Nerves jangling at both ends of Premier League
Liverpool closed the gap on Premier League leaders Manchester City to one point as the quadruple chasers pushed Everton deeper into relegation trouble with a 2-0 win last Sunday (Apr 24).
Jurgen Klopp’s side had to work hard to break Everton’s stubborn resistence in a fractious Merseyside derby at Anfield and couldn’t muster a shot on target until Scotland defender Andrew Robertson scored with a second-half header.
Divock Origi’s late strike ensured Liverpool kept the pressure on champions City, who had crushed Watford 5-1 on Saturday to move four points clear at the top.
With five games left for both Liverpool and City, the title race looks destined to go down to the wire.
“A football game has two halves, thank God,” Klopp said. “In the first half, we didn’t pass quick enough. At half-time, I told the players it was easy to improve. We had to work hard for it, but all good.”
Everton have lost eight successive away games for the first time since 1948 and are in grave danger of relegation to the Championship.
Frank Lampard’s men were dumped into the relegation zone by Burnley’s 1-0 win against Wolves earlier in the day.
They sit two points behind Burnley with a game in hand as they try to avoid playing in the second tier for the first time since 1954.
Elsewhere, Chelsea eased their topfour anxieties with a late 1-0 against West Ham.
The Blues looked set for more angst on home turf when Jorginho’s penalty was saved by Lukasz Fabianski.
But Christian Pulisic came off the bench to score for third-placed Chelsea, lifting them, at time of press, five points clear of fourth-placed Arsenal and seven clear of fifth-placed Spurs in the fight to qualify for next season’s Champions League via a top four finish.
“It feels like a giant step. It was necessary and I’m glad,” Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel said after the game.
Arsenal had overcome Manchester United 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, further exposing the latter’s frailties after they had been hammered 4-0 by Liverpool four days previous.
At time of press, United remain in sixth-place, six points adrift of the Gunners having played a game more, and interim boss Ralf Rangnick admitted their hopes of a top-four finish are now over.
“For me even before that game it was not very likely, but after today’s result the top four is gone,” he said.
Newcastle’s fine form since being able to splash the cash of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund in January continued as Joelinton scored twice in a 3-0 win at bottom-of-the-table Norwich.
Bruno Guimaraes was also on target as the Magpies climbed into ninth in the table.