Liverpool took a giant stride toward the English Premier League title on Sunday as a 2-0 win over Manchester City opened up an 11-point lead over Arsenal at the top of the table.
Mohamed Salah was again Liverpool’s star performer as he opened the scoring with his 30th goal of the season before setting up Dominik Szoboszlai to double the lead before half-time.
“It is special. Especially when you are in the title race, it is incredible,” Salah said after Liverpool’s first league win at the Etihad for a decade.
Photo: Reuters
“Me and the big guys in the team, we need another title,” he added.
Just days after exiting the UEFA Champions League to Real Madrid, this was another sobering defeat for the dethroned English champions, who are now 20 points adrift of the leaders.
So often during Pep Guardiola’s glorious reign, Liverpool have come up just short in English football’s great rivalry of the past few years.
Photo: AFP
However, their time to match Manchester United’s record of 20 English top-flight titles now appears just months away in Arne Slot’s first season in charge.
“We work every single day to achieve this, and it is three months of very hard work [ahead] to maintain this,” Slot said. “It is important to understand why we are where we are.”
Arsenal’s shock 1-0 home defeat to West Ham United on Saturday had eased the pressure on Liverpool, that had built after dropping points in two of their last three games at Everton and Aston Villa.
Photo: AFP
A trip to the Etihad has for so long been the stiffest test of all, but City’s defensive frailties were easily exposed, and they also badly missed the presence of the injured Erling Haaland in attack.
Liverpool, by contrast, had their talisman fit and firing as Salah took his staggering tally this season to 25 goals and 16 assists in 27 Premier League appearances.
Despite an eighth league defeat of the season, Guardiola’s men remain in fourth and would be confident of securing their place in the Champions League next season with a top-five finish likely to be enough.
LA LIGA
AFP, BARCELONA, Spain
Luka Modric scored a brilliant goal from long range to help Real Madrid secure a 2-0 win against Girona on Sunday which took them back level with Barcelona at the top of La Liga.
Vinicius Junior wrapped up the win late on as Carlo Ancelotti’s side produced a solid display at the Santiago Bernabeu.
After rivals Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, now third, both won on Saturday, the pressure was on for the champions in the extremely tight title race.
Madrid had not won in their prior three league games, but flexed their muscles by thrashing Man City in the Champions League in midweek.
“It’s a very important win, we have to stay in the fight,” Modric told Real Madrid TV. “We can’t let our level slip and consider ourselves satisfied, we can still grow as a team.”
The Croatian’s goal was the highlight of the match.
“I was by myself, I controlled the ball, I hit it well and it went in,” Modric added. “I don’t know if it’s one of the most spectacular I’ve scored, it was really nice, it’s always special to score at the Bernabeu.”
Madrid were without suspended England international Jude Bellingham after his red card last weekend.
“Modric is a gift for football, he should continue as long as he wants,” Ancelotti told reporters. “What he does, he does very well. We’ve been lucky to have a legend with us.”
David Alaba started for Los Blancos for the first time in over a year after a severe knee injury.
“It’s very important win for us, we are very happy, it’s a good moment for us,” the Austrian defender told Real Madrid TV. “I am very, very happy, after the injury, I was ready to start this game.”
Earlier Athletic Bilbao hammered bottom side Real Valladolid 7-1 to stay on track for Champions League football next season.
Ernesto Valverde’s side, fourth, were rampant at the San Mames with Spain star Nico Williams scoring twice in the win which took them four points clear of Villarreal in fifth.
Isco struck twice as Real Betis beat Getafe 2-1 to move seventh, although winger Antony was sent off for a foolish late tackle from behind.
The Brazilian, on loan from Manchester United, has enjoyed a strong start to life in Spain, but needlessly felled Juan Iglesias after the ball had gone.
Antony would miss the visit of Real Madrid to Betis’ Estadio Benito Villamarin next weekend.
BUNDESLIGA
Reuters, MUNICH, Germany
Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich powered past third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt 4-0 with an impressive display of high pressing football on Sunday to restore their eight point lead in the Bundesliga over second-placed Bayer Leverkusen.
The Bavarians were dominant throughout, while successfully nipping any planned Eintracht attack in the bud, and earning their first win in three matches across all competitions following two consecutive draws.
They are on 58 points in top spot with champions Leverkusen, 2-0 winners at Holstein Kiel on Saturday, in second place with 50. Eintracht are third on 42.
LIGUE 1
AFP, PARIS
Achraf Hakimi scored twice and Ousmane Dembele kept up his remarkable recent form in front of goal as Paris Saint-Germain won 3-2 away to Olympique Lyonnais on Sunday to maintain their unbeaten record in Ligue 1 this season.
All the goals were scored in the second half in Lyon, with Hakimi opening the scoring on 53 minutes and Dembele doubling PSG’s lead just before the hour mark.
Rayan Cherki pulled one back for the hosts late on to potentially set up a grandstand finish, only for Hakimi to find the net again. Corentin Tolisso then grabbed a second goal for Lyon in stoppage time.
PSG have won 18, drawn five and lost none of their 23 domestic league outings this season and are now a huge 13 points clear of nearest chasers Marseille at the top of the table.
Carlos Alcaraz on Monday powered into the French Open second round with a resounding win to start his title defense, while world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and three-time defending women’s champion Iga Swiatek also progressed at Roland Garros. Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz struck 31 winners in a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Italian qualifier Giulio Zeppieri and is to face Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan in round two. Alcaraz is now on an eight-match winning streak at the French Open and also took Olympic silver at Roland Garros last year, losing the final to Novak Djokovic. “The first round is never
TIGHT FINISH: Napoli only needed to do the same as or better than Inter, who won their game against Como 2-0 on the same day, leaving Napoli with a one-point lead The two players who Antonio Conte wanted more than any others secured Napoli their second Serie A title in three years on Friday. Scott McTominay scored with an acrobatic bicycle kick before halftime and Romelu Lukaku doubled the lead with a solo goal after the break in the decisive 2-0 home win over Cagliari. Conte became the first coach to win the Italian championship with three different teams. “Everyone contributed to this — but the coach most of all,” Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo said. “Napoli needed him to get back on top. He’s phenomenal.” Comparing it to his three Serie A titles won
The journey of Taiwan’s badminton mixed doubles duo Ye Hong-wei and Nicole Chan at the Malaysia Masters in Kuala Lumpur came to an end in the semi-finals yesterday after they suffered a 2-0 loss to China’s Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping. Ye, 25, and Chan, 20, teamed up last year and are currently ranked No. 23 in the world. The Taiwanese shuttlers took on China’s second seeds in the mixed doubles event, but proved no match for Feng and Huang, losing the match 10-21, 7-21. In the first half of the first game, the pairings were neck and neck at 6-7 until Ye
SSC Napoli coach Antonio Conte has dragged the team back from disaster and restored them to the top of Italian Serie A, but his future at the Scudetto winners is in doubt even after a triumphant season. The fiery 55-year-old has exceeded preseason expectations and bolstered his reputation as a serial winner by guiding Napoli to their fourth Scudetto, and second in three seasons. However, he might well be on his way in the summer after just one season at the helm as his charged relationship with Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis has simmered throughout the campaign. Conte has said
RSS