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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China clinch men's team gold at World Gymnastics Championships

China bounced back from a disappointing qualification campaign to claim gold in the men's team final at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool on Wednesday.

Japan had qualified in first place but were forced to settle for silver, with a Joe Fraser-inspired Britain surging from the foot of the standings at the halfway stage to earn a remarkable bronze at Italy's expense.

All three medalling nations have secured a place at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

China's winning team boasts 2021 world all-around champion Zhang Boheng, Tokyo 2020 Olympic parallel bars gold medallist Zou Jingyuan, Sun Wei, You Hao and Yang Jiaxing.

"We did so much better compared to the qualification," said Zhang. "After one day of refreshing our minds and reflecting after the qualifiers, we got great momentum and rhythm today.

"On the first rotation we kind of struggled a little bit with nerves, especially on pommel horse, which is difficult to control somehow."

China, who were fourth in Monday's qualifying competition, won gold with a total of 257.858 to take home a record-extending 13th gold in the event.

Japan held on to take silver on 253.395 while host nation Britain finished on 247.229, ahead of the Italians on 245.995.

On Tuesday the United States won the women's team competition for an unprecedented sixth time in a row.

They were pushed all the way by Britain, roared on by a vociferous home crowd, but eventually clinched gold by more than three marks.

The absence of Simone Biles and Olympic all-around champion Sunisa Lee raised doubts about whether the US could cling on to their crown but Jordan Chiles, Leanne Wong, Jade Carey, Shilese Jones and Skye Blakely produced an emphatic response.

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Football: Bayern beat Barcelona on Lewandowski return, Liverpool grab late winner

PARIS, France -- Bayern Munich got the better of Barcelona as Robert Lewandowski returned to face his former club on Tuesday, while a late Joel Matip goal allowed Liverpool to beat Ajax and get their Champions League campaign up and running.

There was also a surprise defeat for Tottenham Hotspur at Sporting Lisbon, and Atletico Madrid were beaten on their trip to play Bayer Leverkusen.

Both Spanish visitors to Germany came away on the losing side, with Barcelona going down 2-0 at the Allianz Arena in Group C as Lewandowski came back to the club he left in the summer after eight prolific seasons in Bavaria.

The Pole scored a hat-trick on his Champions League debut for Barca as the Catalans beat Viktoria Plzen 5-1 last week.

He was desperately close to opening the scoring in the first half in Munich, but it was Bayern who went in front five minutes into the second half when Lucas Hernandez headed in from a corner.

Leroy Sane burst through four minutes later to make it 2-0 as Julian Nagelsmann's Bayern made it two wins out of two in the group.

They have now won their last five meetings with Barcelona, including two in last season's group stage and their 8-2 victory in the 2020 quarter-finals.

"I think for 'Lewy' it was really an emotional game to come back -- a little bit like coming home, because he was so successful here," Bayern captain Manuel Neuer told Amazon Prime of his old teammate. 

"The luck in the decisive moments wasn't on his side -- and that became our luck."

Barcelona next face Inter Milan, who got their first points with a 2-0 win away to Plzen in the Czech Republic.

Edin Dzeko and Denzel Dumfries got the goals for Inter while the home side had Pavel Bucha sent off in the second half.

- Matip the hero -

Liverpool got off to a disastrous start in Group A when they lost 4-1 to Napoli in Italy, but they bounced back from that to beat Ajax 2-1 at Anfield.

Mohamed Salah shook off a poor run of form to put Jurgen Klopp's side ahead in the 17th minute, only for the Dutch champions to equalize before the half-hour courtesy of an emphatic finish from their thrilling Ghanaian talent Mohammed Kudus.

Liverpool were heading for a third game without a win in all competitions until Matip rose in front of the Kop to head in from a corner in the 89th minute, the ball crossing the line before it could be cleared out.

"I think everybody could see that we understood and that we had to put a completely different shift into the game. The boys did that," Klopp told BT Sport.

"We played a lot of good stuff against a hard fighting opposition."

That match was preceded by a minute's silence to mark the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

The other game in Group A, between Rangers and Napoli, was postponed until Wednesday due to severe limitations on police resources in Scotland as a result of the Queen's death.

- Spurs shocked -

Meanwhile Antonio Conte's Spurs slumped to a 2-0 defeat against Sporting in Portugal in Group D, with the home side scoring both goals late on at the Jose Alvalade stadium.

