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: Haaland hits five to ease Man City into Champions League quarters

MANCHESTER -- Erling Haaland equaled a Champions League record with a five-goal haul to ease Manchester City into the quarter-finals at RB Leipzig's expense with a 7-0 win on Tuesday. 

Haaland also set a new club record for goals in a season of 39 in the process as Pep Guardiola's men reached the last eight for the sixth consecutive season with an 8-1 aggregate victory.

"My super strength is scoring goals," said Haaland. "A lot of it is being quick in the mind and trying to put it where the goalkeeper is not."

Abu Dhabi-owned City are yet to go all the way in the Champions League, but they have never had a striker of Haaland's quality to make the difference in the latter stages before.

At just 22 he now has 33 goals in 25 appearances in Europe's premier club competition.

"Firstly, I'm proud to play in this competition, I love it," added Haaland. "Five goals! To win 7-0 is amazing."

The snowy weather was more akin to Haaland's homeland, but City did not freeze under the pressure and kept their Champions League dreams alive.

The tie was delicately balanced after a 1-1 draw in eastern Germany three weeks ago, but a Leipzig side depleted by injury never looked like a match for their star-studded opponents.

"That was an incredible performance," said Leipzig coach Marco Rose.

"They didn't allow us to control the game at all, at no stage of the game. The bottom line is disappointing for us but they really deserved it."

Guardiola had kept Kevin De Bruyne in reserve for City's 1-0 win at Crystal Palace in the Premier League at the weekend and on his return to the starting line-up, the Belgian was back to his best.

Ilkay Gundogan should have opened the scoring after just three minutes from De Bruyne's inviting cross.

There was some fortune surrounding City's opener as VAR spotted a handball against Benjamin Henrichs that led to a penalty that neither the City players nor the crowd even noticed.

- Denied record chance -

Haaland fired low to Janis Blaswich's left to maintain his perfect record from the spot for City with his sixth penalty of the season.

Two minutes later it was 2-0 as Haaland teed up De Bruyne, who smashed a shot against the bar, and then showed his speed and strength to power home a header from the rebound.

Haaland had three before half-time as Ruben Dias rose highest to head Jack Grealish's corner onto the post and Amadou Haidara's attempted clearance ricocheted off City's number nine into the net.

Gundogan's classy finish into the far corner four minutes into the second half rubbed more salt into Leipzig's wounds before Haaland started rewriting the record books.

Firstly, he hammered home at the second attempt after Blaswich parried his initial header to match Tommy Johnson's record of 38 goals for City in the 1928-29 season.

Haaland set a new mark with still three months of the campaign to go when he snaffled up another rebound after Blaswich saved from Manuel Akanji.

In the process, he moved level with Lionel Messi and Luiz Adriano's record of scoring five goals in a Champions League game.

But Guardiola denied his star striker the chance of another record as he replaced him with Julian Alvarez with 25 minutes remaining.

"If he achieves all these milestones at 22 his life would be boring," joked Guardiola on making the change.

Instead, it was left to De Bruyne to have the final say as he curled a superb strike into the top corner in stoppage time.

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Football: Man City crush Chelsea in FA Cup, Villa upset by Stevenage

LONDON -- Manchester City piled pressure on Chelsea boss Graham Potter as Riyad Mahrez inspired a 4-0 rout in the FA Cup third round, while Aston Villa crashed to a stunning 2-1 defeat against fourth tier Stevenage on Sunday.

After Premier League sides Newcastle, Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth were humiliated by lower-league opposition on Saturday, Villa were rocked by Stevenage's two-goal blast in the final minutes.

Premier League champions City rarely suffer such embarrassment and they made the strongest possible start by dismissing abject Chelsea with contemptuous ease at the Etihad Stadium.

Pep Guardiola made seven changes from the City side that won 1-0 at Chelsea in the Premier League on Thursday.

But City were still far too dynamic for struggling Chelsea as Mahrez struck with a brilliant free-kick and a late penalty, with Julian Alvarez and Phil Foden also scoring.

In the fourth round, City will host Premier League leaders Arsenal or third-tier Oxford, who meet on Monday.

