Category: Football

Erling Haaland scored four as Manchester City closed to within three games of an unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League title by thrashing Wolves 5-1 at the Etihad.

Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Bournemouth earlier on Saturday had opened up a four-point lead for the Gunners.

But City showed no signs of feeling the pressure as they cut the gap back to one point and have three matches remaining to Arsenal’s two.

Erling Haaland has faced criticism for not matching the standards of his stunning first season in Manchester, when he scored 52 goals as City won the treble.

However, the Norwegian took his tally for this season to 36 goals in 41 appearances with a devastating display of finishing.

Haaland was restored to Pep Guardiola’s starting line-up after coming off the bench to score against Nottingham Forest last weekend on his return from injury.

Wolves had inflicted one of City’s just three Premier League defeats this season.

But the visitors were blown away as Guardiola’s men extended their unbeaten home streak to 43 games.

Wolves felt fortune also did not go their way as Haaland converted two first-half penalties.

Josko Gvardiol was wiped out by Rayan Ait-Nouri for the first spot-kick after the Croatian’s shot flew off target and Haaland sent Jose Sa the wrong way to open the floodgates.

The Manchester City striker then rose highest to power home a header from Rodri’s hanging cross to the back post.

Erling Haaland looked set to complete his hat-trick when he raced through in first-half stoppage time only to be clipped by Nelson Semedo.

Referee Craig Pawson initially waved play on, but overturned his decision after a VAR review.

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Haaland showed no mercy to fire home his second hat-trick in as many appearances against Wolves at the Etihad.

Any suggestion City could rack up a huge score to chip away at their goal difference deficit compared to Arsenal was punctured as Wolves pulled a goal back early in the second period.

Ederson flapped at a cross from the right to tee up Hwang Hee-Chan perfectly to fire into an unguarded net.

Yet, City’s three-goal cushion was restored in spectacular fashion within a minute.

Phil Foden’s long ball over the top picked out Haaland, who cut onto his lethal left foot and picked out the top corner.

Erling Haaland’s four-goal haul looks to have settled the race for the Golden Boot as his 25 Premier League goals are now five more than Alexander Isak and Cole Palmer.

There could even have been more for City’s number nine, who has twice before scored five in one game since arriving in England.

Sa made a spectacular save to deny Haaland matching that feat once more.

And the 23-year-old was left less than impressed with Guardiola’s decision to hand him a rest for the final eight minutes when he was replaced by Julian Alvarez.

The Argentine rounded off the scoring by finding the far corner from Rodri’s pass.

Manchester City are now unbeaten in 19 Premier League games and their only dropped points since February came in draws against title rivals Arsenal and Liverpool.

The defending champions travel to Fulham and Tottenham in their next two games before hosting West Ham on the final day of the season.

Arsenal must hope there is one more twist in the title race to come if they are to end a 20-year wait to win the league.

But City show no signs of slipping up in their quest to become the first side to ever win four consecutive English top-flight titles.

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Bayer Leverkusen have one foot in the Europa League final after winning 2-0 at Roma on Thursday to extend their remarkable unbeaten run to 47 matches.

Goals in each half from Florian Wirtz and Robert Andrich ensured victory for Xabi Alonso’s men in the Italian capital and gave the Bundesliga champions a great chance of reaching the final in Dublin later this month.

Leverkusen will meet either Atalanta or Marseille in Ireland should they hold out in Germany next week, and on the evidence of their performance in Rome, they will be firm favourites to win their first European trophy since the old UEFA Cup in 1988.

Alonso’s team have needed a string of last-gasp goals to keep their unbeaten run going in recent weeks but there was no need for any frantic finishes in the Italian capital as Leverkusen’s superiority was fully on display.

“We had a lot of chances to score a third but they also had a good chance to cut the deficit right at the end. We’re happy with the result,” Alonso told reporters.

“We fought hard, played very well and were very disciplined. For us that means a lot but we still have a lot to do.”

Roma face a huge task if they are to reach a third European final in as many years after barely troubling Matej Kovar’s goal after Romelu Lukaku struck the woodwork early on.