It looked like the English side would escape with a point after Hugo Lloris produced a stunning late save to deny Pedro Porro.

But Paulinho headed in from the resulting 90th-minute corner, and Brazilian Arthur Gomes came off the bench to make it 2-0 with a superb solo strike in injury time.

"It was a difficult result. When you lose the game you are not happy," admitted Conte.

Sporting top the group with six points, while Eintracht Frankfurt joined Spurs on three points thanks to a 1-0 win in Marseille, with Jesper Lindstrom scoring in the first half.

Leverkusen claimed their first points in Group B as they beat Atletico 2-0 with two late goals, Robert Andrich and Moussa Diaby both finding the net.

Belgian champions Club Brugge top the section with six points after a stunning 4-0 win at FC Porto.

Former Barcelona striker Ferran Jutgla opened the scoring with a penalty before Kamal Sowah, Andreas Skov Olsen and Norwegian teenager Antonio Nusa all netted in the second half.

Agence France-Presse

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.

Agence France-Presse

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.

Agence France-Presse

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.

Agence France-Presse

Football: Real Madrid's Vinicius at the double to rattle Liverpool

MADRID - Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. came of age to score twice as his side punished a sloppy Liverpool to win 3-1 at home in Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final first leg.

The 20-year-old Brazilian fired the 13-times European champions into the lead in the 27th minute at the Alfredo di Stefano stadium after controlling a long diagonal pass from Toni Kroos from his own half which flummoxed the Liverpool defense.

Marco Asensio put the hosts further at ease by scoring in the 35th after a Kroos pass again caused havoc among the visiting backline but Liverpool looked more settled after the interval and a scrappy Mohamed Salah strike pulled them back into contention early in the second half.

But they failed to build on their momentum and Vinicius, who has a reputation for thrilling play but a lack of composure in front of goal, struck again in the 63rd minute, blasting past Liverpool keeper Alisson after clever combination play between Karim Benzema and Luka Modric.

Asensio missed a clear chance to grab Madrid's fourth goal, while Liverpool threatened late on.

Yet the visitors were unable to find a second away goal to take back with them to Anfield next Wednesday and the game ended with the same scoreline as in the 2018 Champions League final.

Vinicius, who kissed the Real badge after scoring his first goal was pleased to finally deliver on the biggest stage of all and silence the doubters who claimed he lacked the bottle to succeed at Real.

"The people on the outside can keep talking but I kept on working, that gave me the strength to rise to an important occasion and get the goals we needed," he told reporters.

Real coach Zinedine Zidane added: "That felt great, we played superbly but then had problems in the second half but recovered and produced a great performance, I'm so proud of the players. But there's still the second leg to come."

Real were dealt a huge setback on the morning of the game with news that Raphael Varane had tested positive for COVID-19, leaving Zidane's side without their two top centre backs as captain Sergio Ramos watched on injured.

But it was the heart of Liverpool's defence, depleted for the majority of the season and composed in Madrid of the inexperienced Nathaniel Phillips and Ozan Kabak, that suffered the most pain.

Kroos's incisive ball from deep caught out Phillips as Vinicius controlled it with his shoulder before confidently slotting past Alisson.

Liverpool were soon caught out again by a Kroos pass, a panicked Trent Alexander-Arnold heading the ball to the feet of Asensio, who chipped Alisson then followed his shot into the net.

'NOT SHARP ENOUGH'

"Two moments of not concentrating enough and they scored. We weren't sharp enough," said midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum.

"We hoped for a better result."

Visiting coach Juergen Klopp brought on Spain midfielder Thiago Alcantara for Naby Keita before halftime and his side looked more settled after the interval, with Salah deservedly pulling them back into contention.

But they again made things too easy for Madrid, who live for Champions League knockout matches and looked as at ease here at their tiny empty training ground as they do on these occasions at a bursting Santiago Bernabeu, currently under reconstruction.

"If you want to go to the semi-final, you have to earn the right to do so. We didn't do that tonight, especially in the first half," said Klopp.

"The only good thing I can say, apart from the goal, is it's only the first half of the tie."

Liverpool will take solace from the fact they managed to overturn a 3-0 deficit against Barcelona in the semi-finals in 2019 but in the second leg they will be unable to count on the scorching atmosphere at Anfield, where they have lost their last six league games. 

