Liverpool go top, Spurs hold City

The video assistant referee denied Manchester City another crucial late goal in their latest wild match against Tottenham as the English Premier League champions dropped points for the first time in their title defence.

Gabriel Jesus thought he scored a winning goal in the second minute of injury time at Etihad Stadium, only for VAR – new to the league this season – to rule the ball reached the striker off the hand of Aymeric Laporte as the City defender stretched to head it.

The match finished 2-2, with the final whistle greeted with loud boos inside the ground.

Rewind four months and almost the exact same thing happened to City, that time in a Champions League match against Spurs. On that occasion, Raheem Sterling had a goal disallowed for offside by VAR in the third minute of injury time, denying City a place in the semifinals.

City manager Pep Guardiola will wonder how his team didn’t win.

Twice taking the lead in the first half, through Sterling and then Sergio Aguero, City were twice pegged back by Tottenham, first by Erik Lamela and then by Lucas Moura 14 seconds after he entered the field as a substitute.

The diminutive Brazil winger ran straight toward the penalty area to line up for his team’s corner and rose highest – somewhat improbably – to send a glancing header looping into the net in the

56th minute.

The result leaves City two points behind Liverpool, the team expected again to be their biggest rivals for the title.

Liverpool beat Southampton

2-1 earlier despite a howler from Spanish goalkeeper Adrian which set up a nervy finish.

Teemu Pukki scored a division-high 29 goals to proper Norwich to the second-tier Championship title last season.

He cannot stop scoring in the Premier League, either.

Meanwhile, after his consolation goal at Anfield on the opening weekend, the Finland striker added another three in dismantling sorry Newcastle 3-1 as topflight football returned to Carrow Road.

Another striker to have started the season strongly is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has grabbed winning goals in each of Arsenal’s first two games.

A week after scoring the only goal at Newcastle, Aubameyang led Arsenal to a 2-1 win over Burnley.

In other matches, Everton pipped Watford 1-0, Bournemouth beat Aston Villa 2-1 while Brighton and West Ham drew 1-1.