But Daniele De Rossi’s team would have had a lifeline had substitute Tammy Abraham not headed over in front of an open goal deep in stoppage time.

“We played against a good team and if you go behind against them it becomes very difficult,” De Rossi told Sky. “We’ve managed to score early in games before and get things going our way. Let’s say it was a bit different tonight.”

“We had an incredible chance right at then end which would have given us a different outlook for the return leg.”

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Roma are also in a dogfight to reach next season’s revamped Champions League in Serie A while Leverkusen remains on course for a Bundesliga, German Cup and Europa League treble.

Leverkusen started with Victor Boniface and former Roma man Patrik Schick on the bench as Alonso, who is gunning for an unbeaten season, started with a conservative line-up.

It was a cagey affair until Lukaku headed onto the crossbar in the 22nd minute after Leandro Paredes did brilliantly to bring down an overhit corner and hook the ball back for the Belgium forward.

Moments later the away fans briefly roared with celebration as Jeremie Frimpong slipped clean through a dozing Roma backline and lifted his finish into the side netting.

But the Leverkusen fans didn’t have to wait long to see their side take the lead, and it was another Roma slip-up which allowed it to happen in the 28th minute.

Rick Karsdorp cleaned up after Chris Smalling misjudged a header but his weak back pass allowed Alejandro Grimaldo to set up Wirtz for a simple finish.

The hosts were lucky not to be two down five minutes later when Frimpong flashed wide from a great position.

Roma looked shaky every time Leverkusen came forward and after Smalling gave away a cheap corner under pressure from Amine Adli the home defence left Piero Hincapie free to head over the bar six minutes after the break.

Bryan Cristante lanced a great chance wide from Paulo Dybala’s corner but Roma’s fans were finally deflated in the 73rd minute by Andrich’s brilliant strike which put the tie firmly in Leverkusen’s hands.

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Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior scored a double, including an 83rd-minute equalising penalty, to snatch a 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich on Tuesday that puts the Spanish side in the driving seat for the return leg of the Champions League semi-final.

Vinicius gave Real the lead after 24 minutes of the first leg but Bayern scored twice in four second-half minutes to wrestle back control, Leroy Sane with a stunning opener and Harry Kane converting a penalty.

Kim Min-jae fouled Rodrygo in the box with eight minutes remaining and Vinicius stepped up, drowning out a chorus of boos and whistles to blast home.

“In this competition, it’s important not to lose, and we’re here because we haven’t lost yet,” said Vinicius.

“I’m very happy that I was able score two goals, and now we need to have a magical night at home,” he added.

The draw makes Madrid favourites to progress in next week’s return leg at the Santiago Bernabeu but Bayern, who dominated large parts of the match, will still have hope of making it to the final at Wembley in June.

“It’s a good result for the second leg,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “But nothing has been decided yet.

“Bayern have high quality. They have players like Musiala or Sane who can hurt us.”

“It feels a bit strange,” said Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel.

“But the situation is very clear. Win in Madrid, then off to Wembley. The winner takes it all.

“We will be ready and we accept the fight. We will go to Madrid with self-confidence. We have to be brave.”

Before the match, the Bayern fans unveiled a giant banner depicting Franz Beckenbauer which spanned from the grass to the rafters. It was a fitting tribute on a night featuring the most-played fixture in European Cup history.

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Famed for their composure on the biggest of stages in this competition, 14-time winners Real struggled early on as Bayern dominated possession while spurred on by a ferocious home crowd.

Madrid’s success in this competition this season, including in their quarter-final win over Manchester City, has been built on absorbing pressure before striking.

The visitors repeated the trick for the opener, breaking Bayern’s dominance in a ruthlessly simple fashion while showing the hosts how easy scoring goals can be.

Toni Kroos collected the ball from a corner and drilled a defence-splitting pass along the ground which found Vinicius galloping in acres of space on the edge of the area.

Without a Bayern player in range, Vinicius calmly slotted the opener past a helpless Manuel Neuer, changing the complexion of the match completely.

Bayern, who have six European Cups of their own, were not awed and continued to push but could not break through; their best chance of the remainder of the half came through a free kick, with Kane finding a huge gap in the wall but blasting wide.

