Liverpool go up, Cardiff go down
● An 86th-minute header from substitute Divock Origi kept Liverpool’s Premier League title bid alive with a 3-2 win at Newcastle United yesterday.
The result leaves Liverpool with a twopoint advantage over Manchester City but Pep Guardiola’s team have two games remaining, including tomorrow’s home match with Leicester City, and Liverpool have one.
Virgil Van Dijk headed Liverpool in front in the 13th minute, but seven minutes later Newcastle levelled through Christian Atsu.
Liverpool restored their lead in the 28th minute when Daniel Sturridge, starting in place of the injured Roberto Firmino, backheeled the ball from the corner to Trent Alexander-Arnold and the fullback’s cross was expertly turned in by Mohamed Salah.
Newcastle were in no mood to roll over though and nine minutes after the break they drew level when Liverpool failed to clear a corner and Salomon Rondon’s brilliant fierce left foot drive beat the helpless Alisson Becker to make it 2-2.
But Origi rose at the near post to head in a Xherdan Shaqiri free-kick.
Mauricio Pochettino insisted that nineman Tottenham won’t let a “cruel” 1-0 defeat at Bournemouth ruin their bid to finish in the top four and reach the Champions League final, and Cardiff were relegated after their 3-2 defeat against Crystal Palace.
Tottenham’s South Korea forward Son Heung-min was sent off for a needless push in the closing moments of the first half and Argentine defender Juan Foyth saw red for a studs-up lunge soon after the interval.
Fourth-placed Chelsea will now go above Spurs if they defeat Watford and Arsenal, currently fifth, will move to within a point of their north London rivals if they beat Brighton today.
Cardiff needed a win to have a realistic chance of beating the drop on the last day of the season, but they were outclassed by Palace in south Wales.
Wilfried Zaha put Palace ahead in the 28th minute before Martin Kelly’s own goal three minutes later gave Cardiff hope.
Michy Batshuayi restored Palace’s lead in the 40th minute and Andros Townsend made it three after 70 minutes, with Bobby Reid’s 90th minute goal little consolation.
It won’t be a season fondly remembered by Cardiff, relegation coming after the tragic death of striker Emiliano Sala, who died in a plane crash en route to Wales.
In their first season back in the top flight, Wolves moved closer to sealing an impressive seventh-place finish as Leander Dendoncker clinched a 1-0 win over Fulham.
If Manchester City win the FA Cup final against Watford on May 18, the team which finishes seventh will go into the Europa League qualifying rounds next season.
In the 88th minute Fulham provided an historic footnote as Harvey Elliott was sent on to become the Premier League’s youngest ever player at 16 years and 30 days.
Marko Arnautovic ended his 11-game goal drought with a brace in West Ham’s 3-0 win against Southampton at London Stadium. -Reuters