Premier League
Liverpool held as Son rescues Spurs in thriller
Liverpool’s Premier League title challenge suffered a setback as Son Heung-min punished Alisson Becker’s blunder to rescue a thrilling 2-2 draw on Sunday (Dec 19).
Jurgen Klopp’s side recovered from Harry Kane’s early strike to move in front thanks to goals from Diogo Jota and Andrew Robertson.
But South Korea forward Son equalised after Alisson missed his attempt to cut out Harry Winks’ pass.
Liverpool held on for a point despite having to play the final 13 minutes with 10 men following Robertson’s dismissal for an ugly hack on Emerson Royal.
For the first time in four years, Liverpool won’t be top of the table on Christmas Day.
The Reds are three points behind leaders Manchester City, who thrashed Newcastle 4-0 earlier on Sunday.
After winning their previous eight games in all competitions, Liverpool once again left London frustrated having lost at West Ham and drawn at Brentford this term.
The pulsating encounter was a welcome antidote to the coronavirus mayhem which has engulfed the Premier League, with six games postponed this weekend.
Tottenham had been hit the hardest by Covid, with Liverpool’s visit their first game in a fortnight after matches against Rennes, Brighton and Leicester were postponed.
Nine of Conte’s squad contracted the virus and some of them remain in isolation.
Liverpool weren’t immune either and, just hours before kick-off, Thiago Alcantara tested positive, while Jordan Henderson was sidelined by a non-Covid illness.
Virgil Van Dijk, Fabinho and Curtis Jones remained absent having missed Thursday’s win against Newcastle after testing positive.
Despite so many missing stars, Liverpool made a menacing start but Kane had the perfect response in the 13th minute.
Racing onto Tanguy Ndombele’s pin-point pass into the Liverpool area, Kane guided a clinical finish into the far corner.
It was only Kane’s second Premier League goal of a difficult season for the England captain, ending a six-game drought in the competition and delivering his first home league goal since May.
Rush of blood
Tottenham should have doubled their lead when Kane lofted a pass towards Son Heung-min, whose stretching effort drifted inches wide.
A feisty affair grew more heated after Kane was only booked for a studs-up foul on Robertson that could easily have been a red card.
Dele Alli, making his first start under Conte, saw his close-range effort tipped around the post by Alisson Becker’s superb save.
Liverpool made Alli pay as Robertson darted into the area and clipped a precise cross towards Jota, who powered a header past Hugo Lloris for his 11th club goal of the season.
Jota appealed in vain for a penalty moments later, going down under heavy contact from Emerson, much to the annoyance of Klopp, who was booked for his protests.
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s fierce half-volley was repelled by Lloris before Kane squandered a great chance early in the second half.
Alli’s pass found Kane 10 yards from goal, but the striker couldn’t get enough lift on his shot and Alisson saved at his feet.
Kane was off-target again with an even easier opportunity, this time a header from point-blank range that he somehow nodded over to leave Conte holding his head in disbelief.
Liverpool made the most of their good fortune to move in front after 69 minutes.
Seconds after Alexander-Arnold’s push on Alli failed to yield a Tottenham penalty, the right-back popped up with a driven cross that Robertson headed home from close-range.
But Alisson’s rush of blood gifted Tottenham a point five minutes later when he charged out of his area and missed Winks’ pass, leaving Son with the simple task of slotting into the empty net.
Robertson became the first Liverpool player to be sent off in 113 games in the 77th minute.
Initially booked for his foul on Emerson, Robertson saw red after Paul Tierney changed his decision following a VAR check.
-AFP
Liverpool will have to wait for a few more days to be crowned Premier League champions despite a 1-0 victory at Leicester City after Arsenal kept their slender hopes just about alive with a 4-0 romp at 10-man Ipswich Town on Sunday.
Trent Alexander-Arnold came off the bench to score Liverpool’s winner in the 76th minute at the King Power Stadium to restore their 13-point lead at the top with five games left.
While Liverpool can almost taste a record-equalling 20th English crown, Leicester’s defeat confirmed their relegation back to the Championship after just one season.
The Midlands club have now been relegated from England’s top flight a record 13 times.
Chelsea secured a massive win in their bid to qualify for the Champions League as they came from behind to beat Fulham 2-1 at Craven Cottage with Pedro Neto scoring in stoppage time.
The win pushed Chelsea above Nottingham Forest in to fifth place, the last spot for qualification to the Champions League, although Forest play at Tottenham Hotspur on Monday.
Chelsea have 57 points from 33 games, two behind third-placed Newcastle United and one behind Manchester City. Forest and Aston Villa are level with Chelsea on 57 points.
