Liverpool goes 16 points clear by beating Man United 2-0
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND >> Mohamed Salah ripped off his Liverpool jersey at a freezing Anfield after completing a 2-0 victory over Manchester United in stoppage time on Sunday and rousing fans on the Kop to sing: “We’re gonna win the league.”
It’s been a 30-year wait but there is no longer any trepidation from the Liverpool supporters as their team has moved 16 points in front at the Premier League summit.
“Now you’re gonna believe us,” they chanted.
It took Salah getting on the end of goalkeeper Alisson’s inspired long ball with the final whistle about to blow for the Liverpool title party to begin with four months of the season remaining.
Although Liverpool only held a slender lead heading into stoppage time — after Virgil van Dijk’s 14th minute header from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s corner — the ineffective United attack meant this victory never appeared in doubt.
Even with Liverpool unbeaten through 22 rounds and with a game in hand, the players aren’t as bullish as their fans in declaring the title a done deal.
“I think everyone wants us to say something about it but we won’t,” Van Dijk said. “In the squad we cannot, and we won’t. It is one game at a time.”
NO. 11 LOUISVILLE 79, NO. 3 DUKE 73 >> Freshman David Johnson had a season-high 19 points, and Louisville topped Duke in a key matchup in the Atlantic Coast Conference’s regular-season title chase.
Malik Williams made two free throws with 16 seconds left and followed immediately with a transition dunk off a turnover, a sequence that all but sealed a grind-it-out win for the Cardinals (15-3, 6-1) in the Blue Devils’ famously hostile home arena.
Freshman Cassius Stanley had season highs of 24 points and 11 rebounds for the Blue Devils (15-3, 5-2), who shot just 37% for the game and made only 6 of 25 3-pointers.
FLORIDA 69, NO. 4 AUBURN 47 >> Florida’s Omar Payne had the best game of his college career, finishing with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Payne, a freshman from Kissimmee, was widely considered an afterthought in Florida’s highly touted recruiting class. Against the Tigers, he looked like a future lottery pick.
The 6-foot-10 forward dominated in the paint, scoring on tip-ins, putbacks and layups, and creating a mismatch nightmare for Auburn (15-2, 3-2 Southeastern Conference). His three-point play put Florida (12-5, 4-1) up by 14 with a little more than 4 minutes to play.
Danjel Purifoy was the only player in double figures for Auburn, which shot 25.5% from the field. He had 10 points. DEPAUL 79, NO. 5 BUTLER 66 >> Paul Reed scored 23 points on 8-of-9 shooting, leading DePaul to the victory.
The Blue Demons (13-5, 1-4 Big East) knocked off a top-five team for the first time since beating No. 5 Kansas on Dec. 2, 2006. Jalen Coleman-Lands scored 20 points, and freshman Romeo Weems finished with 11.
Butler (15-3, 3-2) trailed by double digits for the entire second half of its second straight loss. Kamar Baldwin led the Bulldogs with 16 points, and Jordan Tucker had 13.