15pm to 8pm due to new UK government Covid-19 rules that could have prevented viewers seeing the end of the game on pub TVs.
Fans at expressed consternation on social media about missing the closing minutes.
The game is being screened live on Sky Sports. Future Monday Night Football kick-offs would also switch to 8pm while the curfew is in place.
Meanwhile, Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders insists that in Thiago Alcantara they have “bought a solution, not a problem”.
The Spain international arrived last Friday in a £20million deal from Bayern Munich and was handed a second-half debut in Sunday’s win over Chelsea.
Midfield is the one area where Liverpool have plenty of options but Lijnders said the 29-year-old gives them a different dimension and will have no issue fitting in.
“He is a great signing. We didn’t buy a problem, we bought a solution,” said the Dutchman.
“Good teams need good players and we are really happy he is with us because this team especially deserves a player like him because he will make sure we keep evolving.
“Teams adapt, teams try to destroy our plans and what is most important is that we stay unpredictable and unpredictability means from each position we can play the last pass and we can speed up the games and Thiago does that for us.”