(Reporting by Richard Martin Editing by Toby Davis)

-reuters-

PARIS, France -- Curtis Jones sent a depleted Liverpool through to the Champions League last 16 on Tuesday, while Zinedine Zidane dismissed suggestions he might walk away from Real Madrid after another defeat by Shakhtar Donetsk left their European hopes in the balance.

Liverpool were without a host of key players for the visit of Ajax to Anfield in Group D, with 22-year-old Irishman Caoimhin Kelleher starting in goal in the absence of Alisson.

Teenager Jones scored the only goal just before the hour, tucking the ball in after Ajax 'keeper Andre Onana thought he could afford to let a Neco Williams cross sail over his head.

The result was vital for the Premier League champions after their home loss to Atalanta a week ago, and it allowed them to secure a spot in the knockout phase.

"Honestly since I was at Liverpool that feels like one of the biggest Champions League nights. Without supporters in, it was the most important, most difficult, most exceptional," Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp told BT Sport.

They will go through as group winners after Atalanta had to come from behind to draw 1-1 at home to Midtjylland, Cristian Romero heading in a late equaliser in response to Alexander Scholz's thumping opener for the Danes.

Atalanta are a point clear in second from Ajax, with the sides meeting in Amsterdam in their last game next week.

Two-time former European champions Porto also sealed a last-16 spot after drawing 0-0 at home to Manchester City, who were already through and are now guaranteed to top Group C.

Porto would have qualified regardless, because Olympiakos lost 2-1 to Marseille in France, with Dimitri Payet scoring two penalties in the second half to turn the game around after Mohamed Mady Camara fired the Greeks in front.

The result ends Marseille's Champions League record run of 13 straight defeats and means they could yet pip Olympiakos to third place and the consolation of a Europa League berth.

- Lukaku double, Atletico held -

Real Madrid could yet be consigned to a similar fate after they went down 2-0 to Shakhtar in Kiev, their second defeat this season by the Ukrainians.

Substitutes Dentinho and Manor Solomon scored second-half goals in Kiev as Shakhtar stunned the 13-time European champions again, having won 3-2 in Madrid in October.

Shakhtar had lost their last two Group B matches against Borussia Moenchengladbach by an aggregate score of 10-0, but now move above Real into second place with one game remaining.

Gladbach are top by a point, while Shakhtar have the upper hand on Real thanks to their superior head-to-head record.

However, the damage was limited for Real after Inter Milan won 3-2 away to Gladbach to keep their own hopes alive.

Matteo Darmian put Inter ahead and Romelu Lukaku scored twice for Antonio Conte's side. Alassane Plea netted a brace for Gladbach but was denied a hat-trick, and a late equaliser, because of an offside call.

It means Inter are bottom of the group but could still qualify, while Real will definitely qualify as long as they win at home to Gladbach.

Madrid have made it out of their group in every year since 1997 and so failure to qualify would be seen as a disaster, but Zidane is not considering stepping down.

"I am not going to resign, not at all. We are always going to have difficult moments, and we are on a bad run, but we need to keep going," said the Frenchman.

Real's city rivals Atletico Madrid will also still have it all to do in their final group game after being held to a 1-1 draw at home by a weakened Bayern Munich.

Joao Felix gave Atletico the lead against a Bayern side who had already won Group A. Thomas Mueller won and then converted a late penalty to earn the defending champions a draw.

Salzburg can snatch a last-16 place if they beat Atletico at home next week, after the Austrians won 3-1 away to Lokomotiv Moscow.

Mergim Berisha scored twice in the first half for Salzburg, and Karim Adeyemi got their third goal after Anton Miranchuk converted a penalty for the railway-backed side.

Agence France-Presse

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.

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.

Agence France-Presse

Football: Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish tests positive for coronavirus

Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish has tested positive for coronavirus but is not showing symptoms of the disease, his family said Friday.

The 69-year-old former Scottish international striker, who started his career at Celtic, was admitted to hospital on Wednesday for treatment for an infection which required intravenous antibiotics.

"He was subsequently tested for COVID-19 despite having previously displayed no symptoms of the illness," said a family statement.

"Unexpectedly, the test result was positive but he remains asymptomatic.

"Prior to his admission to hospital, he had chosen to voluntarily self isolate for longer than the advised period together with his family.

"He would urge everyone to follow the relevant government and expert guidance in the days and weeks ahead."

Dalglish won the Scottish league title with Celtic as a player on four occasions before signing for Liverpool in 1977.

At Anfield, he captured eight English league titles, three FA Cups and three European Cups during a glittering 13-year stint as a player and in two managerial spells.

