As Liverpool’s 2025–26 season winds down, the parallels to their 2020–21 campaign are hard to ignore.
A title-winning side suddenly struggling immensely the following year? Check.
Needing a late push just to secure Champions League football? Again, check.
But the most troubling similarity is the relentless injury toll that has derailed both squads.
A spirited 2–1 win in the Merseyside Derby—coupled with another slip from Chelsea—could provide the momentum Liverpool need to claw their way back onto Europe’s biggest stage.
But that optimism is tempered by a fresh setback: backup goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili has been ruled out for 2–4 weeks following a collision with Beto, adding to the blow of longtime No. 1 Alisson now appearing set to miss the remainder of the season, while Vítězslav Jaroš remains out on loan.
So the question becomes familiar. Who steps in as this year’s unlikely cult hero—someone in the mold of Nat Phillips or Ozan Kabak? Not necessarily the most gifted, but capable of steadying the ship when it matters most.
Beginning against Crystal Palace this Saturday, enter third-choice keeper Freddie Woodman.
A derby to remember
Following Mamardashvili’s injury, Woodman was thrust into an absolute cauldron at Hill Dickinson Stadium, with Evertonians doing everything they could to rattle him.
There were a few nervy moments, as expected, but he ultimately looked composed given the circumstances—making a save and keeping a personal clean sheet during his time between the posts.
No one would have wanted to see Mamardashvili go down, but in a season defined by adversity, there was a shared sense of joy among teammates in seeing Woodman earn his first Premier League appearance for the Reds.
Curtis Jones, one of Liverpool’s standout performers on the day, posted a selfie with him afterward, writing, “Loved seeing this fella come on today. One of the best people ever.”
Woodman, the son of Bromley manager Andy Woodman, also embraced the moment, admitting, “I trained hard all season, didn’t think it would come, but to do it in a Merseyside derby and win like we did was unbelievable—a really nice moment for me and my family.”
He even drew praise from the manager, who noted, “I have to pay a compliment to Freddie. It was a difficult moment to come in—we’d just conceded the equalizer—but he was calm and did exactly what was needed.”
Again, while all Liverpool supporters will be wishing Giorgi well, this outpouring of support for Woodman could give the squad something more than just a top-five finish to rally around on Saturday—perhaps even fueling a desperate push to finally get the better of Palace for the first time this season.
A familiar opponent
Saturday’s fixture at Anfield will mark Woodman’s first Premier League start—a moment made all the more fitting by the fact that his only other appearance this season, aside from the derby, came in Liverpool’s humbling 3–0 home defeat to Crystal Palace in the EFL Cup, a match in which he also started.
That loss was far more the result of defensive frailties and a lopsided shot-on-target count (8–1 in Palace’s favor), but Woodman still managed five saves in the defeat—an encouraging sign that he’s capable of holding his own against the Eagles when called upon.
In addition to the personal significance of the occasion, Saturday will mark Liverpool’s fourth meeting of the season with Crystal Palace.
Palace are a side that has remarkably had Liverpool's number, beating the Reds three times across three different competitions, including a Community Shield triumph and a dramatic stoppage-time winner in the Premier League.
This is not to diminish Crystal Palace, who have clearly had Liverpool’s number all season, but for a club of Liverpool’s pedigree, the prospect of four defeats to a side currently 13th in the table—one coming off a drab 0–0 draw with struggling West Ham—would be difficult to accept.
With the advantage of Anfield behind them, supporters should be ready to raise the volume and rally around their goalkeeper, who has the chance to seize a once-in-a-lifetime moment with a strong performance in what could prove to be the 29-year-old’s only Premier League start for Liverpool.
In addition to the clear focus Liverpool will have on exercising their Palace demons, should Mamardashvili not be ready in time for next weekend, the start could do wonders in preparing Woodman for what would be an extremely stern test—a trip away to Old Trafford.
Yes, it’s looking more and more likely that Liverpool will be the beneficiaries of a fifth spot in the ‘26–27 Champions League, but ending this campaign on a high note despite so many setbacks could do the club wonders, and it all starts with Woodman inserting himself into LFC history on Saturday.
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