City bid to stop march of Reds in crucial clash

MANCHESTER: For Juergen Klopp, Sunday’s top-of-the-table Premier League clash with Manchester City is “business as usual, just a big game”. For Phil Foden, it is a one every player would want to be involved in. Between these extremes, Liverpool travel to City trailing by a point in the battle for the Premier League title.

If defending champions City win, they would be four points ahead with seven games left. If Liverpool win, it will be their 11th successive victory in the league, they will be two in front with all things being equal. It will be the culmination of a chase that began last year, a gap that once was 14 points albeit with City having played two more.

Key statistics provided by Nielsen’s Gracenote showed victory for City would improve their chances of retaining the title to 86% while an away win for Liverpool would give them a 68% chance of reclaiming it.

“To be 100% honest, I think they are the best football team in the world but they have only one point more than us in this time, so obviously we did something right,” said Klopp.

City star Foden thinks it will be an interesting game. “Two teams fighting for the Premier League, very close on points,” he told Sky Sports. “It’s the biggest game and the game that all footballers want to play in. I think there (are) going to be a lot of neutrals watching it as well. It’s going to be an entertaining game. Both teams are going at it and it’s not over with this game and there’s going to be lots of ups and downs, I believe, before the end of the season.”

The two teams were involved in a similar title race three years ago when City pipped Liverpool by a point on the final day.

Everton stun United 1-0; Arsenal slip as Blues win

LONDON: Relegation-threatened Everton earned a priceless win against misfiring Manchester United on Saturday as Chelsea hammered Southampton 6-0 on a potentially decisive day in the race for the top four.

The decisive moment in Everton’s 1-0 win came midway through the first half when Anthony Gordon hit a shot that took a huge deflection off Harry Maguire and wrong-footed David de Gea in the United goal.

Arsenal stumbled again, losing 2-1 against Brighton while Leeds pulled further away from the drop zone with an emphatic 3-0 win against Watford.

Other key results: La Liga: Mallorca beat Atletico Madrid 1-0; Serie A: Inter Milan beat Verona 2-0; Bundesliga: Bayern Munich beat

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