In his Liverpool playing career, he scored 172 goals in 515 games.

As well as his role in Liverpool's golden era in the 1970s and 1980s, Dalglish received plaudits for supporting victims' families after 96 fans died in the 1989 Hillsborough stadium disaster.

He also went on to coach Blackburn Rovers to the Premier League title in 1995.

Dalglish, who also made more than 100 international appearances for Scotland, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2018.

"Kenny would like to take this opportunity to thank the brilliant NHS staff, whose dedication, bravery and sacrifice should be the focus of the nation's attention at this extraordinary time," added the family statement on Friday.

"He would also ask that they are given the space to do their jobs during what is an extremely challenging time for them and that his own family's privacy is respected.

"He looks forward to being home soon. We will provide further updates as and when it is appropriate."

The coronavirus has claimed the lives of nearly 9,000 people in Britain, while the number of confirmed cases in the country climbed Friday close to 74,000.

Agence France-Presse

Football: Atletico edge Liverpool with vintage defensive display

MADRID - Champions League holders Liverpool will need to summon another famous European comeback at Anfield next month after they were beaten 1-0 away to Atletico Madrid in their last-16 first leg on Tuesday.

Spain midfielder Saul Niguez struck the only goal of the game in the fourth minute by bundling into the net from close range following a corner, their traditional weapon of choice in recent years.

Liverpool, who have won 25 of 26 Premier League games this season and are on course for a record-smashing title win, missed a series of chances to equalise in the second half, with Mohamed Salah and captain Jordan Henderson coming closest to scoring.

Juergen Klopp's side play at home to Atletico on March 11 in the return leg at Anfield, where they produced an incredible 4-0 win over Barcelona in last year's semi-final second leg after losing the first match 3-0.

"We gave them the best possible start and that gets the fans behind them and then they start falling over and getting under the skin a bit," Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson told reporters.

"We put in a decent performance and we know we can be better. We've got a second leg to put it right. They celebrated as if they won the tie after the game. They are coming to Anfield and we know our fans will be there."

Diego Simeone's men have looked nothing like the sides that reached the 2014 and 2016 Champions League finals and challenged Real Madrid and Barcelona's duopoly of La Liga for most of this campaign. They trail league leaders Real by 13 points.

But on Tuesday they produced a vintage defensive display, sitting deep and barely giving Liverpool any space for their attacking trident of Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane to work their usual magic.

"This is the result of hard work and what happens when you never stop believing but keep on going," match-winner Saul told reporters.

"We have kept on working even though no-one believes in us and wants to bring us down. I celebrated the goal with so much passion because I was so up for the game, we have been criticised a lot but luckily I was able to help us out."

Atletico's Wanda Metropolitano stadium was the scene of Liverpool's 2-0 triumph over Tottenham Hotspur in last year's final but they faced a very different type of atmosphere this time around.


SCORCHING ATMOSPHERE

Clouds of billowing red smoke greeted the Atletico bus when it arrived at the ground as the home supporters stoked up a scorching atmosphere throughout the game to give their side a lift in the middle of their worst season in recent memory.

The home side were happy to let Liverpool dominate possession but despite having 73% of the ball, Klopp's side did not manage a single shot on target, although Atletico defender Felipe did block a goalbound shot from Salah in the first half.

Atletico only had one other attempt aside from their goal, when Alvaro Morata fired straight at the legs of Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson.

Liverpool forward Mane was fortunate not to be sent off late in the first half after clashing with Sime Vrsaljko while on a yellow card and he was swiftly substituted by Klopp for Divock Origi, who scored the second goal in last year's final.

He caused little disquiet to Atletico's towering defenders, yet Salah should have leveled with a header which went wide of the near post, while Henderson also narrowly missed the target from inside the area later on. 

(Reporting by Richard Martin Editing by Christian Radnedge)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Football: Liverpool move 22 points clear, Man Utd held on Fernandes debut

LONDON -- Liverpool surged 22 points clear at the top of the Premier League with a 4-0 win over Southampton, while Bruno Fernandes made his Manchester United debut in a goalless draw against Wolves on Saturday.

Mohamed Salah scored twice as the champions-elect equalled a Premier League record with a 20th straight home win at Anfield.

Southampton believed they should have had a penalty early in the second half when Danny Ings went down in the box against his old club, but no spot-kick was given. Liverpool went straight up the other end to take the lead through Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

"The game would have been going in a different direction," admitted Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.

