The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Premier League title race gets a lot tighter when Arsenal beats Liverpool after errors
Arsenal benefited from two second-half errors from Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker to claim a 3-1 victory over the Premier League leaders Sunday. Arsenal moved up to second place, two points behind Liverpool, after 23 of 38 games in what might shape up to be a three-way fight for the title.
Manchester City is in third place, five points behind Liverpool but with two games in hand, and likely will be happy with the result at Emirates Stadium. City is at Brentford today.
Liverpool lost for just the second time, with the other also coming in north London — at Tottenham. If that defeat was in contentious circumstances, this one was of Liverpool’s own making because of the nature of Arsenal’s crucial second goal in the 67th that made it 2-1.
Alisson, widely seen as the league’s best goalkeeper, came out of his area in an attempt to clear a long pass forward, but kicked air and the ball hit the back of covering defender Virgil van Dijk. Gabriel Martinelli had the simple task of tapping the loose ball into an empty net.
The same Liverpool players had a role in a stoppage-time third, too, with Leandro Trossard’s shot deflecting off the outstretched boot of Van Dijk and going through the legs of Alisson as he tried to make the save at his near post. Liverpool was down to 10 men at that point after Ibrahima Konate was sent off for two yellow cards.
Bukayo Saka gave Arsenal the lead in the 14th minute; Liverpool tied it after Arsenal defender Gabriel scored an own-goal when the ball struck his hand and flew into the net.
■ Rasmus Hojlund marked his 21st birthday by scoring for the fourth consecutive league game, sending Manchester United on its way to a 3-0 win against West Ham at Old Trafford.
■ The pressure is back on Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino after a second consecutive big loss, this time 4-2 at home to Wolverhampton. It came four days after a 4-1 loss to Liverpool. Matheus Cunha scored a hat trick for Wolves.
■ U.S. midfielder Gio Reyna made his debut for Nottingham Forest as a second-half substitute in a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth.
MESSI MESS: Hong Kong fans and government officials expressed disappointment Sunday as Lionel Messi stayed on the bench for the full 90 minutes while Inter Miami defeated Hong Kong XI 4-1 in the latest stop on the MLS team’s preseason Asian tour. Messi has a hamstring strain and did not play. Fans, who snapped up more than 38,000 tickets within an hour of them going on sale in December, could be heard booing in the late stages of the game and at the final whistle.