Liverpool labour for win at home

Liverpool kept alive their bid to finish the Premier League season with a perfect home record after labouring to a 2-0 win against relegationthreatened Aston Villa yesterday in their first match at Anfield since winning the title.

A 17th straight home victory this season – and surely the most underwhelming – was secured by goals from Sadio Mane in the 71st minute and substitute Curtis Jones in the 89th.

Three days after Liverpool lost 4-0 at Manchester City in their first match as champions, Jurgen Klopp’s team again lacked the intensity, snap and precision that brought it the title in such devastating fashion.

However, it was enough to earn the Reds one of the five wins they need to beat the record season points total in the Premier League of 100, set by Manchester City in 2017-18.

Wins over Burnley and Chelsea at Anfield over the next two weeks will see Liverpool complete the season with 19 victories out of 19, for a 100 per cent home record that has never been achieved in the Premier League.

Che Adams scored from a spectacular long-range lob for his first goal for Southampton to earn a surprising 1-0 win over Manchester City. Adams pounced on a loose ball after City defender Oleksandr Zinchenko was dispossessed. Adams struck a curling first-time effort from around 40m that sailed over stranded goalkeeper Ederson Moraes and into an unguarded net in the 16th minute.

Sheffield United’s unlikely hopes of qualifying for the Champions League were further reduced after a 1-1 draw at Burnley. New Zealand striker Chris Wood made a return for Burnley off the substitutes bench in the 69th minute in his first game since the EPL shutdown due to an Achilles tendon injury.