With Real seemingly in cruise control, Bayern grabbed hold of the match early in the second half, scoring twice in four minutes.

Eric Dier found Sane down the right flank. The Germany winger, who had missed several chances in the first half, dribbled into the box before unleashing an unstoppable shot. It was his first goal for Bayern in any competition since October.

The hosts’ next attack came down the left, with the ever-dangerous Jamal Musiala felled by Lucas Vazquez in the box. Referee Clement Turpin pointed straight to the spot and Kane duly sent Andriy Lunin the wrong way to take the lead.

With Bayern in control, Real went on the counter-attack and it was Kim’s turn to give away a clumsy penalty, with Vinicius confidently slotting in the equaliser.

“We have to continue with cool heads, rest until next week, and we will give everything to leave the Bernabeu qualified for London,” Vinicius said.

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BARCELONA: Polish striker Robert Lewandowski struck a hat-trick to power the home team to a dominant 4-2 victory over Valencia during their La Liga clash at Estadi Olímpic Lluis Companys on Monday.

Barcelona earned three points and edged past Girona to reach second position, only behind La Liga leaders Real Madrid.

Mid-fielder Fermin Lopez earned the advantage for the home team in 22 minutes as he sent a header into the top corner of the net from near the penalty spot.

However, Valencia’s Hugo Duro levelled the scores four minutes later after an error from goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

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Barcelona made another error in the next ten minutes when Ronald Araujo brought down a Valencia forward and conceded a foul.

Valencia earned the penalty and Pepelu successfully converted to put the visitors ahead.

But Valencia lost their goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili after he was shown a red card, prompting the visiting team to reshuffle their lineup on the stroke of the first half.

This proved costly as Lewandowski hit the equalizer for Barcelona five minutes into the second half after finding Ilkay Gundogan’s corner. The Polish star hit another header in the 82nd minute to end the stalemate.

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Lewandowski completed his hat trick during injury-time with a free-kick into the top left corner.

“I think the team did well… we lacked calmness, tranquillity, but I’m satisfied with the team’s attitude,” Barcelona boss Xavi said after the match.

Barcelona will play their next La Liga match against third-ranked Girona on 4 May.

Girona are chasing Champions League qualification which they could secure with a victory, which could also hand Madrid the title.

“It’ll be a great game, two teams looking to go on the attack,” said Xavi, whose side lost 4-2 at home against Girona in December.

READ: USA, Mexico withdraw joint bid for FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027

The United States of America (USA) and Mexico withdrew their joint bid for the Women’s World Cup 2027 on Monday, just weeks before FIFA is due to vote to award the tournament at a meeting in Bangkok.

In a joint statement from the USA and Mexico football federations, the two governing bodies said they would now switch focus towards mounting a successful bid for the 2031 tournament.

The shock decision comes as FIFA officials prepare to hold a vote at the global governing body’s Congress in Bangkok on May 17 to decide the 2027 hosts.

The USA and Mexico’s withdrawal leaves two rival bids vying for the tournament — a joint bid from Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands and a solo bid from Brazil.

The end of the USA-Mexico bid came after FIFA said earlier on Monday that the 2027 tournament hosts would for the first time be decided by an open vote when the FIFA Congress convenes in Thailand next month.

The USA had been bidding to stage the women’s football flagship event for the third time after hosting the tournament successfully on its own in 1999 and 2003.

Had the USA-Mexico bid for 2027 been successful, it would have meant another large-scale sporting event taking place in North America in what has become a crowded calendar for the region.

The United States, Mexico and Canada are already gearing up to stage the men’s 2026 World Cup, while Los Angeles is preparing to host the 2028 Olympics.

The United States is also due to host next year’s expanded FIFA Club World Cup, and is also staging this year’s 16-team Copa America.

USA Soccer said waiting until 2031 would give tournament organizers more breathing space to plan for the tournament while absorbing lessons from the region’s staging of the 2026 men’s World Cup.

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“Hosting a World Cup tournament is a huge undertaking — and having additional time to prepare allows us to maximize its impact across the globe,” US Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone said in a statement.

