Premier League
Liverpool fail to go top of the Premier League after draw with Manchester United
Liverpool failed to return to the top of the table with after a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford as rivals Manchester United did their bit to try and derail the Reds’ quest to send off Jurgen Klopp with an English Premier League title, which would put Liverpool level with United on 20 league crowns.
They are behind Arsenal on goal difference, with both teams locked on 71 points. Champions Manchester City are a further point adrift.
It was an end to end start to the match on April 7 with the home team having a goal by Alejandro Garnacho disallowed after two minutes after the Argentinian strayed just offside.
From then on though, all the action in the first 45 minutes came at the opposite end as United failed to register a shot. The last time they did not record a shot in the first half of a Premier League game was in April 2022, during a 4-0 defeat by the Reds.
The last time that happened at Old Trafford was in October 2015, when they drew 0-0 against City.
Liverpool, meanwhile, had 15 first-half shots, four of them on target as the Red Devils continued their tendency to allow opponents to pepper their goal with shots. Before the game on April 7, the Red Devils had faced 526 shots in the Premier League, more than any other time in the 20 full seasons since Opta began keeping records.
While United have suffered from injury issues all season, which saw them start with three teenagers in a Premier League match against Liverpool for the first time, there was no shortage of experience on the pitch in the likes of Raphael Varane, Casemiro and Harry Maguire.
The Reds opened the scoring on 23 minutes when Darwin Nunez escaped the attentions of Aaron Wan-Bissaka from a corner and headed the ball on to an unmarked Luis Diaz, who finished past Andre Onana.
It was the Uruguayan striker’s 13th assist this term, more than any other Premier League player.
The Reds should have, however, gone into the break with more than a one-goal lead as only Onana kept the Reds in the game with saves from the likes Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah.
It was a similar story to the teams’ FA Cup quarter-final clash in March, when United took advantage of the Reds’ profligacy to sneak a 4-3 win.
And so it seemed again at the start of the second half on April 7, when United scored with their first shot of the match.
Bruno Fernandes pounced on a loose pass by Jarell Quansah just inside the Liverpool half in the 50th minute and launched a first-time shot over a stranded Caoimhin Kelleher for his 50th Premier League goal.
Indeed, the Red Devils could take have taken a shock lead minutes with their second shot but a flying Casemiro just failed to get a boot on a cross into the box.
Liverpool’s second-half nightmare continued on 67 minutes when Kobbie Mainoo received a pass into box by Wan-Bissaka with his back to goal and proceeded to swivel and launch a lovely curling shot into the top corner of Kelleher’s goal.
He became the first 18-year-old to score in the Premier League against Liverpool since Cesc Fabregas for Arsenal in May 2005, and became the Red Devils’ youngest scorer against Liverpool in the Premier League.
But as it was in the defeat by Chelsea in midweek, United conceded a needless late penalty after Wan-Bissaka brought Harvey Elliott down in the box.
Salah stepped up and scored from the spot, his sixth goal at Old Trafford, more than any other player in Premier League history.
Manchester City kept the pressure on Premier League leaders Arsenal with a comfortable 3-0 win over Crystal Palace on Wednesday, trimming the gap at the top of the table to two points as the title race sprints towards its conclusion.
Goals from Antoine Semenyo, Omar Marmoush and Savinho ensured Pep Guardiola’s side did all they could on a night when City played with authority and control to lift them onto 77 points, while Arsenal have 79, with two games remaining for each.
While City still need Arsenal to squander points in one of their remaining matches, Guardiola’s men showed no sign of resignation, and Semenyo put them ahead in the 32nd minute when Phil Foden’s crafty back-heel set him up to slot a shot into the bottom-left corner.
Marmoush doubled City’s lead in the 40th minute, when Foden’s touch on a cross landed at the Egyptian’s feet, and he shot on the turn back into the far corner. It marked the first time the seldom-used Foden has provided multiple assists in the first half of a Premier League game in his career.
Savinho added a third in the 84th minute when he latched onto a through ball from Rayan Cherki and finished with a left-footed shot from the edge of the six-yard box.