City had already eliminated Chelsea from the League Cup this season and the west London club's first FA Cup third-round exit since 1998 was another blow to a season in danger of spiraling out of control.

While it is probably too early for Potter to be fearing the sack, just four months after he arrived from Brighton to replace the axed Thomas Tuchel, the 47-year-old might be having a few sleepless nights as he wrestles with his team's woeful form.

Chelsea have won just three of their last 12 games in all competitions and sit 10th in the Premier League, 10 points adrift of the top four place the club's American owners would surely have expected Potter to deliver.

"The results in a small space of time are not positive. You can make excuses and look for reasons or say it isn't good enough. Both of those answers are correct," Potter said.

"We have to keep improving and stick together because clearly we are suffering as a football club and it's not nice at all."

Potter will hardly have been comforted by the sound of Chelsea fans chanting Tuchel's name as they pine for the German who led them to Champions league glory in 2021.

"I would tell (Chelsea co-owner) Todd Boehly to give Graham Potter time. All coaches need time. At Barca, I didn't need two seasons, but that's because I had Messi," Guardiola said.

Given Chelsea's predicament it was curious that Potter elected to make six changes, with Bashir Humphreys given his debut and fellow teenager Lewis Hall also starting.

Mahrez had scored the winner against Chelsea on Thursday and this time he bent a superb free-kick into the top corner in the 23rd minute.

- Woeful Chelsea -

City's second goal was a gift from Chelsea forward Kai Havertz, who punched the ball as he challenged Aymeric Laporte at a corner, with Alvarez converting the 30th minute penalty.

Chelsea were being torn apart and Foden hit the third goal in the 38th minute, the England forward finishing off Kyle Walker's cross.

Beaten in the last three FA Cup finals, Chelsea's misery was compounded in the 85th minute as Mahrez scored from the spot after Kalidou Koulibaly fouled Foden.

Villa had eight changes against Stevenage and the team currently second in League Two took full advantage.

Morgan Sanson put Villa ahead in the 33rd minute but Jamie Reid equalized with an 88th minute penalty after Leander Dendoncker was sent off for fouling Dean Campbell.

And Campbell sparked wild Stevenage celebrations in the 90th minute when he smashed home from a short corner. 

"It is really special. The chairman just said to me it's the greatest day in his life and he's been with the club for over 20 years," said Stevenage boss Steve Evans, whose side face Championship team Stoke in the fourth round.

Villa boss Unai Emery added: "I'm really sorry for the supporters. Today was really so disappointing."

Leeds escaped with a dramatic 2-2 draw at Cardiff thanks to teenager Sonny Perkins' stoppage-time equalizer after the second tier side raced into a two-goal lead. 

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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: Haaland haunts Dortmund as Man City win but Chelsea held on Potter debut

PARIS, France -- Erling Haaland scored an acrobatic late winner against his old club as Manchester City beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the Champions League on Wednesday, while there were hard-earned victories for Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.

Meanwhile Chelsea were held by Red Bull Salzburg in their first match under new head coach Graham Potter, as Rangers lost heavily again and Celtic drew with Shakhtar Donetsk.

In Manchester, Haaland took on the club he left in the close season for 60 million euros ($60m, £52m) after two and a half prolific years in the Bundesliga.

Yet it looked like Dortmund might spring a surprise as they went ahead just before the hour mark at the Etihad Stadium when England midfielder Jude Bellingham headed in.

City's equalizer did not come until Kevin De Bruyne set up John Stones to smash in with 10 minutes left, and Haaland got the winner in the 84th minute with an outrageous finish from Joao Cancelo's magnificent cross.

Haaland now has 13 goals in nine games for City, who have two wins from two in Group G.

"In the end we showed what we are," Haaland told BT Sport. "Dortmund were really good today (but) three points is what matters."

City's next two games will be against FC Copenhagen, who drew 0-0 with Sevilla in Denmark.

In London, Potter took charge of Chelsea for the first time but had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Salzburg in Group E, with Raheem Sterling's opener early in the second half being cancelled out by Noah Okafor.

"It has not been easy for the boys, they have responded to us really well over the last few days and it's a point we will have to take and get better," Potter told BT Sport.