"We had to change in the second half. That helped massively and when we are rolling it's difficult to stop."

Jordan Henderson doubled the European champions' lead with a smart finish on the hour mark.

Salah then produced two cool finishes in the final 20 minutes as Klopp's men took their tally of points to a remarkable 100 from the last possible 102.

Having completed his move from Sporting Lisbon on Thursday, in a deal worth an initial £47 million ($61.2 million), Fernandes went straight into the starting line-up at Old Trafford.

The 25-year-old midfielder delivered a composed display full of neat passing as he lined up behind United striker Anthony Martial and took the role of chief creator.

He kept Rui Patricio on his toes with a series of long-range drives, one of which the Wolves goalkeeper nearly spilled into his own net.

There was also a booking for Fernandes for pulling back Raul Jimenez in the second half of a tame clash that left sixth-placed United without a win in their last three league games.

"Bruno is a top player. It's the first game. Bruno is one of those who, when he gets it into feet, he wants players moving in front of him and we didn't," United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said.

"We've played so many games in the past few months the players are down to the bare bones. Energy levels are down and we need a break."

Leicester and Chelsea consolidated their places in the top four in a 2-2 draw at the King Power Stadium.

Fourth-placed Chelsea sit five points clear of fifth-placed Sheffield United and six ahead of United and Wolves.

Frank Lampard's men have won just four of their last 13 league games and needed two goals from centre-back Antonio Rudiger just to claim a point.

"Not many people gave us the top-four slot and I understand why, and it's probably the same now," Lampard said.   


- Blades on the rise -

All the goals came in the second half as Rudiger nodded Chelsea in front before two goals in 10 minutes from Harvey Barnes and Ben Chilwell turned the game around for Leicester.

A brilliant leap from Rudiger 19 minutes from time denied the Foxes all three points, but Brendan Rodgers' men maintain an eight-point lead over Chelsea in third.

Sheffield United are Chelsea's closest challengers as Chris Wilder's men earned a 1-0 win at Crystal Palace thanks to a calamitous own goal from Eagles goalkeeper Vicente Guaita.

A double for Robert Snodgrass after Issa Diop's opener put West Ham 3-1 up against Brighton at the London Stadium, but the Seagulls fought back through Pascal Gross and Glenn Murray for a point that keeps them two points above the drop zone.

Watford failed to even collect a point after going 2-0 up on Everton through Adam Masina and Roberto Pereyra.

The Hornets switched off from two set-pieces in first half stoppage time to allow Yerry Mina's double to bring Carlo Ancelotti's men level.

Everton then went down to 10 men when Fabian Delph was sent off but snatched all three points through Theo Walcott.

Aston Villa's celebrations at reaching the League Cup final in midweek were short-lived as 10-man Bournemouth held on for a 2-1 win that lifted them up to 16th. 

Norwich are seven points adrift of safety at the bottom of the table after a 0-0 draw at Newcastle.

Agence France-Presse

Football: Liverpool go eight points clear with 3-1 victory over Man City

LIVERPOOL, England - Liverpool opened up an eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League with an emphatic and hugely impressive 3-1 win over defending champions Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday.

The victory, sealed with goals from Fabinho, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, leaves unbeaten Liverpool on 34 points from 12 games, eight ahead of Leicester City and Chelsea, and nine in front of Pep Guardiola's fourth-placed City.

While talk of decisive results in November, with 26 games of the campaign remaining, is premature, the manner of Liverpool's win over a team which has dominated the league for the past two seasons was certainly a declaration of intent.

"The boys were completely focused and concentrated. It was so good," Liverpool boss Juergen Klopp said.

Anfield exploded when Liverpool grabbed a sixth-minute lead with a thundering drive from Brazilian Fabinho, who pounced on a poor clearance from Ilkay Gundogan and blasted past Claudio Bravo from over 20 metres out.

Yet City felt the stunning effort should have been ruled out -- and a penalty awarded to them -- as prior to the break that led to the goal Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold appeared to handle the ball inside the box but the VAR review went against the visitors.

It was the latest VAR controversy in the Premier League and is certain to spark more debate, but while the opening goal set the tone, Liverpool's dominance was soon evident all across the field.

City pushed forward in response and Raheem Sterling missed a close-range header, but Liverpool struck again in the 13th minute when Andy Robertson crossed from the left and Salah nodded the bouncing ball past Bravo to make it 2-0.

