Liverpool bag seven goals
Stylish way to end five-match run without victory
It’s like the clock has been wound back 35 years with Liverpool and Everton as the English league frontrunners. Seeing Liverpool at the top of the Premier League is a more familiar sight. A 7-0 rout of Crystal Palace yesterday was the type of ruthless attacking display that helped Jurgen Klopp end the team’s 30-year title drought last season.
Everton haven’t won the league since 1985 and 1987 when they sandwiched a runner-up season to their neighbour.
A 2-1 victory over Arsenal was Everton’s third success in eight days, taking Carlo Ancelotti’s side to second, five points behind the champions.
Everton could be overtaken by Tottenham or Leicester, who met overnight. Staying in the top four would be significant not only as a sporting achievement but also financially for Everton, given the club reported losses of £140 million ($265m) in the last financial year — in part due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We are not in this moment playing fantastic attacking football,” Ancelotti said. “But the spirit of the team is really strong.”
An emphatic victory at Palace was a stylish way to end a five-game winless run for Liverpool, who could even start with Mohamed Salah on the bench.
The league’s top scorer still managed two goals after coming on in the second half, and set up one of Roberto Firmino’s double.
Salah was one of seven players to provide the assists — starting with Sadio Mane for Takumi Minamino inside two minutes, allowing the Japan forward to net his first Premier League goal a year after his transfer.
Firmino set up Mane to net on the turn in the 35th before scoring himself before halftime after being released by Andy Robertson.
Jordan Henderson curled the fourth into the top corner early in the second half after meeting Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cutback.
Salah’s entry from the bench started with an assist for Firmino to chip keeper Vicente Guaita in the 68th.
Salah had to wait until the 81st to score himself, nodding in after Joel Matip headed on a corner. The Egyptian curled his 13th of the league into the top left after being set up by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who made his first appearance since July following a knee injury.
At the other end of the ladder, Arsenal are in an even worse state than when Mikel Arteta took charge last December. The London club are five places worse off in 15th.
It’s seven games without a win in the league for Arteta, with Yerry Mina’s header close to halftime Everton’s only shot on target, but enough to seal the victory after Rob Holding’s own-goal opener was cancelled out by Nicolas Pepe’s penalty.
“It’s complicated,” said Arteta, who replaced Unai Emery. “Our conversion rate has been really low and it’s something that we have to improve dramatically. Then we need a little bit of luck.”
After back-to-back draws, Manchester City collected three points thanks to Raheem Sterling scoring from Kevin De Bruyne’s cross at Southampton, who had lost only one of their previous 11 games.
Newcastle recovered a 1-1 draw with Fulham after Callum Wilson converted a penalty in the 64th minute after being fouled by Joachim Andersen, who was sent off.
Matt Ritchie’s own-goal in the 42nd minute allowed Fulham to go in front. Fulham are out of the relegation zone only due to a superior goal difference, while Newcastle are eight points higher up the standings in 12th place.