Earlier, group rivals AC Milan beat Dinamo Zagreb 3-1 at San Siro, with Olivier Giroud scoring a penalty before Alexis Saelemaekers and Tommaso Pobega added further goals either side of a Mislav Orsic strike for Dinamo.

- Late goals for Madrid -

Reigning European champions Madrid needed two late goals to beat RB Leipzig 2-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu and maintain their perfect start in Group F.

Federico Valverde opened the scoring 10 minutes from time after being set up by Vinicius Junior, and substitute Marco Asensio sealed the victory with a tremendous first-time finish in injury time.

Carlo Ancelotti's side are clear at the top of the section from Shakhtar, who rode their luck to claim a 1-1 draw with Celtic.

The Scottish champions went ahead early on when Reo Hatate's ball into the six-yard box went into the net off Artem Bondarenko.

But Shakhtar, playing European home games in Warsaw due to the war in Ukraine, equalized before the half-hour mark via an emphatic finish by Mykhailo Mudryk.

Celtic had chances to win the game, none better than a late strike by Giorgos Giakoumakis that flashed agonizingly wide.

"We'll get our rewards if we keep playing that kind of football and showing that kind of commitment," said Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou.

At least they have a point, in stark contrast to rivals Rangers who lost 3-0 at home to Napoli in Group A.

- PSG come from behind -

In a dramatic second half, Rangers had American defender James Sands sent off for conceding a penalty which Piotr Zielinski had saved, only for Matteo Politano to score the rebound.

However, the referee ordered a retake, and Allan McGregor saved from Zielinski again.

Yet Napoli won another penalty midway through the second half, and this time Politano scored from the spot, before Giacomo Raspadori and Tanguy Ndombele added further goals.

The game had been postponed by 24 hours due to policing issues related to the death of Queen Elizabeth II, and Rangers ignored a decision by UEFA to reject their request to play the British national anthem before kick-off.

Paris Saint-Germain came from behind to beat Maccabi Haifa 3-1 in Israel as their superstar front three all scored.

Suriname international Tjaronn Chery put the home side ahead only for Lionel Messi to equalize before the break.

Messi then set up Kylian Mbappe to make it 2-1 midway through the second half, and Neymar sealed a second win in as many Group H games for PSG.

Juventus suffered a second straight defeat, though, as they lost 2-1 at home to Benfica.

Arkadiusz Milik's opener for Juve was cancelled out by Joao Mario's penalty, before David Neres struck Benfica's winner.

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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: Kerr double keeps Chelsea two points clear of Man City

Chelsea striker Sam Kerr struck twice in a 2-0 home win over Aston Villa on Sunday to restore a two-point lead at the top of the Women's Super League, with Fran Kirby setting up both goals.

Kerr put the hosts in front after 24 minutes, outmuscling Asmita Ale to get a glancing header on Kirby's pinpoint cross, and the Australian sealed the three points with her second in the 57th minute, again assisted by England midfielder Kirby.

Chelsea regained first place after Manchester City briefly went top following their 1-0 victory over Reading on Saturday thanks to an 87th-minute winner from Chloe Kelly.

Earlier on Saturday, Lauren James and Christen Press helped Manchester United beat bottom side West Ham United 2-0 in the first WSL game to be played at Old Trafford, while Arsenal thumped Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 away in the north London derby.

Bristol City's recent good form continued on Sunday as they drew 1-1 with visiting Birmingham City to stay ahead of West Ham and Villa at the foot of the table, while Hayley Raso netted a hat-trick in Everton's 5-0 demolition of Brighton & Hove Albion.

With four games left Chelsea lead the table on 47 points ahead of Manchester City with 45 and nine in front of Manchester United. Arsenal are fourth on 35 points with a game in hand.

(Reporting by Philip O'Connor; Editing by Ken Ferris)

-reuters-

Football: Man City face Man Utd test on march towards history

Manchester City have history in their sights as the runaway leaders bid to take a huge step towards the Premier League title in Sunday's showdown with fading challengers Manchester United.

