Football: Arsenal held by Liverpool in blow to Premier League title bid

LIVERPOOL --- Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta bemoaned the Gunners' lack of ruthlessness as they surrendered a two-goal lead in a pulsating 2-2 draw at Liverpool on Sunday to blow the Premier League title race wide open.

Arteta's men edge six points ahead of Manchester City at the top of the table, but the defending champions now have the destiny of the title in their own hands.

City have a game in hand and host the Gunners at the Etihad later this month.

Goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus appeared to have Arsenal cruising towards an eighth consecutive league win.

But Mohamed Salah pulled a goal back before half-time to spark a Liverpool fightback.

Salah missed a second-half penalty before Roberto Firmino headed in the equalizer three minutes from time.

Jurgen Klopp's men then missed a series of chances to complete the comeback as Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale salvaged a point for his side.

"We missed that ruthlessness to take the game," said Arteta. "The big lesson is we didn't play the way we did the first half.

"We didn't continue to play. We gave every ball away, allowed big spaces and big transition moments to the best team in the world in this."

The match will also live long in the memory for a remarkable incident just after the half-time whistle when assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis thrust an elbow into the face of Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson.

Arsenal remain without an away league win to Liverpool since 2012 as they stumbled over one of the major hurdles between them and the title despite a perfect start.

It took just eight minutes for the visitors to make the breakthrough as Bukayo Saka surged through the Liverpool defense and the ball broke kindly for Martinelli to prod past Alisson Becker.

Virgil van Dijk's slump in form has played a major role in Liverpool's collapse from the team that came close to an unprecedented quadruple last season to mid-table mediocrity.

The Dutch center-back was caught on his heels as Arsenal doubled their lead when Jesus was left unmarked to head in Martinelli's cross on 28 minutes.

- Ramsdale rescues a point -

But signs of a youthful side going for their first title finally showed once Salah halved the arrears three minutes before half-time.

That was just the start of the drama as Robertson was elbowed by assistant referee Hatzidakis as the players left the field for half-time.

Referees' governing body PGMOL have said they will review the incident.

It served to fire Liverpool up as they came flying out the blocks in the second half and had a golden opportunity to level when Rob Holding brought down Diogo Jota, but Salah slotted the penalty wide.

Salah nearly made amends moments later as Ramsdale produced a stunning save to keep his side in front and the England goalkeeper was needed again nine minutes from time to save a one-on-one with Darwin Nunez.

Firmino finally made Liverpool's pressure count when he headed home Trent Alexander-Arnold's cross to set up a grandstand finish.

Salah blazed over a glorious chance before Ramsdale made remarkable saves from the Egyptian and Ibrahima Konate to ensure Arsenal escaped just with a point.

"We reacted really well," said Klopp. "We didn't fall apart, which could have happened with everything that happened this year. We looked better, we looked more ready to fight back, which is what we did, and we should have turned the game around with the chances we had."

But Liverpool's rally may prove too little, too late both on the day and for their chances of Champions League football next season.

The Reds have failed to win any of their five games since a remarkable 7-0 win over Manchester United last month.

Liverpool remain down in eighth, 12 points adrift of the top four.

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Football: Chelsea back to winning ways against Bournemouth

LONDON -- Chelsea manager Graham Potter praised the Blues' reaction to a poor run prior to the World Cup as they eased past Bournemouth 2-0 on Tuesday to end a five-game winless streak in the Premier League.

Kai Havertz and Mason Mount struck inside the first 24 minutes to get Chelsea back in the hunt for a place in next season's Champions League.

Victory took Chelsea up to eighth and within six points of the top four.

"You have to use breaks as best you can," Potter told Amazon Prime. "Evaluate and reassess and get injured players back. We used it as best we could even with players coming back at different times."

However, victory came at a cost as defender Reece James limped off on his return from the knee injury which kept him out of England’s World Cup campaign.

James cruised through the first half but called for a substitution early in the second and looked disconsolate as he pointed to his knee before going to ground.

"You can see his quality. It's a blow for us," added Potter. "I'm not sure on the state of the injury. It's too early to say."

Potter, aiming to avoid overseeing a fourth consecutive Chelsea league defeat for the first time since 1998, handed Denis Zakaria his Premier League debut.

The Swiss midfielder broke forward well to drive Chelsea up the pitch in the first half, while the effervescent attacking duo of Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic led the Bournemouth defence on a merry dance.

Sterling provided the opener with an incisive low cross to the back post where Havertz slid in to convert in the 16th minute.

Mount doubled the lead with a well-taken drive from the edge of the box as Chelsea stepped up another gear before Pulisic had another goal disallowed for a foul by Havertz in the build-up.

After three games in all competitions without scoring a goal, the Blues were determined to end their disappointing streak and get their season back on track.

Bournemouth goalkeeper Mark Travers did well to deny James after a dynamic burst forward, then made an even better save to foil Sterling before the break to keep his team in the game.

Havertz fired wide and Mount forced Travers into a smart low stop as Chelsea tried to put the game out of sight.

In the end they didn't need to as Bournemouth failed to threaten other than Jaidon Anthony's late free-kick that was beaten away by Kepa Arrizabalaga.

"We won't be measured on games at Chelsea," said Bournemouth boss Gary O'Neil.

"You need everything to go for you. The response to being 2-0 down, they showed incredible belief we could get something from the game."

A fifth defeat in six league games leaves Bournemouth just three points above the relegation zone.

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Football: Arsenal extend lead, Newcastle up to second on Premier League's return

LONDON -- Arsenal opened up a seven-point lead with a 3-1 win over West Ham as the Premier League returned on Monday, while Newcastle climbed up to second thanks to an impressive 3-0 victory at Leicester.

Liverpool also made a winning return from the World Cup break by beating Aston Villa 3-1 and Harry Kane bounced back from his heartbreak in Qatar by scoring in Tottenham's 2-2 draw at Brentford.

Arsenal's momentum towards a first league title since 2004 could have been disturbed by the six-week mid-season break.

But Mikel Arteta's men passed another test of their resolve after going in 1-0 behind at half-time to Said Benrahma's penalty.

Two goals in five minutes from Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli turned the game on its head at a jubilant Emirates before Eddie Nketiah stepped up in the absence of the injured Gabriel Jesus to seal the points.

"I'm delighted with the result and performance," said Arteta.

"We scored at the perfect time and the crowd was incredible, also in the moment we conceded the goal. They kept on believing. When we scored it got loud and we generated the momentum we needed."

- No stopping Newcastle -

Newcastle's charge towards a return to the Champions League was also not halted by the break as the Magpies scored twice in the first seven minutes at Leicester.

Chris Wood opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Miguel Almiron played a one-two with Bruno Guimaraes and slotted past Danny Ward for his eighth goal in his last eight league games.

Joelinton headed home from a corner in the 32nd minute as Newcastle made it six successive league victories -- their best run in the competition since 2012.