“I’m proud of our commitment to provide equitable experiences for the players, fans and all our stakeholders.

“Shifting our bid will enable us to host a record-breaking Women’s World Cup in 2031 that will help to grow and raise the level of the women’s game both here at home as well as across the globe.”

Mexico Football Federation chief Ivar Sisniega echoed Parlow Cone’s position.

“After careful analysis we feel that moving our bid back to 2031 will allow us to promote and build up to the most successful Women’s World Cup ever,” Sisniega said.

“The strength and universality of our professional women’s leagues, coupled with our experience from organizing the 2026 World Cup, means that we will be able to provide the best infrastructure as well as an enthusiastic fan base that will make all the participating teams feel at home and to put together a World Cup that will contribute to the continued growth of women’s football.”

Last year’s Women’s World Cup was held in Australia and New Zealand.

The last time the tournament was held in North America was when Canada hosted in 2015.

The USA are the most successful nation in the women’s game having won the World Cup on four occasions.

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Lionel Messi continued his rich vein of scoring in Major League Soccer (MLS), finding the target twice as league leaders Inter Miami came from behind for a 4-1 win at the New England Revolution on Saturday.

With his brace, Messi, the top scorer in MLS, took his tally to nine goals from seven appearances this season.

A crowd of over 65,612 turned up at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, the stadium the Revolution shared with the NFL’s New England Patriots, to see the Argentine World Cup winner.

New England, who had been hit by a virus in the build-up to the game and bottom of the Eastern Conference, delighted the bumper home crowd after just 40 seconds through an Argentine of their own — Tomas Chancalay.

Miami defender Nicolas Freire gave the ball away to Spanish midfielder Carles Gil who clipped a ball over the top to Chancalay, who spotted Drake Callender well off his line and chipped it over the stranded Miami keeper for the opening goal.

Messi got Miami back on level terms in the 32nd minute when he was found by Robert Taylor’s through pass and the 36-year-old made no mistake, slotting home.

The eight-times Ballon d’Or winner struck again to put Miami ahead in the 68th minute when he collected a superb defence-splitting pass from his former Barcelona team-mate Sergio Busquets and finished with his usual ease.

Miami added two more in the final stages — both created by Messi.

Substitute Benjamin Cremaschi made it 3-1 in the 83rd minute, pouncing after a Messi shot was parried out. Luis Suarez completed the scoring, finding the top corner after a pass inside from Messi.

Miami have won three straight games since their exit from the CONCACAF Champions Cup at the hands of Mexican club Monterrey with Messi scoring five times in that run which includes wins at Kansas City and at home to Nashville.

Coach Gerardo Martino said the team were starting to come together as he had hoped.

“The Kansas City game was a key for us because we had just been eliminated by Monterrey and the team showed their character. Now we have three wins in a row and it is getting more solid every time,” he said.

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Martino said the rest of his players had now got used to playing in front of the large crowds that Messi is drawing.

“We’ve handled it well. That was a learning curve last season and now we are dealing with it well,” he added.

New England coach Caleb Porter said he was disappointed that his defenders had allowed Messi the space for his goals but said the Argentine had shown his class in making them pay.

“You have to look at both those moments because I thought they were able to find two goals when we felt pretty good about the way we were limiting their effectiveness in creating clear chances,” he said.

“But you know, that’s Messi, he finds two goals out of nowhere and it exposes the detail in those moments from us.

“I don’t think he had a ton of touches and effectiveness early in the game but, you know, that’s kind of him — he lulls you….we can’t allow a ball to be popped through the back four and find him twice,” he added.

Elsewhere, Christian Benteke scored twice for D.C. United as they enjoyed a 2-1 win at home to the Seattle Sounders.

The Sounders led 1-0 through a Leo Chu goal but had goalkeeper Stefan Frei sent off in the 28th minute after he brought down Jared Stroud in the box,

Benteke put away the penalty and then won the game with a trademark header at the back post on the stroke of half-time.

Real Salt Lake took over at the top of the Western Conference after handing the Philadelphia Union their first loss of the season with a 2-1 win in Pennsylvania.