City are 14 points clear of United with 11 games left and victory in the derby would effectively end their second placed rivals' faint hopes of catching them.

Pep Guardiola's side have been so dominant since the end of last year that it is the landmarks they can shatter on the way to a third title in four seasons that now hold the greatest interest.

They are unbeaten in 28 games and will set a new club record if they avoid defeat this weekend.

That could be the first of many milestones to fall for City, who are on an English top-flight record run of 21 successive wins in all competitions.

The only teams from the top five European leagues ever to record longer winning streaks in all competitions are Bayern Munich (23) and Real Madrid (22).

City can edge closer to Bayern's tally if they clinch a 16th successive Premier League victory this weekend, which would also take them to the brink of their own record of 18 consecutive Premier League wins, a mark shared with Liverpool.

Guardiola's team are six wins short of equalling the world record for consecutive victories in all competitions by a top-flight side -- set by Welsh team The New Saints in 2016.

City's incredible run is all the more remarkable given their troubled start to the season.

When they were held to a 0-0 draw at United in December, they were a point behind their rivals in ninth place and the death knell was ringing for their title hopes.

But, aided by some clever tactical tweaks from Guardiola, including the use of full-backs Joao Cancelo and Kyle Walker as auxiliary attackers, they have been perfect since then.

City have not trailed in a league fixture for 19 games despite being without the injured Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne for long periods.

While United's inconsistencies and the collapse of champions Liverpool have contributed to City's surge to the top, the leaders' supremacy has not been restricted to the league.

- 'Something special' -

An unprecedented quadruple is within City's reach, but Guardiola is determined to keep his players from getting complacent.

"To do what we have done in these four years, still winning, these guys have something special like my time at Barcelona and Bayern Munich," he said.

"We are in a really good position. I did not expect to be in this position two or three months ago but we need to be calm."

United have stumbled recently, drawing four of their past five league games, and their title ambitions faded into the south London fog during Wednesday's goalless stalemate at Crystal Palace.

Even so, United are unbeaten in their past 21 away league games and Guardiola is well aware of the threat they could pose.

United are the only side in any of the top five European leagues yet to lose an away league match this season, while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has won on both of his visits to the Etihad since taking charge in 2019.

"I know how difficult United are," said Guardiola. "More than one year not losing away and they have good results at the Etihad."

Realistically United, who are five points clear of fifth-placed Everton, have to focus on qualifying for the Champions League, either via a top-four finish or winning the Europa League. 

"Our focus is just on this one game and not where we're going to end up," Solskjaer said.

"They're ahead of us by a fair distance at the moment, so Sunday is a chance to test ourselves against a very good team."

Fixtures (GMT)

Saturday

Burnley v Arsenal (1230), Sheffield United v Southampton (1500), Aston Villa v Wolves (1730), Brighton v Leicester (2000)

Sunday

West Brom v Newcastle (1200), Liverpool v Fulham (1400), Manchester City v Manchester United (1630), Tottenham v Crystal Palace (1915)

Monday

Chelsea v Everton (1800), West Ham v Leeds (2000)

Agence France-Presse

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.

Agence France-Presse

Football: Mewis named U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year

Midfielder Samantha Mewis has been named the 2020 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year, capping a year in which she excelled for clubs in the U.S. and England, in addition to the U.S. National Team.

Mewis, 28, played in eight of the nine games for the U.S. National Team, starting six and scoring four goals, all coming at the 2020 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying tournament, where she posted consecutive two-goal games against Costa Rica and Mexico.

She also played well in the NWSL Challenge Cup for the North Carolina Courage before moving to England, where she joined Manchester City in August. 

She played 17 matches for Manchester City and scored six goals -- three in the FA Women's Super League, two in the FA Cup and one in the Champions League.

Mewis helped lead Manchester City to a 3-1 win over Everton to claim the FA Cup, becoming just the second American woman -- and third American -- to score in an FA Cup final, joining Carli Lloyd (2017) and Christian Pulisic (2020).

"It's obviously a huge honor to be a part of the list of players that have won this award in the past," Mewis, the 17th member of the U.S. National Team to win the honor, said in a statement.