Had City lost or drawn against Palace on Wednesday, Arsenal would have clinched their first league title in 22 years with a victory over already-relegated Burnley on Monday.
‘MASSIVE GAME’
“It’s a massive game, must-win, so we are really happy,” Foden said.
“The aim is to keep pushing and keep (Arsenal) on their toes,” he added. “We’ve seen a lot of things that can happen on the final day. I’ve experienced it many times when the game doesn’t go your way. We just have to keep pushing and doing our part.”
Ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup final against Chelsea, Guardiola made six changes to his team, including resting his league-leading scorer, Erling Haaland, for the night.
But if his selections initially raised eyebrows, City cruised through much of the match, playing with such ease that the contest felt effectively decided well before the final whistle.
City had 72% possession and 15 shots to Palace’s six.
Josko Gvardiol, back in the starting lineup for the first time since suffering a tibial fracture in early January, thought he had given City a three-goal cushion late in the first half, but Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson made a brilliant save, stretching to swat Gvardiol’s header out of danger.
City’s victory continued an unbeaten league run that stretches back to mid-January and that has breathed life into a title race that for much of the season felt like Arsenal had it in the bag.
“Today City were much better than we were, they were too good for us,” Palace manager Oliver Glasner, whose side are 15th on 44 points, said. “If you want to get the point, or even more, here at Etihad, you need a top performance, and we couldn’t deliver a top performance today.”
City visit Bournemouth on Tuesday and host Aston Villa in the league season finale on May 24. If Arsenal beat Burnley on Monday, City must beat Europe-chasing Bournemouth, who are on a 16-game unbeaten run, the following day.
-Reuters
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Arsenal edged a step closer to the Premier League title with Leandro Trossard’s late goal and a slice of fortune in stoppage time, securing a precious 1-0 victory at relegation-threatened West Ham United to put them five points clear on Sunday.
Mikel Arteta’s side looked like dropping points to keep the door ajar for chasing Manchester City, but Trossard’s 83rd-minute goal means that victories over Burnley and Crystal Palace will guarantee their first English crown since 2004.
An off-key Arsenal were living on their nerves and survived a huge scare in stoppage time as West Ham’s Callum Wilson fired home in a goalmouth scramble, but his effort was ruled out for a foul on Arsenal keeper David Raya after a lengthy VAR check.
It completed a stunning week for Arsenal, who reached the Champions League final for the first time since 2006 by beating Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.
Victory left them on 79 points from 36 games with City, who have a game in hand against Crystal Palace on Wednesday, on 74 from 35. West Ham stay third from bottom on 36 points from 36 games and will be desperately hoping that Leeds United can take points off 17th-placed Tottenham Hotspur on Monday.
“It has been a hell of a week, a rollercoaster of a week, with everything we have had to play for and all of the emotions in those games,” Arteta said.
West Ham’s bitter defeat means Leeds and Nottingham Forest are safe from relegation. Forest drew 1-1 at home against Newcastle United with a late equaliser by Elliot Anderson, taking them to 43 points.
Aston Villa suffered a European hangover in a 2-2 draw with already-relegated Burnley that stalled their hopes of sealing a place in the Champions League.
Three days after reaching the Europa League final, Villa found themselves trailing to an early goal by Jaidon Anthony, but Ross Barkley levelled before halftime, and Ollie Watkins fired Villa ahead after the break.
Burnley’s Zian Flemming equalised, though, to leave Villa in fifth place with 59 points, behind Liverpool on goal difference. Villa play Liverpool next week.
RELIEF FOR ARSENAL
Rarely has a capital derby had more riding on it than the clash between West Ham and Arsenal at the London Stadium.
Both sides were desperate for a victory for contrasting reasons, and Arsenal were breathing a huge sigh of relief after a dramatic conclusion to the contest.
With Manchester City beating Brentford 3-0 on Saturday to close the gap to two points, the pressure was on Arsenal in what always looked like a treacherous fixture.
Apart from a dominant opening 25 minutes, they struggled against a battling West Ham side and needed two great saves from Raya to keep the hosts at bay.
When Trossard fired home after being picked out by Martin Odegaard in the 83rd minute, it sparked delirium behind the goal where the Arsenal fans were massed.