RSL moved above the Los Angeles Galaxy who fell to a 2-0 defeat at Austin while defending MLS champions Columbus Crew were held to a goalless draw at home to Montreal.

Crew coach Wilfried Nancy rotated his line-up ahead of Wednesday’s CONCACAF Champions Cup semi-final second leg at Monterrey.

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Liverpool reached an agreement with Feyenoord on Friday for Arne Slot to succeed Jurgen Klopp as manager, British media reported.

The Press Association said that a compensation package for the 45-year-old, who had two years left on his contract, has now been agreed.

The BBC claimed that the deal is worth up to £9.4 million (10.9 million euros).

Slot had said Thursday that he was “confident” of landing the Anfield job.

“I would like to go to Liverpool. Now I’m waiting to see whether the clubs reach an agreement. I’m very confident in that,” he told reporters.

Slot moved to Feyenoord in 2021 after impressing in his first managerial role at AZ Alkmaar.

He led the Dutch giants to the inaugural Europa Conference League final at the end of his first season, in which they narrowly lost 1-0 to Jose Mourinho’s Roma.

Slot then delivered just a second league title in 24 years to De Kuip last season before penning a new three-year deal.

Klopp will step down at the end of this season after a nine-year reign which brought the Champions League title in 2019 and Premier League trophy a year later.

“I like the way his team plays football. If he is the one, I like that he wants it,” Klopp told reporters on Friday when asked to highlight Slot’s qualities.

“I don’t know him, but some people who know him say he’s a good guy. I like that a lot. So good coach, good guy. Looking forward for the club, if he is the solution, if he is the man, I’m more than happy.

“It’s the best job in the world, best club in the world. Great job, great team, fantastic people. A really interesting job.”

 

Feyenoord are currently second in the Eredivisie table, with PSV Eindhoven nine points clear at the top.

Failing to win the Dutch title would be a disappointment for Slot, mirroring Klopp’s frustration at Liverpool’s own faltering title bid.

Liverpool are in third place in the Premier League, three points behind leaders Arsenal and two adrift of second-placed Manchester City.

City have a game in hand on both Arsenal and Liverpool, who look to have blown their chance after defeats against Crystal Palace and Everton.

As well as their poor recent league form, Liverpool have also endured quarter-final defeats in the FA Cup and Europa League.

Initially, Bayer Leverkusen boss and former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso had been the favourite to succeed Klopp.

However, Alonso has committed to staying at Leverkusen after leading them to a first-ever Bundesliga title.

Sporting Lisbon coach Ruben Amorim was also linked with the Liverpool vacancy but has reportedly held talks with West Ham about replacing David Moyes next season.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said Slot’s attacking tactics could be the ideal match for the Premier League club.

“I think Arne Slot is perhaps one of the better Dutch coaches at this moment,” said Van Dijk.

“I think the way of playing and the philosophy he has, that he could be a Liverpool coach.”

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Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel said forward Serge Gnabry “will play and will score” in Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg at home to Real Madrid, but Leroy Sane’s status for the match is in doubt.

Gnabry scored a goal in Bayern’s 2-2 draw at Arsenal in the first leg of the quarter-finals on April 9 before he suffered a muscle injury. Tuchel said he would return next week but would not reveal whether he would start.

Former Manchester City winger Sane is less likely to feature though because of a pubic bone injury, with Tuchel saying Bayern need to “take it day by day.”

Centre-back Dayot Upamecano is also a doubt after spraining his ankle in training. Six-time European champions Bayern are already without Kingsley Coman, Sacha Boey and Bouna Sarr for the match.

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Speaking ahead of Saturday’s home game with Eintracht Frankfurt, Tuchel refused to be drawn on rumours that former Manchester United and RB Leipzig coach Ralf Rangnick was set to take over as Bayern boss in the summer.

Tuchel is set to depart at the end of the season, but he said he was cutting out the noise about his replacement and focusing on football.

“I’m putting my headphones on noise-cancelling and ignoring it. The topic won’t help me tomorrow or on Tuesday — and it’s not my topic anyway.

“The next 11 days cannot be about anything other than football.”

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Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez will miss the rest of the season after surgery on a groin injury on Thursday.