Juergen Klopp's European champions, without a domestic league title since 1990, now had a firm grip on the game and caused constant trouble for City's shaky defence with their powerful surges forward.

Liverpool were on top physically and their pressing stopped City from establishing their usual possession game but still they managed to carve out some openings.

Sergio Aguero, who had a disappointing game, forced Liverpool keeper Alisson Becker into action in the 25th minute and then the Argentine should have done better three minutes before the break when he shot wide after being fed by Kevin De Bruyne.

Guardiola needed to adjust something at the break to find a foothold in the game but City's third defeat of the season, after losses to Norwich City and Wolverhampton Wanderers, was assured when Liverpool made it 3-0 six minutes after the interval.

Jordan Henderson superbly worked space on the right flank and whipped in a cross which Mane dived to head home at the back post.

Bernardo Silva pulled a goal back for City in the 78th minute, drilling home a low cross from Angelino and the visitors enjoyed some late pressure but it was too late for a comeback from the champions.

City have not won at Anfield in the league since May, 2003 -- their only win at Liverpool in 38 years, but manager Pep Guardiola took positives from Sunday's performance.

"It's not easy after being two goals down to react the way we reacted. It was one of the best performances I have ever seen from my team. That's what we needed and hopefully we can continue to make the steps we need," he said.

(Reporting by Simon Evans Editing by Toby Davis)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Football: Liverpool, Chelsea win on road as Messi sets goals records

PARIS -- Liverpool and Chelsea clinched impressive victories on the road in the Champions League on Wednesday as Lionel Messi, Dries Mertens and teenage sensation Erling Braut Haaland claimed impressive goal-scoring landmarks.

Defending champions Liverpool defeated Genk 4-1 which saw Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain score twice while Michy Batshuayi gave Chelsea a 1-0 win at Ajax.

Elsewhere, Messi became the first player to score at least once in 15 successive Champions League seasons as Barcelona beat Slavia Prague 2-1.

Napoli defeated Salzburg 3-2 in a game which saw Mertens go past Diego Maradona's 115-goals tally for the Italian club while Haaland's two strikes for the Austrians in the same game made him the first player to score six times in his first three Champions League games.

England international Oxlade-Chamberlain, who missed almost all of last season due to injury, opened the scoring in the second minute at the Luminus Arena and scored Liverpool's second just before the hour mark.

Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah then set up each other for late goals to wrap up the victory before substitute Stephen Odey pulled one back for Genk.

Liverpool remain a point behind Napoli in Group E.

"It's a special tournament to play in. It was great to see the boys do so well last year, being on the bench at the end and watching the boys bring it home," Oxlade-Chamberlain, an unused substitute in last year's final win, told BT Sport.

Haaland, 19, and widely tipped for a big-money move to England or Spain, had the ball in the Napoli net after just 10 minutes in Austria. However, a VAR review scrubbed off the goal for offside.

The Italians made the most of their reprieve when veteran forward Mertens converted a cross from captain Jose Callejon to score. It was the Belgian's 115th goal for Napoli and took him level with Maradona.

Haaland levelled from the penalty spot in the dying moments of the first half.

Mertens, however, grabbed his second on 64 minutes, again with Callejon the provider to go past Maradona's record set between 1984-1991 and close in on Marek Hamsik's all-time club high of 121.

Haaland equalized again but just a minute later, Napoli restored their lead through Lorenzo Insigne in a breathless second half.

Haaland at least had the consolation of becoming the first player to score six goals in his first three Champions League games.

"It's a great night for Mertens. Napoli are back to winning a Champions League away fixture after three years and we hope to keep that going now," said Napoli coach Carlo Ancelotti.

- 'Huge' win for Chelsea -

Chelsea showed that their young side were ready for the European stage after Batshuayi's late winner fired them to a 1-0 win at Ajax.

Substitute Batshuayi struck in the 86th minute and put Chelsea level on six points with last year's semi-finalists at the top of Group H.

"It's feels huge, which always scares me because there's a lot to do. We're entitled to be excited about the way we played tonight," said coach Frank Lampard.

Jonathan Ikone's stoppage-time goal gave Lille a 1-1 draw at home to Valencia for whom Denis Cheryshev had opened the scoring just after the hour mark. Valencia are third in the table, two points behind Ajax and Chelsea.

Barcelona stay top of Group F after a 2-1 win at Slavia Prague.

