Liverpool’s title hopes suffer blow at Everton

Jarrad Branthwaite and Dominic CalvertLewin have blasted a hole in Liverpool's English Premier League title challenge as Everton powered their way to a priceless derby victory.

Goals from the two men either side of halftime secured a 2-0 win – a first over Everton’s arch-rivals at Goodison Park in almost 14 years – which lifted them eight points clear of the relegation zone with four games remaining.

For Liverpool, manager Jurgen Klopp’s much-celebrated ‘last dance’ took a further turn for the worse after the club’s Europa League exit at the hands of Atalanta last week.

Klopp’s side now sits three points adrift of leaders Arsenal and only one clear of third-placed Manchester City, who have two games in hand.

Bruno Fernandes produced a captain’s performance to spare Manchester United’s blushes against rock-bottom Sheffield United. Three days after making hard work of their FA Cup semifinal triumph against Championship side Coventry, the Red Devils toiled again and trailed at Old Trafford to goals from Jayden Bogle and, after Harry Maguire had levelled, Ben Brereton Diaz.

But Fernandes equalised from the penalty spot as the Blades conceded a 90th goal of the season – the most ever in a 38-match Premier League campaign – and then fired home an 81st-minute rocket from 25 yards before setting up Rasmus Hojlund to make it 4-2.

That lifted his side back into the top six at the expense of Newcastle, after JeanPhilippe Mateta scored for a fifth consecutive home match to fire Crystal Palace to an impressive 2-0 win over Eddie Howe’s side.

It was a deserved victory for Oliver Glasner’s team and continued their resurgence under the Austrian, with this a third success in a row after notable recent wins over West Ham and Liverpool.In the other match yesterday, 10-man Bournemouth eased into the top half of the table with a 1-0 win at Wolves.