"We can do anything," said Newcastle manager Eddie Howe on the possibility of a title challenge.

"The season is still young enough for all possibilities to exist for us. I want the fans to believe we can do anything."

In the first Premier League fixture since mid-November, Tottenham were in danger of a damaging defeat after Vitaly Janelt and Ivan Toney put Brentford in command.

But Kane netted with a 65th minute header to start the Tottenham recovery in his first game since missing a crucial penalty in England's World Cup quarter-final defeat against France.

Brentford have not beaten Tottenham since 1948 and their long wait for a victory over the north Londoners goes on after Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg curled home with 19 minutes left.

Tottenham boss Antonio Conte praised England captain Kane for his contribution following his World Cup disappointment.

"When he came back he was good. We know the importance of Harry for us, his personality, his character. He's the best player we have. I'm happy that he scored today," Conte said..

Tottenham stay fourth in the table, four points ahead of fifth-placed Manchester United in the race to qualify for the Champions League.

- Liverpool too good for Villa -

Liverpool closed to within five points of Spurs and with a game in hand to come by inflicting Unai Emery's first league defeat as Villa boss.

Mohamed Salah swept home his 15th goal of the season in a frantic opening with chances aplenty at both ends.

The Egyptian then teed up Virgil van Dijk to give Liverpool breathing space before half-time.

Ollie Watkins gave Villa hope with a towering header midway through the second half but Stefan Bajcetic's first senior goal secured a third consecutive league win for Jurgen Klopp's men.

At the other end of the table, Everton suffered a damaging 2-1 defeat against relegation rivals Wolves as Rayan Ait-Nouri struck in final seconds for the visitors at Goodison Park.

Everton are now just one point above Wolves in the final relegation place.

"We are in one (relegation battle)," admitted Everton boss Frank Lampard. "We've got to fight."

Fulham won 3-0 at nine-man Crystal Palace, who had Tyrick Mitchell and James Tomkins sent off.

Bobby De Cordova-Reid, Tim Ream and Aleksandar Mitrovic scored Fulham's goals.

Southampton slipped to the bottom of the table after a 3-1 home defeat against south-coast rivals Brighton.

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Football: Arsenal five points clear after Man City stunned by Brentford

MANCHESTER -- Arsenal head into the World Cup break five points clear at the top of the Premier League after they beat Wolves 2-0 on Saturday as Manchester City suffered a shock 2-1 home defeat to Brentford.

Newcastle remain in third after inflicting Chelsea's third consecutive league defeat 1-0 at St. James' Park, while Tottenham scored twice in the final 10 minutes to win a 4-3 thriller against Leeds.

City had not lost at the Etihad since February, but were stunned by Ivan Toney's response to being left out of England's World Cup squad.

The Brentford captain headed in his 10th goal of the season to give the Bees an early lead, but City responded before half-time thanks to Phil Foden's sumptuous strike.

Pep Guardiola warned ahead of the game that his side might have one eye on the World Cup with 10 of the City starting XI heading to Qatar.

A lackluster City performance was punished in the eighth minute of time added on when Brentford cut open Guardiola's men on the counter-attack and Toney tapped in Josh Dasilva's cross.

"The better team won," conceded Guardiola. "We had a lot of problems and we could not press as they didn't allow us."

Thomas Frank hailed the result as perhaps Brentford's best ever as they moved up to 10th in the Premier League.

"Speaking to some people from the club, this is probably the single biggest ever result," said Frank. "Against one of the richest clubs in the world and we have one of the lowest budgets in the division."

Arsenal took full advantage to set up an intriguing title battle when the Premier League returns from a six-week hiatus on Boxing Day.

Martin Odegaard led by example for the Gunners as the Norwegian fired home twice from close range in the second half.

New Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui was in the crowd before officially taking charge on Monday and has work to do in the second half of the season with Wanderers now bottom of the table.

- Bentancur saves Spurs -

Tottenham once again had to come from behind after goals from the in-form Crysencio Summerville and Rodrigo either side of Harry Kane's equaliser put Leeds in front at half time.

Jesse Marsch's men won 4-3 against Bournemouth last weekend, but were this time on the receiving end of a thrilling comeback.

"I feel like someone has ripped my heart out," said Marsch.

Ben Davies' powerful strike made it 2-2 before Rodrigo restored Leeds' lead.

Tottenham have made a habit of late fightbacks this season and rescued the three points as Rodrigo Bentancur scored twice in the final 10 minutes.

Newcastle bounced back above Spurs into third as Joe Willock's stunning strike extended Chelsea's winless league run to five games.

The Magpies are just two points adrift of City after a run of 22 points from a possible 24.

"I feel immense pride at how the players have performed consistently," said Newcastle boss Eddie Howe. "Now the challenge is to maintain and enhance that." 

- Nunez finds his feet -

Liverpool signed off until Boxing Day on a positive note as Darwin Nunez struck twice against Southampton.

Roberto Firmino's header opened the scoring inside six minutes at Anfield, but in Nathan Jones' first game in charge, the Saints responded immediately through Che Adams.

Nunez has been erratic since his 75 million euro ($77 million) signing from Benfica, but the Uruguayan is already up to eight goals in his debut season at Liverpool after two cool finishes before half-time.

Leicester's rise up the table continued but there were fears it could come at a cost for England.

James Maddison's stunning form forced his way into Gareth Southgate's World Cup squad and he opened the scoring with his seventh goal of he season.

The midfielder hobbled off shortly after, but played down the seriousness of the problem.

"Injury isn’t too bad!" Maddison tweeted. "A small problem that was causing a bit of soreness. Can't wait to meet up with the lads Monday."

Harvey Barnes added a second for the Foxes 12 minutes from time to leave West Ham one point above the relegation zone.

Everton are also only a point above the bottom three after a 3-0 thrashing at the hands of Bournemouth.

Marcus Tavernier, Kieffer Moore and Jaidon Anthony were on target for the Cherries and there were angry confrontations between the Everton players and travelling support at full-time.

Nottingham Forest moved off the bottom as Morgan Gibbs-White scored the only goal of a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace.

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Football: Havertz seals controversial Chelsea win, Man City held by Villa

LONDON -- Kai Havertz scored the late winner as big-spending Chelsea fought back for a controversial 2-1 win against West Ham, while Manchester City were held to a 1-1 draw after Leon Bailey snatched a late equalizer for struggling Aston Villa on Saturday.

Having embarked on a £250 million ($280 million) spending spree in the summer transfer window, Chelsea are expected to deliver on their new owners' eye-watering investment.

The early returns had been mixed as Chelsea crashed to defeats against Leeds and Southampton.

So when Michail Antonio gave West Ham a shock 62nd minute lead with a close-range finish, the critics were sharpening their knives at Stamford Bridge.