Wolverhampton Wanderers guaranteed their safety as they beat Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford. Pablo Sarabia’s stunning free kick wrapped up a fifth successive league win, the first time Wolves have achieved that in the top flight since 1970.
Liverpool were wasteful at Leicester with numerous chances going begging and Mohamed Salah suffering a frustrating afternoon including hitting both posts with an early shot.
Salah hit the woodwork again moments before the ball came out to Alexander-Arnold who fired a left-footed shot through the crowd to give his side the points — ripping off his shirt and celebrating wildly with the travelling fans.
“We just keep going, mentally we’re really strong,” manager Arne Slot, whose side could be crowned champions if Arsenal lose at home to Crystal Palace on Wednesday, told Sky Sports.
“They enjoy playing football and it helps when you are playing for something special. Today (Alexander-Arnold) knows when it matters most he can just bring a bit more which is something all the top, top players have.”
DISTANT SECOND
If Arsenal avoid defeat by Palace, Slot’s side will seal the title if they beat Tottenham Hotspur at home next Sunday.
“We will focus on Tottenham and looking forward again to a home game and I think the stadium will be full,” Slot, who can become the first Dutch manager to win the English title, said. “It’s a nice game to look forward to.”
Liverpool have 79 points with Arsenal a distant second on 66. Arsenal may have their eyes now on a Champions League semi-final against Paris St Germain, but they showed against Ipswich they will not hand over the title to Liverpool.
Leandro Trossard opened the scoring early on and Gabriel Martinelli made it 2-0 after a delightful flick by Mikel Merino.
Ipswich were reduced to 10 men before halftime as Leif Davis crudely raked his studs down the back of Bukayo Saka’s calf and the second half was academic.
Trossard grabbed his second in the 69th minute and Ethan Nwaneri added a late fourth to leave Ipswich stuck in 18th place on 21 points. They will be relegated if they drop points again or 17th-placed West Ham United pick up one more point from their remaining five games.
Chelsea were heading for a damaging defeat at neighbours Fulham as the hosts led with Alex Iwobi’s 20th-minute goal.
Substitute Tyrique George equalised with an instinctive shot in the 83rd minute, his first Premier League goal, before winger Neto swivelled and unleashed a thunderous strike in stoppage time to send the away fans wild.
Manchester United reached the Europa League semi-final with an astonishing comeback win against French club Olympique Lyonnais on Thursday but their Premier League woes returned against Wolves.
They are in 14th place and have now lost eight Premier League home games this season, their most defeats at Old Trafford in a league campaign since 1962-63.
“Wolves scored in the only opportunity they had. we had many chances, and we didn’t score. If you don’t score goals, you are not going to win games,” manager Ruben Amorim said.
-Reuters
Egyptian outlet, Ahram, has reported that Mohamed Salah has signed a new contract with Liverpool, extending his stay at Anfield beyond the 2024-25 season as he prepares for what could be the final chapter of a storied career with the club.
While the terms of the agreement were not disclosed, British media reports indicate the 32-year-old forward has signed a two-year extension, keeping him at the club until at least 2027.
Salah, who joined Liverpool from AS Roma in 2017, has become a modern-day icon at Anfield.
The Egyptian international has scored 243 goals in 394 appearances—third on the club’s all-time scorers list—and has helped the Reds secure seven major trophies, including the Premier League and Champions League titles.
“I had my best years here,” Salah told the club’s website. “Hopefully it’s going to be 10. I signed because I believe we can still win big trophies together.”
He has maintained his prolific form this season, scoring 32 goals and providing 22 assists in 45 appearances across all competitions. His 27 Premier League goals currently lead the division.
During his time with Liverpool, Salah has won the Premier League Golden Boot three times, been named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year twice, and claimed two FWA Footballer of the Year awards.
Now entering the latter stages of his career, Salah remains focused on adding more silverware to his collection and further cementing his legacy at Liverpool.
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Leicester City’s Jeremy Monga, who became the second-youngest Premier League player when he made his senior debut in Monday’s 3-0 loss to Newcastle United, had to wear a blank shirt because it is sponsored by an online cryptocurrency gaming platform.
Britain’s Gambling Act 2005, which underwent a review in 2020, prohibits players under 18 from wearing kits displaying gambling sponsors. Monga, an England U16 international, made his senior debut at 15 years 271 days old.
Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri remains the youngest Premier League player in history, having debuted in the competition when he was 90 days younger than Monga.
Leicester, who suffered an eighth straight loss in the league without scoring a goal, are 19th in the standings, 15 points below the safety zone.
-Reuters
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