Messi opened the scoring after three minutes, beating Slavia goalkeeper Ondrej Kolar with a low left-foot shot to become the first player to score in 15 consecutive Champions League campaigns.

Barca grabbed a second on 57 minutes when Slavia winger Peter Olayinka deflected a Luis Suarez close-range shot into his own net. Left-back Jan Boril scored for Slavia five minutes after half-time.

Barca are three points ahead of Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund after the Italians got the better of their German visitors 2-0 at the San Siro with Lautaro Martinez and Antonio Candreva scoring.

Marcel Sabitzer set up a goal and scored a spectacular winner as RB Leipzig came from behind to beat Zenit St Petersburg 2-1 to take a two-point lead in Group G.

Portuguese champions Benfica, without a point after their first two games in the group, defeated struggling Lyon 2-1.

Rafa Silva was on hand to make the most of a Lyon defensive mix-up to find the target, compounding the misery for a French side who are only out of the relegation zone in the league courtesy of goal difference.

Memphis Depay levelled for the French visitors on 70 minutes but Benfica clinched their first win when substitute Pizzi scored in the dying moments.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Football: Last-gasp Milner keeps Liverpool flying; Spurs crash again

LONDON - A stoppage-time James Milner penalty sparked huge celebrations at Anfield as Liverpool beat Leicester City 2-1 on Saturday for an eighth successive Premier League win that moved them eight points clear at the top of the table.

The contrast with Tottenham Hotspur, whom they beat in last season's Champions League final, could not be more marked as Mauricio Pochettino's side continued to ship goals in a 3-0 loss at Brighton & Hove Albion. Aston Villa thumped Norwich City 5-1, Burnley edged Everton 1-0 and Crystal Palace won 2-1 at West Ham United.

With Manchester City not playing until Sunday, Liverpool looked determined to lay down their marker and were well in control when Sadio Mane scored the opener -- his 50th league goal for the club -- after getting on the end of a superb through ball from Milner.

But Leicester were always a threat on the break and looked to have secured a point when James Maddison equalised 10 minutes from time before a rash Mark Albrighton challenge on Mane set up Milner's penalty chance.

"We had to dig deep and find the points," said Milner, who said he just had to concentrate and stay calm to convert his 16th spot-kick in 18 attempts for Liverpool.

"The boys have done it time and time again. There was a few tired legs and it was about getting the result."

The game ended with several players from both sides confronting each other as passions threatened to boil over.

Tottenham's defeat at the Amex stadium was compounded by a horror injury to keeper Hugo Lloris, who was taken to hospital after injuring his arm in trying to keep out Neal Maupay's opener on three minutes.

The French keeper, who made a howler against Southampton last week and conceded seven against Bayern Munich, was badly at fault in parrying the ball straight into Maupay's path.

But recriminations were soon forgotten as the severity of his injury became clear and Lloris was treated on the pitch for six minutes before leaving on a stretcher. Spurs later confirmed he had dislocated his elbow.

SUBSTANDARD PERFORMANCE

Pochettino said the injury so early in the game affected the rest of the team although questions remain about another substandard Spurs performance so soon after their mauling by Bayern.

Brighton's other goals were scored by 19-year-old Irish striker Aaron Connolly in his first Premier League start.

"I've been watching the Premier League since I was four or five, so to be playing in it now, and then to score and to win 3-0, it really is a dream come true," Connolly said.

Brazilian striker Wesley scored twice for Aston Villa in the 5-1 win over Norwich although he spurned the chance of a first-half hat-trick by missing a penalty.

That hardly mattered as Villa recorded their highest away Premier League win in 11 years against a side who had conquered Manchester City in their previous home game.

Everton sit one point above Norwich after their fourth successive league defeat, a result that will pile more pressure on manager Marco Silva. Jeff Hendrick scored Burnley's winner and Everton will rue the dismissal of Seamus Coleman for two yellow cards.

Jordan Ayew scored a VAR-assisted 88th-minute goal to complete Crystal Palace's comeback victory at West Ham which moved Roy Hodgson's side into the top four.

West Ham had taken the lead on 54 minutes through Sebastien Haller but Patrick van Aanholt's cool penalty brought the visitors level before Ayew's late winner.

Bottom side Watford remained without a Premier League win this season after being held to a goalless draw by Sheffield United at Vicarage Road.

(Reporting by Neil Robinson, editing by Ed Osmond)

source: news.abs-cbn.com