But Ben Chilwell equalized in the 76th minute, just three minutes after the England left-back replaced Marc Cucurella.

Chilwell headed Thiago Silva's lofted ball past his marker, spun around and poked his shot through Lukasz Fabianski's legs from a tight angle.

Havertz cleverly finished off Chilwell's cross to complete Chelsea's escape in the 88th minute of a thrilling finale.

There was still more drama as Maxwel Cornet appeared to equalize in stoppage time, only for the goal to be controversially disallowed by VAR for Jarrod Bowen's foul on Edouard Mendy.

Thomas Tuchel's side remain unconvincing but they are up to fifth place after their third win in six games, while West Ham boss David Moyes was livid with the officials for denying his team a point.

"The goalkeeper comes to take it, and actually fumbles it out of his hands five or six yards, so he could never recover it. Then he acted as if he had a shoulder injury. I'm amazed that VAR sent the referee for him to see it," Moyes said.

"But I thought even if he goes to the TV there's no way he's overturning this, because this is a goal. It was a ridiculously bad decision. The sad thing is this is the level of the weak refereeing at the moment."

Erling Haaland has been remarkably prolific since his £51 million move from Borussia Dortmund in the close season and he struck again in the second half at Villa Park.

The Norway striker's 10th goal in his first six Premier League games gave him a share of the record with Micky Quinn, who hit the same tally for Coventry in 1992.

But Pep Guardiola's side were punished for failing to build on their lead as Bailey's blistering finish left the champions frustrated.

- Spectacular Pickford -

In the goalless Merseyside derby at Goodison Park, there was more VAR intrigue as Conor Coady thought he had put Everton ahead against Liverpool with a close-range finish from Neal Maupay's shot in the second half.

But Coady's goal was correctly disallowed for offside after a VAR check.

There could easily have been goals aplenty but for a man of the match display from Everton keeper Jordan Pickford and some fine stops from his Liverpool counterpart Alisson Becker.

"Wow, what can you do? It was a great derby, super intense, with a lot of really spectacular saves," Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said.

"We hit the post three times and Pickford made so many saves."

Everton are now without a victory in their first six games this term, while Liverpool's momentum was checked after winning their previous two matches.

Unbeaten Tottenham made it four wins from six games with a 2-1 victory against Fulham in north London.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg broke the deadlock for Tottenham in the 40th minute, sweeping home from Richarlison's pass.

Harry Kane increased Tottenham's lead in the 74th minute from Ryan Sessegnon's cross to become the third highest goal-scorer in Premier League history, with 188 goals taking him past Andy Cole.

Only Alan Shearer (260) and Wayne Rooney (208) are now above Kane in the scoring chart.

Kane's goal also moved him level with Thierry Henry's tally of 43 in Premier League London derbies.

Fulham's Aleksandar Mitrovic curled home in the 82nd minute, but Tottenham held firm.

Managerless Bournemouth came back from two goals down to win 3-2 in a thriller at Nottingham Forest.

Ivan Toney scored a hat-trick as Brentford beat Leeds 5-2 at the Community Stadium.

Daniel Podence scored as Wolves beat Southampton 1-0 at Molineux for their first league victory this season.

Newcastle and Crystal Palace drew 0-0 at St James' Park.

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Football: Man City, Liverpool renew title fight as Premier League clubs flex financial muscle

MANCHESTER -- Premier League clubs have splashed an estimated £1 billion ($1.2 billion) in the arms race for new talent ahead of the start to the 2022/23 season on Friday, but champions Manchester City remain the side to beat.

After winning four league titles in five years, Pep Guardiola's squad has been bolstered by the biggest name arrival of the summer in Erling Haaland.

The Norwegian had his choice of Europe's top clubs after scoring 85 goals in 88 games for Borussia Dortmund and followed in the footsteps of his father Alf Inge -- a former City captain -- to the blue side of Manchester.

Haaland may have had a debut to forget as he missed a glaring opportunity towards the end of City's 3-1 Community Shield defeat to Liverpool on Saturday, but Guardiola warned the pretenders to his side's throne that "the goals will come".

"There is no reason not to be confident," added Guardiola. "What these guys have done, not just in the Premier League, but in the cups, the steps we have made in Europe and in many things."

In a window of significant change at the Etihad, Argentine forward Julian Alvarez and England international midfielder Kalvin Phillips have also arrived.

But Guardiola has let plenty of experience go to Premier League rivals with Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko heading to Arsenal and Raheem Sterling joining Chelsea.

Liverpool are best placed to pounce on any slipping of City's standards.

Jurgen Klopp's side were denied a historic quadruple by the finest of margins last season as they were pipped to the title by a point and lost the Champions League final 1-0 to Real Madrid after winning the League and FA Cup.

The Reds have also refreshed their front line with the imposing presence of Darwin Nunez coming in to compensate for the loss of Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich.

Nunez did make an immediate impact in the Community Shield, winning a penalty and scoring to turn the game in Liverpool's favour late in the game.

- Tottenham title challenge? -

City and Liverpool have dominated English football for the past five years, but if there is to be a challenge from the chasing pack, it could come from Tottenham.

Ahead of Antonio Conte's first full season in charge, the Italian has been heavily backed by the normally thrifty Spurs board with the signings of Richarlison, Yves Bissouma, Ivan Perisic, Djed Spence, Clement Lenglet and Fraser Forster.

Crucially, Tottenham have also retained the star duo of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min as they aim for a first league title in 62 years.

Arsenal have been in blistering pre-season form with Jesus on fire in thrashings of Chelsea and Sevilla.

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel blasted his side as "not competitive" after losing 4-0 to the Gunners in Orlando and the Blues are a team in transition following Todd Boehly's takeover.

There is also plenty of work ahead for new Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag with the uncertain future of Cristiano Ronaldo hanging over start of a new era for the Red Devils.

- New boys Forest outspend Newcastle -

Amid the scale of big spending from English clubs, Newcastle have been surprisingly quiet in their first summer window since a takeover from the Saudi sovereign wealth fund.

The Magpies have spent just short of £60 million on Dutch defender Sven Botman, England goalkeeper Nick Pope and a permanent deal for left-back Matt Targett.

New boys Nottingham Forest have splashed over £70 million on 12 new signings in the two-time European champions' first season back in the top flight for 23 years

That sum does not even include a one-year deal for Jesse Lingard worth a reported £200,000-a-week after he joined on a free transfer from Manchester United.

Aston Villa's transfer business is arguably the best example of the growing financial gulf between the Premier League and the rest of Europe.

French international midfielder Boubacar Kamara and Brazilian centre-back Diego Carlos have turned their backs on Champions League football with Marseille and Sevilla respectively to join Steven Gerrard's side, who finished 14th in the English top flight last season.

