Liverpool sack Rodgers
LIVERPOOL sacked manager Brendan Rodgers after a 1-1 draw at Everton yesterday and Alexis Sanchez’s stunning double inspired Arsenal to a 3-0 win over Manchester United, ending a chaotic weekend in the English Premier League.
Staying unbeaten in Merseyside derbies failed to prevent Rodgers paying the price for Liverpool’s slump since almost winning the league title in 2014. His sacking came a few hours after Dick Advocaat resigned as manager of second-from-bottom Sunderland.
‘‘Ambition and winning are at the heart of what we want to bring to Liverpool and we believe this change gives us the best opportunity to deliver it,’’ Liverpool’s American owners Fenway Sports Group said, with the team 10th in the league.
Liverpool’s announcement overshadowed a dominant performance by Arsenal, as the London club knocked United off the top of the standings. With a mixture of panache and power, Sanchez produced two superb finishes returnig a smile to the face of manager Arsene Wenger.
Arsenal scored all three goals in the first 20 minutes, with Sanchez taking his personal haul to six goals in three games with a deft backheel flick and a pile-driver from the edge of the area. It meant United’s return to the top of the league – the first time in 110 weeks – was a brief one as Manchester City regained first place thanks to their 6-1 win over Newcastle on Sunday.
For Wenger, it was the ideal riposte to critics who questioned his team selection – and his players’ temperament in big games – after a damaging loss to Olympiakos in the Champions League midweek.
His attackers exposed United’s weakness at fullback in a strong start to the game, before Wenger’s tactical tweaks in midfield stifled a resurgence from United in the second half.