Offside call frustrates Liverpool in tie with Everton, City shuts down Arsenal
Powerhouse teams square off in important early season Premier League games
MANCHESTER, England — Liverpool was left frustrated after a 2-2 tie at Everton in the Merseyside derby on Saturday with the video assistant referee ruling out a potential winner from Jordan Henderson in stoppage time and key defender Virgil van Dijk suffering a knee injury.
Raheem Sterling grabbed the winner as Manchester City beat Arsenal 1-0 in their Premier League clash at The Etihad, and a late equalizer from Jannik Vestergaard earned Southampton a 3-3 draw away to Chelsea.
Meanwhile, visiting Manchester United downed Newcastle United 4-1 later on Saturday.
Liverpool, still smarting from a 7-2 mauling at Aston Villa before the international break, got the perfect start in the third minute when Sadio Mane put them ahead, driving home a low cross from Andy Robertson.
Centre-back Van Dijk, so central to Liverpool's defensive solidity last season, then had to go off injured after a reckless challenge from home goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
Carlo Ancelotti's Everton side soon took advantage of the Dutchman's absence when from a corner defender Michael Keane rose at the near post to power a header past keeper Adrian in the 19th minute.
Mohamed Salah restored Liverpool's lead in the 72nd but early season pacesetters Everton drew level nine minutes later with a header by Dominic Calvert-Lewin, the England striker's 10th goal in seven games in all competitions this season.
Everton's Brazil forward Richarlison was then sent off in the 90th minute after a wild challenge on Thiago Alcantara.
Liverpool thought they had won the game in stoppage time through Henderson but VAR ruled that Mane was narrowly offside and the goal was chalked off.
“The picture I saw now on the laptop, there is no armpit,
there is nothing, we are just not offside,” said Liverpool's bemused manager Juergen Klopp.
“Since then I had around 10 interviews and everybody tells me it was not offside and that doesn't lift my mood, obviously,” added the German.
Everton remain top of the table on 13 points, three ahead of second-placed Liverpool.
TACTICAL ENCOUNTER
Man City's Pep Guardiola came up against his former assistant Mikel Arteta at The Etihad and perhaps not surprisingly it was a tactical encounter won by a calm finish from Sterling.
Sterling slotted home the only goal in the 23rd minute after a Phil Foden shot was parried by Arsenal keeper Bernd Leno at the end of a flowing Manchester City
counterattack.
But City had their keeper Ederson to thank after he was quick off his line to deny Bakary Sako and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
“Ederson is an incredible keeper for us,” said Guardiola. “He is fantastic as a professional. He is so good. They were two incredible saves.”
Southampton came from behind twice at Chelsea despite Timo Werner scoring two skilful individual goals for
the home side, his first strikes in the Premier League.
Werner opened the scoring with a clever goal in the 15th minute and another in the 28th when he lobbed advancing keeper Alex McCarthy and then headed into the empty goal.
The German striker should have had a third in the 40th minute but he blazed the ball over the bar, and three minutes later Southampton pulled one back when Danny
Ings rounded keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga to score.
Southampton's positive approach was rewarded in the 57th minute when Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma misjudged a backpass and Kepa missed the ball which Che Adams blasted home.
The hosts struck back immediately with a wellworked goal, the influential Werner crossing for Kai Havertz, but the Saints struck again in added time.