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Football: Liverpool hit Leeds for six, Conte hints at Spurs exit after defeat

LONDON -- Liverpool crushed Leeds 6-0 to close the gap on Premier League leaders Manchester City to three points, while Tottenham boss Antonio Conte demanded talks over his future after their top four bid was rocked by a 1-0 defeat at Burnley on Wednesday.

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp believes his side must win every game for the rest of the season to pip City to the title.

That ambitious goal can't be ruled out on Liverpool's current form and Leeds were no match for the title chasers at Anfield.

Mohamed Salah netted twice from the penalty spot either side of a Joel Matip goal.

Sadio Mane bagged a brace in the second half and Virgil Van Dijk completed the rout.

Liverpool have won their last nine games in all competitions, with none more important than this success in their game in hand on City.

City were 12 points ahead of Liverpool just a few weeks ago, but that lead has quickly been whittled away by a combination of the Reds' blistering streak and a couple of blips from the champions.

The stage is set for a titanic battle with 12 games left for both teams as City aim for their fourth English crown in five seasons and Liverpool look to win their second in the last three.

"It is three points until the weekend and then City will probably win and then it will be six points. If we win all our games pretty much there will be a chance for us," Klopp said.

Despite the League Cup final against Chelsea looming on Sunday, the title is Klopp's priority and he recalled Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson among five change from the win against Norwich.

Robertson was involved when Liverpool took the lead in the 15th minute.

Leeds defender Stuart Dallas was adjudged to have blocked the Scot's cross with his arm, conceding a penalty that Salah calmly converted for his 26th club goal this season.

In the 30th minute, Cameroon defender Matip advanced from the back and exchanged passes with Salah before dinking an expert finish past Illan Meslier for his first goal since December 2020.

Five minutes later, Luke Ayling conceded a penalty with a foul on Mane and Salah drilled high into the net for his second of the night.

Mane made no mistake from Jordan Henderson's pass in the 80th minute and the Senegal star scored again from close-range in stoppage-time.

Van Dijk's header capped Liverpool's biggest win this season.

Leeds have lost seven of their past 10 league games and are only three points above the relegation zone.

On a wet and windy night at Turf Moor, Tottenham reverted to the kind of erratic display that has frustrated their fans so often in recent seasons.

Just days after their epic 3-2 win at Manchester City, Conte's side were shattered in the 71st minute when Ben Mee met Josh Brownhill's free-kick with a far-post header past Hugo Lloris.

Tottenham remain in stuck in eighth place, seven points adrift of the top four as their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League begin to fade.

"I came here to try to improve the situation but maybe in this moment I'm not so good," Conte said.

"We will see how the situation is and make an assessment. I'm open to every decision because I want to help Tottenham.

"I'm too honest to close my eyes and continue in this way, and also take my salary, it's not right in this moment."

It was a second successive victory for third bottom Burnley, who are now just two points from safety with a game in hand.

Crystal Palace enjoyed a 4-1 win over Watford at the expense of their former boss Roy Hodgson.

Hodgson recently returned to management after leaving Palace at the end of last season and is aiming to save Watford from relegation.

But Palace's first victory in seven league games kept Watford marooned in the bottom three.

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Football: Man Utd lose at Leicester, five-goal Liverpool thrash Watford

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom -- Manchester United succumbed to a first away league defeat for 30 games by losing 4-2 at Leicester as Liverpool thrashed Watford 5-0 on Saturday.

Chelsea remain on top of the Premier League after a hard-fought 1-0 win at Brentford, while Manchester City eased to a 2-0 victory over Burnley.

The top three are separated by just two points, but the expected title challenge from United after a summer of heavy investment is not materialising to increase the pressure on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

United have taken just one point from a possible nine and face Liverpool, Tottenham and City in their next three league games.

Mason Greenwood's spectacular strike put the visitors in front against the run of play at the King Power, but were quickly pegged back by Youri Tielemans' dinked finish beyond David de Gea.

A flurry of four goals in the final 12 minutes then condemned Solskjaer's men to a first defeat on the road since January 2020.

Caglar Soyuncu put Leicester in front before Marcus Rashford equalised on his first appearance of the season after shoulder surgery.

Straight from kick-off, United's leaky defense was breached once more as Jamie Vardy smashed home and Patson Daka's first Leicester goal in stoppage time sealed a much-needed win for Brendan Rodgers' men.

"We need to look at the whole set-up and balance of the team and maybe something has to give," said Solskjaer. 

"Lately, we have not been in great form, we've lost too many points and that is something we have to look at."

- 'No one better' than Salah -

Roberto Firmino scored his first hat-trick since 2018 as Liverpool ran riot at Vicarage Road in Claudio Ranieri's first match as Watford boss.

But it was Mohamed Salah who again took most of the plaudits for another stunning solo goal to take his tally for the season to 10 in as many games.

"In this moment it is clear that there is no one better than him," said Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp of the Egyptian.

Salah helped open the floodgates with a defense-splitting pass that teed up Sadio Mane to score his 100th Premier League goal.

Firmino tapped home his first goal from James Milner's cross before half-time and took advantage of another open goal after Ben Foster parried Craig Cathcart's attempted clearance.

Salah left four Manchester City defenders trailing to score in a thrilling 2-2 draw before the international break and pulled off a similar feat before curling into the far corner.

Firmino then completed the rout in stoppage time.

City did not need to hit top gear to see off Burnley at the Etihad as Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne were on target either side of half-time for Pep Guardiola's men.

Chelsea needed a series of miraculous saves from Edouard Mendy to ensure they were not the latest giants to be stung by newly-promoted Brentford.

Ben Chilwell's goal in first-half stoppage time earned victory for the European champions as they withstood a late Brentford barrage thanks to their Senegalese stopper.

"We were very strong for 70 minutes and very lucky for 20 minutes, to sum it up," said Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel said.

"We escaped with the three points thanks to Edouard."

Wolves produced a miraculous comeback from 2-0 down with 10 minutes remaining to win 3-2 at Aston Villa.

Danny Ings and John McGinn had put the hosts in a commanding position at Villa Park.

But Romain Saiss, Conor Coady and Ruben Neves handed Bruno Lage's men a dramatic three points.

Southampton got their first league win of the season thanks to Armando Broja's goal to beat Leeds 1-0.

Norwich remain winless and bottom of the table after a 0-0 draw with Brighton.

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Football: Mane reaches century as Liverpool top Premier League, Arsenal ease Arteta pressure

LONDON -- Sadio Mane reached 100 career goals for Liverpool in a 3-0 win against Crystal Palace that sent the Reds top of the Premier League, while Arsenal eased the pressure on Mikel Arteta with a battling 1-0 victory at Burnley on Saturday.

Defending champions Manchester City dropped two points at home to Southampton after a 0-0 stalemate while struggling Wolves lost their fourth match in five against 10-man Brentford.

Mane continued his eye-catching mastery of Palace, netting in his ninth league match in a row against the Eagles.