"It should go without saying that it's the team that does the work on the field and I just have so much respect for the other nominees this year and all my teammates."

-reuters-

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.

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: Sterling calls for more black managers in football

LONDON -- Manchester City star Raheem Sterling has urged English football to use the global anti-racism protests to initiate debates and find solutions regarding the lack of black representation in top leadership positions in the sport.

Calling for racial justice, thousands of protesters have rallied across the UK, joining a wave of demonstrations sparked by the death of African American George Floyd at the hands of US police last month.

England forward Sterling, who has previously been prominent in calling out racism in both the domestic and international game, is the latest sports star to lend his support to the protests. 

"The protest is a great starting point, to make your voice be heard. But just protesting alone is not going to make a change in this country," Sterling said Monday in a BBC TV interview.

"It's how we move on from here. It's about highlighting things, the society that needs changing, and then acting upon it. We've done a lot of talking, and it's time now to act."

"This is a time to speak on these subjects, speak on injustice, especially in my field," he added.

Sterling pointed a finger at the long-running disparity between the number of high-profile Black, Asian and minority ethnic players and the dearth of those who go on to hold significant managerial, coaching or administrative jobs.

"There's something like 500 players in the Premier League and a third of them are black and we have no representation of us in the hierarchy, no representation of us in the coaching staffs. There's not a lot of faces that we can relate to and have conversations with," he said.

"With these protests that are going on it's all well and good just talking, but it's time that we need to have conversations, to be able to spark debates. 

"But at same time, it's coming together and finding a solution to be able to spark change because we can talk as much as we want about changing and putting people, black people, in these positions that I do feel they should be in."

- 'Give equal chances' -

Sterling contrasted the managerial paths of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, who have landed top roles at Rangers and Chelsea, to equally experienced black players who have been compelled to start much lower down the ladder.

"The coaching staff that you see around football clubs: there's Steven Gerrard, your Frank Lampards, your Sol Campbells and your Ashley Coles. All had great careers, all played for England," said Sterling.

"At the same time, they've all respectfully done their coaching badges to coach at the highest level and the two that haven't been given the right opportunities are the two black former players.

"The change is being able to speak to people in Parliament, people at the hierarchy at my football club, football clubs across the country, people at the national team of England, to implement change and give equal chances to not just black coaches but also different ethnicities.

"I feel like that's what's lacking here, it's not just taking the knee, it is about giving people the chance they deserve."

Agence France-Presse

Football: Premier League suffers first postponement as Arsenal players quarantined

LONDON -- Arsenal's game at Manchester City was postponed on Wednesday after players from the London club were put into quarantine, making it the first Premier League fixture to be called off because of the new coronavirus.

Arsenal said players and four staff had been isolated at their homes after coming into contact with the owner of Greek club Olympiakos, who has tested positive for COVID-19.

"We are strictly following the government guidelines which recommend that anyone coming into close contact with someone with the virus should self-isolate at home for 14 days from the last time they had contact," an Arsenal statement said.

"As a result, the players are unavailable for tonight's (Wednesday's) match against Manchester City and the Premier League has decided the game should be postponed."

The first postponement in the Premier League, which has a worldwide following of billions of TV viewers, follows widespread disruption to football and other sports across the globe.

Arsenal were knocked out of the Europa League by Olympiakos in late February. Vangelis Marinakis, owner of the Greek club and England's Nottingham Forest, announced on Tuesday that he had tested positive for the coronavirus.

But Arsenal said the players and staff, who met Marinakis after the game at the Emirates Stadium, will return to work on Friday ahead of Saturday's trip to Brighton.

"The medical advice we have received puts the risk of them developing COVID-19 at extremely low," it added.

The Premier League called the move a "precautionary measure" and said there were no plans to postpone any other games.

Football's Serie A and all other sports have been put on hold in Italy, while the top two divisions in Spain and France will be played in empty stadiums for at least the next two weeks.

UEFA's Champions League and Europa League have also been both forced to arrange matches behind closed doors as the epidemic spreads.

Olympiakos host Wolverhampton Wanderers in Athens this week in the Europa League, in one of the last-16 games that will be played in front of an empty stadium. 

Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo has joined a number of managers, including Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp, in voicing disquiet at being asked to play without fans.

"If we have to go we will. But we don't agree -- we're not happy to go," he told Sky Sports.

"Behind closed doors doesn't make sense," he added. "We're pretending to live a normal life when things aren't normal."

Wednesday's postponement could also frustrate Premier League leaders Liverpool, as a Manchester City defeat would have taken them to the brink of their first top-flight title in 30 years.

Agence France-Presse

Football: Chelsea see off Spurs as Jesus grabs late Man City winner

LONDON -- Chelsea strengthened their grip on a Premier League top-four place on Saturday by beating London rivals Tottenham 2-1 as Manchester City edged past Leicester despite another attack of the penalty jitters.

Sheffield United will rue missing out on the chance to clamber above Tottenham into fifth place after drawing at home to struggling Brighton.

Liverpool's staggering 19-point lead over second-placed Manchester City means the title race is effectively over, with much of the focus turning to the scramble to qualify for next season's Champions League.

Frank Lampard's fourth-placed Chelsea went into their match against Jose Mourinho's Spurs at Stamford Bridge without a win in their past four Premier League matches and just one point clear of Spurs.

Fringe players Olivier Giroud and Marcos Alonso were recalled by Lampard and both rewarded their manager's confidence by scoring in the home win.

The result means Lampard has completed a league double against his former boss this season after their 2-0 victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in December.

But the match was overshadowed by a VAR controversy, with officials ruling that Tottenham midfielder Giovani Lo Celso did not deserve to be sent off for a "leg breaker" stamp on Cesar Azpilicueta.

World Cup winner Giroud put Chelsea ahead in the 15th minute when he reacted quickest to finish beyond Hugo Lloris after Ross Barkley had struck a post.

Chelsea doubled their advantage three minutes into the second half, Alonso drilling in a first-time shot after being set up by Barkley.

Alonso's free-kick hit the bar before Antonio Rudiger deflected Erik Lamela's shot into his own net in the 89th minute to give Spurs late hope.

Lampard criticised VAR after Lo Celso was allowed to stay on the pitch.


- 'Leg-breaker' -

"I hate to call for red cards but that is a leg breaker," he said. "Everybody knew they made a mistake. I was just waiting for the red card to be shown."

Adding to Lampard's frustration, television broadcaster BT Sport reported that VAR officials had told them Lo Celso should have been sent off.

As it stands, a fifth-placed finish could guarantee Champions League football next season because Manchester City have been banned from Europe's elite competition for two years.

City hope to have their appeal against the ban heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport before the start of next season.

Substitute Gabriel Jesus struck late on for City at the King Power Stadium after Aguero saw his second-half spot-kick saved by Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.

City have failed to score from each of their past four penalties, with each spot-kick being missed by a different player.

But they bounced back to see off Leicester and the 1-0 win leaves them seven points clear of their opponents, cementing their position in second place.

Jamie Vardy will rue hitting the post early in the match and Leicester had two penalty appeals turned down in an engaging contest.

"We have missed four penalties in a row but maybe we will shoot a penalty when we need it to win something," Man City coach Pep Guardiola told the BBC. "The keepers are good too, but the next one we are going to score."

Sheffield United had a chance to steal a march on their rivals for a Champions League place next season, with Manchester United, Wolves, Arsenal and Everton not in action until Sunday.

They took the lead at home against Brighton through Enda Stevens but Neal Maupay equalised for the south coast club on the half-hour.

The 1-1 draw leaves Sheffield United in sixth place on 40 points, level with Tottenham.

Sheffield manager Chris Wilder said he was proud of his team's efforts in tough conditions.

"There was just a relentless nature of our game, we were knocking on the door and if it don't open, it don't open, but not for want of trying and not for want of an attitude that's exceptional and has been all season," he said.

Burnley beat Bournemouth 3-0 to win for the fourth time in five Premier League matches and lift themselves to eighth in the table while Southampton won 2-0 at home to Aston Villa to move 10 points clear of the drop zone.

Runaway league leaders Liverpool host struggling West Ham on Monday. 

Agence France-Presse