But deep in stoppage time, Wilson drove a shot through a forest of legs to seemingly earn West Ham a priceless point in their battle to extend their 14-season stay in the top flight.
Silence descended around the stadium as VAR checked for a foul on Raya by West Ham’s Pablo, and there was a stomach-churning wait as referee Chris Kavanagh watched replay after replay on the monitor before deciding to disallow the goal.
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville described it as the “biggest VAR call in the history of the Premier League,” and it certainly had huge ramifications at the top and bottom of the table.
“It was a massive call, but it was clearly the right call,” a relieved Arteta said. “Today I have realised how difficult and how big the referee’s job is.”
Everton’s dreams of qualifying for Europe suffered a setback as substitute Jean‑Philippe Mateta rescued Crystal Palace with a late equaliser in a 2-2 draw.
Palace, fresh from booking their place in the Conference League final on Thursday, twice came from behind.
James Tarkowski put Everton ahead early before Ismaila Sarr levelled in the 34th minute. Beto restored Everton’s lead with a brilliant solo effort, but Mateta struck in the 76th minute.
Everton are 10th on 49 points, six points back of a top-six finish and a place in Europe. Palace are 14th on 44 points.
At The City Ground, Anderson struck an 88th-minute equaliser against his former club as Forest earned a vital draw with Newcastle, a result that means they are safe.
Harvey Barnes had put Newcastle ahead.
-Reuters
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Manchester City kept the Premier League title race bubbling with a 3-0 win over Brentford on Saturday, thanks to second-half goals by Jeremy Doku, Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush as they cut the gap with leaders Arsenal to two points with three games left.
City have 74 points from 35 games, but their draw at Everton on Monday means they need Arsenal — who visit relegation-threatened West Ham United on Sunday — to squander points in one of their remaining games to have a chance at the title.
“If you play for Manchester City, you think of titles every single day,” Haaland said of his team’s title hopes.
City dominated much of the game at The Etihad, but Brentford held strong before Doku, City’s best player on the night, produced a moment of brilliance on the hour, cutting inside from the left and curling a right-foot shot into the top corner.
Haaland gave City a two-goal cushion when he bundled the ball into the net after 75 minutes.
In what was far from the prettiest of goals, Antoine Semenyo cut the ball back for Haaland, whose shot was blocked. The big Norwegian was, though, able to back-heel the ball into the net past Caoimhin Kelleher for his 26th league goal of the season.
Marmoush struck deep in injury time when he latched onto a pass from Haaland, took a touch and then struck the ball across the keeper and into the far corner to wrap up the win.
City remain unbeaten in the league since January in a relentless run that has turned the final weeks of the season into a breathless title chase.
“We’ll see. (The title race) is not in our hands,” Guardiola said. “We will do our job. We didn’t do perfectly at Everton. It was tough. On Wednesday, we host Crystal Palace, another team set to play a European final. We just do our job and wait.”
Palace face Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final later this month before City’s title rivals Arsenal take on Paris St Germain in the Champions League final.
BRENTFORD’S EUROPEAN HOPES DENTED
Brentford’s loss was a blow to their hopes of a place in Europe next term. They sit eighth, four points off the top six.
“We were playing against a team fighting for the title. You could see that from their urgency,” Brentford boss Keith Andrews said. “I liked a lot of what we did today. I liked the bravery and courage of our approach.”
City had 25 shots to Brentford’s four and 10 shots on target to the visitors’ two.
Phil Foden had a couple of City’s best chances, including one that forced a magnificent save from Kelleher, who managed to just flick his shot over the bar.
Brentford appealed twice for red cards to no avail.
Tempers flared in the first half when City captain Bernardo Silva and Nathan Collins battled for the ball, and Silva punched Collins in the back of the leg as he fell.
Then Kevin Schade went down in the box late on under pressure from Matheus Nunes, but after a VAR check, it was decided there was not enough contact for a penalty.
“I will be the first to tell what a difficult job they have to do on a day-to-day basis,” Andrews said.
“It’s difficult with all the contentious issues and at times the playacting. I thought the Kevin Schade incident was a penalty. So that was really disappointing.”
-Reuters
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