Mohamed Salah's glancing header from Kostas Tsimikas' corner was kept out by goalkeeper Vicente Guaita but Mane pounced to lash home, giving him a century of goals for Liverpool in all competitions.

Salah doubled the Reds' lead in the 78th minute before Naby Keita sealed the win with a sweetly struck volley.

Liverpool have made an impressive start to the season, scoring 12 goals in their opening five games and conceding just once.

"I told the boys that is one of the most hard-fought 3-0 wins I ever saw. We gave everything," Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said.

"Sadio's 100th goal for Liverpool, a massive mark! It was a really good game for Sadio. He worked incredibly hard again."

Arsenal were rock bottom of the table before last week's fixtures but wins against Norwich and now Burnley lifted them to the relative comfort of 12th spot before the late kick-off between Aston Villa and Everton.

Odegaard, who signed from Real Madrid last month after spending part of last season at the Emirates on loan, broke the deadlock in the 30th minute, curling home a free-kick to give the visitors a 1-0 lead at Turf Moor.

Arsenal breathed a sigh of relief when VAR overturned a penalty awarded to Burnley in the second half after Matej Vydra tumbled to the turf following a challenge by goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.

"It was a hard-fought victory at a really tough place," Arteta said.

"We have players who are not at their strength playing in this type of game, but they did their best. I'm very proud of them defensively."

- City drop points -

Manchester City will rue their inability to beat Southampton at the Etihad after consecutive 5-0 home wins.

It could have been worse for them after referee Jon Moss pointed to the spot when Kyle Walker bundled into the back of Adam Armstrong in the area, showing the England international a red card.

But the incident was reviewed by VAR and Moss eventually decided to overturn both decisions.

The build-up to City's match was dominated by a row over attendance levels at the Etihad, with manager Pep Guardiola urging fans to fill empty seats in comments that irritated some supporters.

But fans were frustrated by battling Southampton, who kept City's attackers at bay despite relentless pressure.

The home side thought they had snatched victory in the dying minutes after goalkeeper Alex McCarthy saved a Phil Foden header and Raheem Sterling tucked in the rebound but the flag was raised.

"We were not good in our build-up and lost the ball because we were not clever today and a bit sloppy," Guardiola said.

"It is because we didn't do our process with the back four and Fernandinho. Those five players have to bring the ball forward for the others."

Aston Villas second half blitz ended Everton's four-game unbeaten run with a 3-0 home win.

Matty Cash put Villa ahead with 25 minutes left and Lucas Digne's own goal doubled their lead before Leon Bailey made it three goals in nine minutes.

Watford beat Norwich 3-1 to condemn the promoted Canaries to their fifth consecutive defeat.

Watford took the lead in the 17th minute through Emmanuel Dennis but Teemu Pukki equalised before half time.

Ismaila Sarr put the visitors back in front in the 63rd minute and scored again with 10 minutes to go.

Ivan Toney scored a goal and created another for Bryan Mbeumo as 10-man Brentford beat Wolves 2-0 to maintain their impressive start to their first Premier League campaign.

Tottenham host Chelsea on Sunday while Cristiano Ronaldo's Manchester United travel to West Ham.

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Football: Man Utd bounce back to beat Brighton, Spurs held by Newcastle

LONDON -- Manchester United came from behind to beat Brighton 2-1 on Sunday to cut Manchester City's lead at the top of the Premier League to 14 points, while Tottenham's top-four challenge suffered a setback as Joe Willock's late strike rescued a 2-2 draw for lowly Newcastle.

Not for the first time this season, United needed a second-half fightback after a dismal first 45 minutes to take all three points thanks to goals from Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood.

Danny Welbeck deservedly opened the scoring for the Seagulls against his old club before Lewis Dunk hit the crossbar for the visitors.

However, Brighton also repeated the story of their season as they failed to make the most of their dominance before the break.

Rashford slotted home an equaliser on 62 minutes from Bruno Fernandes's pass to reward United's marked improvement.

Fernandes was involved again for the winner as his cross was volleyed back across goal by Paul Pogba and into the path of Greenwood to head home just his second league goal of the season.

United's chances of chasing down City look forlorn with the runaway league leaders needing just 11 points from their remaining seven games to seal a third title in four years.

But victory opened up an 11-point cushion for the Red Devils over fifth-placed Tottenham and Liverpool in their quest to qualify for next season's Champions League.

"It's a long way up (to City), but we want to consolidate second place," said Solskjaer.

- 'Same coach, different players' -

Spurs were left to rue letting another lead slip away at St. James' Park.

Jose Mourinho's side were just five minutes away from moving into fourth place thanks to Harry Kane's first-half double.

Joelinton had put Newcastle ahead and Steve Bruce's men were rewarded for a much-improved performance when on-loan Arsenal midfielder Willock smashed in off the underside of the bar five minutes from time.

Tottenham edge ahead of Liverpool on goal difference but are still two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea with eight games left.

"I'm frustrated. We needed to win the match. We created some instability with so many individual defensive mistakes that we made," Mourinho said.

Asked why Tottenham have struggled to hold onto leads when his teams have been so solid defensively in the past, Mourinho replied: "Same coach, different players.

"The Premier League is hard and is high-level football, and when in some actions you don't show that you belong to that high level of football, it's difficult."

Willock's goal could prove invaluable for fourth-bottom Newcastle as they moved three points clear of Fulham, who were beaten 3-1 at Aston Villa.

Fulham looked set to move out of the drop zone when Aleksandar Mitrovic pounced on a loose pass by Tyrone Mings to score his first league goal since September.

Villa had looked devoid of ideas without talisman Jack Grealish due to injury.

But Dean Smith's men suddenly sparked into life to score three times in the final 12 minutes.

Egyptian winger Trezeguet came off the bench to score twice in three minutes to turn the game around.

Ollie Watkins then tapped home from Bertrand Traore's cross to round off the scoring.

- Saints alive -

Earlier on Sunday, Southampton took a huge step towards survival by coming from 2-0 down to beat Burnley 3-2.

Chris Wood's penalty and Matej Vydra's strike gave the visitors a dream start inside 28 minutes.

But Ralph Hasenhuttl's side hit back impressively as Stuart Armstrong and Danny Ings scored before half-time.

Nathan Redmond bagged the 66th-minute winner when he volleyed home from Theo Walcott's cross.

"These points were important," Hasenhuttl said. "When you see five goals it's always good for TV, but not so good for the hearts of the managers."

After only their second league win in 13 games, FA Cup semi-finalists Southampton are three points above Burnley, who sit seven points ahead of Fulham.

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Football: Man City go top, Arsenal gain revenge on Southampton

LONDON -- Manchester City thrashed West Brom 5-0 to move back top of the Premier League on Tuesday as Arsenal aided their push towards the European places with a 3-1 win at Southampton.

City have now won 11 consecutive games since West Brom earned a shock 1-1 draw at the Etihad last month.

Pep Guardiola's men have hit top form since and did not miss the presence of the injured Kevin De Bruyne in blowing away the Baggies by scoring four goals before half-time.

Ilkay Gundogan opened the floodgates by curling home from the edge of the box before Joao Cancelo's controversial strike doubled City's lead.

The West Brom defense was distracted by a wrongly raised offside flag before the Portuguese full-back found the net, but the goal stood after a VAR review.

Gundogan then took his tally to seven goals in his last eight league games before Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling rounded off the scoring.

"There's not really a secret," Gundogan said of his scoring streak. "I'm just in the right spaces at the right moment. I'm in a bit more of an offensive role, if I get the chance close to the box I try to make the right decisions."

West Brom have now conceded 17 goals in Sam Allardyce's four home games in charge as they remain second bottom of the table, six points off safety.

- Arsenal on the rise -

Guardiola's former assistant Mikel Arteta is also enjoying a fine run of form as Arsenal have taken 16 from the last possible 18 points.

The Gunners avenged their FA Cup to Southampton at the weekend despite falling behind after three minutes to Stuart Armstrong's sweet strike.

Nicolas Pepe quickly leveled before Bukayo Saka rounded Alex McCarthy and slotted home to give the visitors at half-time lead.

"I think we were good from the start. We conceded a goal from a corner but responded straight away," said Arteta.

"It showed a lot of intelligent and resilience from the team in the way they managed the game."

Alexandre Lacazette sealed a vital three points 18 minutes from time as Arsenal moved up to eighth and within five points of the top four.

- West Ham go fourth -

West Ham occupy the fourth Champions League place as Tomas Soucek scored twice in a 3-2 win at Crystal Palace.

The Hammers suffered an early setback when Wilfried Zaha put Palace in front after just three minutes.

But the stronger mentality that David Moyes has lauded in West Ham this season showed as Soucek struck twice in 16 minutes to turn the game around.

Only Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes has scored more Premier League goals from midfield than the Czech since he joined from Slavia Prague a year ago.

Craig Dawson headed in Jarrod Bowen's corner 25 minutes from time to make it 3-1 before Michy Batshuayi scored a late consolation for Palace.

A sixth consecutive win in all competitions takes Moyes's men above Liverpool in the table and Jurgen Klopp's struggling Reds will be wary of their trip to the London Stadium on Sunday.

At the other end of the table, Newcastle lost 2-1 at home to Leeds to stretch their winless run to 11 games

"This league is demanding and cruel at times," said beleaguered Magpies boss Steve Bruce.

Raphinha slotted home Rodrigo's cut-back to give Marcelo Bielsa's men a deserved half-time lead.

Miguel Almiron levelled with Newcastle's first goal for five games early in the second half, but parity lasted only four minutes before Jack Harrison's sensational finish with the outside of his left foot claimed all three points for the visitors.

Newcastle have a seven-point cushion over the bottom three, but have now played two games more than Fulham in 18th.

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Football: Man City held by Leeds, Chelsea click into gear

 

LONDON -- Manchester City were forced to settle for a pulsating 1-1 draw against Leeds as Rodrigo punished Ederson's mistake, while Chelsea's big spending began to bear fruit as they thrashed Crystal Palace 4-0 on Saturday.

While Chelsea clicked into gear and City struggled to find their rhythm, James Rodriguez guided Everton to the top of the Premier League by scoring twice in a 4-2 win over Brighton.

City were humiliated last weekend when Leicester won 5-2 at the Etihad and Pep Guardiola responded by splashing out on Benfica defender Ruben Dias.

Dias made his debut at Elland Road and the Portugal centre-back had his work cut out for him in an entertaining game packed with chances at both ends. 

Raheem Sterling fired City into a deserved 16th-minute lead, cutting inside on the left edge of the penalty area driving his low shot inside the far post.

But City's failure to turn their early dominance into more goals proved costly as Rodrigo pounced on a mistake by Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson to turn the ball home from close range in the 59th minute.

"That was good. When both teams want to attack, it's a good game. We made an incredible first 30 minutes," Guardiola said of the showdown with his managerial mentor Marcelo Bielsa.

"My team, for the position we're in, showed incredible behavior. It's not easy to play against Leeds. They've showed how good they are."

City have won just one of their first three league games and could fall eight points behind champions Liverpool should Jurgen Klopp's men win at Aston Villa on Sunday.

For promoted Leeds, this buccaneering performance was further proof that Bielsa's commitment to attacking play can flourish in the top-flight.

"Leeds have been waiting a long time to be in this league and I think we showed we are prepared for this," said Rodrigo.

Frank Lampard has asked for patience after Chelsea's £220 million splurge in the market ($285 million), but the pressure was on the Blues to respond after a disappointing 3-3 draw at newly-promoted West Brom and a League Cup exit to a much-changed Tottenham in the past week.

For the first time Lampard was able to field five of his new signings as Edouard Mendy and Ben Chilwell made their Premier League debuts with Thiago Silva, Kai Havertz and Timo Werner also starting.

Chilwell had the biggest impact as he opened the floodgates with a thunderous strike at the far post five minutes into the second-half before his cross teed up Kurt Zouma to double Chelsea's lead.

What should have been a routine win for the hosts did not go without controversy as Jorginho then slotted home two penalties after Tammy Abraham and Havertz had been felled inside the area.

However, for the second spot-kick, captain Cesar Azpilicueta had to intervene to take the ball off Abraham with the England striker desperate to get on the scoresheet.

"I appreciate his eagerness because his performance deserved a goal but the rules are you don't jump up ahead of the list at any moment," said Lampard.

- Maximum points on Merseyside -

Everton will head into the Merseyside derby against Liverpool after the international window with maximum points from their first four games as James again shone for Carlo Ancelotti's men.

The Toffees also have the Premier League's form striker in their armory as Dominic Calvert-Lewin opened the scoring by heading home his ninth goal of the season.

Jordan Pickford's howler let Brighton back into the game as the Everton keeper's fumble was converted by Neal Maupay.

Yerry Mina's restored Everton's lead and former Real Madrid midfielder James struck twice before Yves Bissouma pulled a late goal back.

"We are really pleased for the start, we did really well this period, winning games, showing good quality. The spirit is good, but it is only the start of the season," Ancelotti said.

Newcastle moved up to sixth as Callum Wilson's double saw off Burnley 3-1.

Allan Saint-Maximin's fine individual effort opened the scoring for the Magpies before Ashley Westwood deservedly levelled for Burnley early in the second-half.

But the Clarets remain without a point this season as they had no answer to the pace of Saint-Maximin as he set up Wilson to restore Newcastle's lead.

The England international then scored his fourth goal in as many Premier League games for Steve Bruce's men from the penalty spot after Ryan Fraser was fouled by Nick Pope.

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Football: Arsenal beat Liverpool to end record bid, Man City sink Bournemouth

LONDON -- Arsenal ended Liverpool's bid to set a new Premier League points record with a 2-1 win over the champions, while Manchester City pushed Bournemouth closer to relegation with a 2-1 victory on Wednesday.

Jurgen Klopp's side needed to win their final three games of the season to break Manchester City's record of 100 points set in 2018.

They were on course when Sadio Mane opened the scoring with a clinical finish from Andrew Robertson's cross at the Emirates Stadium.

But two careless mistakes condemned Liverpool to a third league defeat this season.

Virgil van Dijk's wayward backpass went straight to Alexandre Lacazette, who rounded Reds keeper Alisson Becker to slot home in the 32nd minute.

Alisson was guilty of an equally costly blunder when his pass out was intercepted by Lacazette and he picked out 20-year-old Reiss Nelson for a cool close-range finish.

Liverpool have failed to win three of their five matches since clinching the title.

They have 93 points and with just two games left and can only reach 99 at the end of their first title-winning campaign for 30 years.

"Twice there was a massive lack of concentration. We took a break after 1-0. Those two moments killed the game for us," Klopp said.

"You can't win games when you concede chances like that. We have to learn from it, 100 per cent."

Arsenal climb to ninth place as they chase qualification for the Europa League.

Mikel Arteta's side go into Saturday's FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City in good spirits after bouncing back from Sunday's defeat at north London rivals Tottenham.

"In terms of energy and happiness in the dressing room before the semi-final, it's a good medicine," Arteta said. 

"To beat this team you have to have moments in the game when you take your chances, defend and have a bit of luck."

Manchester City had enjoyed a big win off the field already this week with their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturning a two-season ban from playing in European competitions, freeing up Pep Guardiola's men to play in the Champions League next season.

Guardiola left Aymeric Laporte, Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez on the bench against Bournemouth to keep them fresh for Wembley, but City still had too much quality in the form of David Silva and Gabriel Jesus.

Silva showed why he will be so missed when he leaves at the end of the season, the midfielder curling a free-kick in off the underside of the crossbar after six minutes.

Jesus was ruthless in the 39th minute as he wriggled between two weak Bournemouth challenges before firing into the far corner to score for the third consecutive game.

- Stunning strike -

City finally conceded for the first time in five home games since the restart when David Brooks turned home Callum Wilson's cross two minutes from time.

"It was a really difficult game. We started well in the first 10 or 15 minutes of the second half but then we had a problem in our build-up," Guardiola said.

Defeat leaves Bournemouth still three points adrift of safety from Watford and West Ham, who face each other on Friday.

Wolves remain three points adrift of the Champions League places with just two games to play after Chris Wood's 96th-minute spot-kick gave Burnley a 1-1 draw at Turf Moor.

It was not until 14 minutes from time that the visitors broke the deadlock thanks to Raul Jimenez's stunning strike on the half-volley.

In stoppage-time, Mike Dean pointed to the spot for a handball by Matt Doherty despite the Irishman seemingly being impeded by Wood's attempt at an overhead kick.

Tottenham won 3-1 at Newcastle to keep their chances of European football next season on track by moving up to seventh.

Son Heung-min's shot crept in at Martin Dubravka's near post to open the scoring for Tottenham

Matt Ritchie got Newcastle's equaliser, but Harry Kane restored Tottenham's lead and the England captain added his second in the final minute.

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Football: Chelsea cling on to win 5-goal thriller, Leicester held at Arsenal

LONDON -- Chelsea moved up to third in the Premier League table after holding out to win a 3-2 thriller at Crystal Palace, while Leicester could only manage a draw at 10-man Arsenal on Tuesday.

Frank Lampard's men edged closer to sealing a place in next season's Champions League as a seventh win in eight games took them one point ahead of Leicester and opened up a five-point lead on fifth-placed Manchester United.

The Blues were fortunate when opening the scoring at Selhurst Park as former Chelsea captain Gary Cahill fell to the ground clutching his hamstring to allow Willian to tee up Olivier Giroud for his fourth goal in six games.

Christian Pulisic's form since the Premier League's restart has led to comparisons with Eden Hazard, the man he replaced at Stamford Bridge, and the Belgian would have been proud of Chelsea's second as the 21-year-old American skipped past Joel Ward and hammered in off the inside of the near post.

"Christian is hugely important," added Lampard. "You look at the top attacking players in the world and they score goals and make assists regularly that win games and at the moment he is doing that, so I am delighted with him."

As so often this season, Lampard's men failed to capitalise on their dominance and were suddenly on the back foot when Wilfried Zaha thundered a shot high past Kepa Arrizabalaga from long range for Palace's first goal in four games.

Chelsea looked to have sealed the three points again when substitutes Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tammy Abraham combined for the latter to restore a two-goal cushion 19 minutes from time.

Just over a minute later, though, Palace were back in the game when a brilliant move culminated in Patrick van Aanholt squaring for Christian Benteke to tap in just his second goal of the season.

Questions remain over whether the Chelsea defence will be strong enough to maintain a title challenge next season and they were left clinging on in stoppage time as Kepa turned Scott Dann's header off the inside of the post and only a last-ditch challenge from Kurt Zouma denied Benteke a second.

- Vardy matches Aubameyang -

Leicester have now won just one of their six games since the restart to see their lead over the chasing pack for a place in the top four whittled away, but were grateful for a 1-1 draw at the Emirates after a slow start against in-form Arsenal.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang swept home the opener for the Gunners as Kasper Schmeichel kept Leicester in the game with a stunning save to deny Alexandre Lacazette.

"In the first half we should have gone 3 or 4-0 up and kill the game against this type of opposition," said Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.

Lacazette also saw a goal disallowed for offside after the break before the game turned when Eddie Nketiah was shown a straight red card after a VAR review for a high challenge on James Justin.

Leicester made the man advantage count as Vardy pounced to slot home Demarai Gray's cross and regain his two-goal advantage over Aubameyang in the race for the Golden Boot.

"I was really pleased with how we managed the game 11 v 10. We got a deserved goal and if we had made the final pass we could have gone on and won the game," said Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers.

Arsenal's hopes of reaching the top four now appear over as they remain nine points behind with just four games to go.

- Welbeck makes Watford mark -

At the other end of the table, Danny Welbeck's first Premier League goal for Watford was as valuable as it was spectacular as the Hornets beat Norwich 2-1 to move four points clear of the relegation zone.

Defeat pushes Norwich ever closer to the drop and the Canaries could be relegated at the weekend if they fail to beat West Ham.

Like so much of his career, Welbeck's first season at Watford has been blighted by injury, but the former Manchester United and Arsenal forward showed his class by adjusting his body to hook home the winner after Craig Dawson cancelled out Emiliano Buendia's early opener for Norwich.

"I am speechless after the goal," said Welbeck. "It means a lot to me and means a lot to the whole team. It is one that puts us on our way now. We will give it our all from now."

Agence France-Presse

Football: Chelsea win holds off Man Utd in race for Premier League Top 4

LONDON -- Chelsea held on to their place in the Premier League's top four by bouncing back to beat Watford 3-0 on Saturday after Manchester United briefly powered past with a 5-2 rout of struggling Bournemouth.

Third-placed Leicester also got back on track with Jamie Vardy reaching 100 top-flight goals in a comfortable 3-0 win against Crystal Palace, while Arsenal dealt a blow to Wolves' Champions League chase by winning 2-0 at Molineux on Saturday.

United's fearsome front four of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Bruno Fernandes and Mason Greenwood, who netted twice, were all on the scoresheet as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men hit five goals in a home Premier League game for the first time since 2011.

"Confidence is sky high. You get energy and confidence by performances and results and we are getting that at the minute," said Solskjaer, who is feeling the benefits of a 16-match unbeaten run.

"I have enjoyed the last few games to be honest and it is healthy. You don't age as quickly!"

Bournemouth are moving fast in the other direction as they remain second bottom and the Cherries' defensive problems were quickly exposed after they took a shock 16th-minute lead through Junior Stanislas.

Greenwood got the comeback started as he smashed home from Fernandes's pass before Rashford, from the penalty spot and Martial, with a stunning shot into the top corner, scored their 20th goals of the season,

"Mason is one of the best if not the best finisher I have worked with and seen," added Solskjaer. "He is so calm. He knows where to finish if it is on the training ground, here or in his garden at home."

Bournemouth were given hope when Josh King scored from the spot after Eric Bailly handled inside his own box just four minutes after coming on as a half-time substitute.

But there was no stopping Solskjaer's men going forward and Greenwood restored their two-goal cushion with another powerful drive, this time on his weaker right foot, before Fernandes then capped another influential display with a fine free-kick.

- Chelsea bounce back -

Chelsea shrugged off a shock 3-2 defeat at West Ham in midweek with a routine win at Stamford Bridge.

Olivier Giroud was recalled up front and repaid Frank Lampard with a smart finish to break the deadlock before Willian's penalty made it 2-0 before half-time.

Ross Barkley added the third in stoppage time to move Chelsea back two points ahead of fifth-placed United.

"We needed a result after the last game," said Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic. "I think there was an extra bit of energy because of that loss, we wanted to prove a point."

A third defeat in four games since the restart leaves Watford still just one point above Bournemouth and Aston Villa in the battle to beat the drop.

Arsenal kept their hopes of European football next season alive moved by ending Wolves' eight-game unbeaten run in impressive fashion to move up to seventh.

Bukayo Saka celebrated signing a new long-term deal this week by hooking in the opener just before half-time and Alexandre Lacazette came off the bench to seal all three points for Mikel Arteta's men four minutes from time.

"Every game you have no margin for error, we know that we try to win every game," said Arteta of Arsenal's top-four chances.

Defeat leaves Wolves five points behind Chelsea.

- 100 up for Vardy -

Arsenal face Leicester next on Tuesday, but the Foxes go into that game with a much-needed confidence boost after a first win in five games.

Leicester have struggled to score goals of late, but were helped back to winning ways by some calamitous Palace defending for Kelechi Iheanacho to open the scoring and Vardy to tap into an empty net for his Premier League century.

Vardy struck again in characteristic fashion in stoppage time, sprinting in behind before dinking the ball over the advancing Vicente Guaita.

"To get the two goals and the three points is all you can ask for," said Vardy. "We know it's down to us. We are in this position on merit and we have to keep going. If we play like that between now and the end of the season, we will pick up a quite a few points."

Norwich manager Daniel Farke conceded his side are heading for relegation after a 1-0 home defeat to Brighton left the Canaries still seven points.

"It was more or less our last chance to get back in the mix," said Farke.

"After a few losses, we don't have the right to make any fighting messages or to make any unrealistic claims."

Agence France-Presse

Football: Man City stumble again at Chelsea to crown Liverpool champions

LONDON -- Manchester City's Premier League title defence came to an end on Thursday as Liverpool were crowned champions after Chelsea boosted their chances of a top-four finish with a 2-1 win over Pep Guardiola's men.

The defensive mistakes that have undone City's title challenge were in evidence as Christian Pulisic punished two errors by Benjamin Mendy to open the scoring.

Kevin De Bruyne's brilliant free-kick brought the visitors level, but Liverpool's 30-year wait to win a league title was ended when Fernandinho was sent-off for palming the ball clear off his own goal line and Willian converted the resulting penalty 12 minutes from time.

A huge three points for Frank Lampard's men moves them within a point of third-placed Leicester and opens a five-point advantage over Manchester United and Wolves in the race to qualify for next season's Champions League.

As it stands, City are banned from European competition for the next two seasons, but still have aspirations to win the Champions League for the first time when the competition resumes in August.

However, Guardiola was given another reminder that his side's defending must improve to compete with Europe's best.

After a slow start, Chelsea began to enjoy the better of the chances as Olivier Giroud failed to connect with a dangerous Ross Barkley cross before Andreas Christensen's header was well saved by Ederson.

Two calamitous pieces of defending from Mendy then presented Pulisic with the opener as the Frenchman overhit a pass into Ilkay Gundogan and then dived in to allow the American a clear run on goal.

Pulisic kept his head to slot into the far corner and score his second goal of the restart after a long injury layoff before the coronavirus shutdown.

City responded strongly after a talking to by Guardiola at half-time as they tried to keep Liverpool waiting for at least another week when they face the Reds at the Etihad.

Chelsea have long since regretted letting De Bruyne go and the Belgian midfielder gave another reminder to the Blues what they are missing by sending a dipping free-kick into the top corner.

City's strength in depth has been emphasised by the temporary change in rules to allow five substitutions and nine replacements on the bench.

Guardiola introduced Gabriel Jesus and David Silva straight after the equaliser and Chelsea were left clinging on for a spell.

Raheem Sterling nearly capped a brilliant counter-attack from Ederson's throw out to first time passes from De Bruyne and Jesus only to see his chip over Kepa Arrizabalaga come back off the post.

An uncharacteristic error from Ederson then nearly threw City's good work away as the Brazilian passed the ball into the path of Mason Mount, who wastefully fired wide.

Only a stunning goal line clearance from Kyle Walker then denied Pulisic a second after rounding Ederson as City's defence was again caught flat-footed.

However, City were punished at the third time of asking as after seemingly escaping a goal mouth scramble, VAR was required to see Fernandinho had used a hand to clear.

The Brazilian was given his marching orders and then saw his former international teammate Willian dispatch the penalty confidently into the top corner.

That was the cue for Liverpool fans around the world the celebrate the end of a three-decade wait as they were finally crowned champions of England.

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