Fernandez has been suffering for several weeks with a hernia and struggled to make an impact during Tuesday’s 5-0 thrashing at Arsenal.

The 23-year-old Argentina star will be absent for Chelsea’s last six league games and it remains to be seen if he can recover in time for the Copa America in June.

Fernandez, a World Cup winner in 2022, is the latest Chelsea player to be hit with an injury setback in a dismal season for the Premier League club.

At times, Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has had as many as 12 players unavailable, with his team languishing in ninth place as a result of their fitness and form issues.

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Their thrashing against Arsenal followed Saturday’s 1-0 FA Cup semi-final loss to Manchester City at Wembley as the pressure mounts on Pochettino.

Fernandez, signed from Benfica for £107 million ($133 million) in January 2023, has made 28 league appearances this term, scoring three goals.

“Enzo Fernandez has today undergone successful surgery on a groin issue and will now begin a period of rehabilitation, sidelining him for the remainder of Chelsea’s 2023/24 season,” a club statement said.

“The 23-year-old midfielder will work with the club’s medical department on his rehabilitation at Cobham.”

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Everton secured their first win in a Merseyside derby at Goodison Park since 2010 to leave Premier League title aspirations of Liverpool in ruins after a 2-0 defeat on Wednesday.

The defeat leaves Jurgen Klopp’s men still three points adrift of leaders Arsenal and only one point in front of defending champions Manchester City, who have two games in hand.

“We need a crisis at [Manchester] City and Arsenal and we need to win football games,” said Klopp of his side’s shot at the title with four games to go of his reign.

Goals from Jarrad Branthwaite and Dominic Calvert-Lewin took Everton eight points clear of the relegation zone.

The Toffees now look certain to extend their 70-year stay in the English top flight despite being deducted eight points on two charges of breaching financial rules.

Klopp had never lost on his previous eight visits to Goodison but his final taste of the Merseyside derby was a bitter one.

Hopes of a glorious goodbye for the German after a nearly nine-year tenure that has transformed the club’s fortunes are fading fast.

“If we play like today we have no chance to consider ourselves in the race,” said Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk.

“I think everyone has to look in the mirror and look at their performance and if they’ve given everything. Do they really want to win the league?”

According to reports, Feyenoord boss Arne Slot is being lined up as Klopp’s successor and the past few weeks have exposed weaknesses that need addressing in a huge summer for the Liverpool hierarchy.

The Reds have won just one of their last four league games and have also bowed out of the FA Cup and Europa League in recent weeks.

Klopp made six changes after resting a number of key players for Sunday’s 3-1 win at Fulham but did not get the response he desired.

Buoyed by their weekend win over Nottingham Forest to pull clear of the relegation zone, Everton are a side transformed from the one that went 13 Premier League games without a win between December and April.

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“Delighted with the performance of our players and delighted for the Evertonians,” said Everton boss Sean Dyche.

“They’re a good side, we know that. The commitment and energy from us had to be there.”

Slow starts have been a recurring factor as Liverpool’s quest for four trophies has unravelled.

Everton thought they had a penalty in the opening minutes when Calvert-Lewin was tripped by Alisson Becker but VAR intervened to save the visitors as the striker was offside.

Alisson then clawed away a Calvert-Lewin header and Ben Godfrey nodded wide as Liverpool struggled to cope with Everton’s threat from set-pieces.

More comical defending from the Reds led to the opener on 27 minutes.

Alexis Mac Allister’s mishit fell perfectly for Branthwaite and the defender’s effort went in off the post despite Alisson’s best efforts.

Going behind woke Liverpool from their slumber and only a combination of wasteful finishing and Jordan Pickford preserved Everton’s lead until half-time.

Darwin Nunez blasted straight at the England number one when clean through before the Uruguayan teed up Luis Diaz to fire too close to Pickford.

Mohamed Salah’s loss of form has come at the worst possible time for Liverpool’s title challenge and the Egyptian sliced another good opening well over the bar.

Liverpool were camped in the Everton half after the break, yet the hosts pulled further clear just before the hour mark from another dead ball.

Calvert-Lewin was afforded a free header at the back post to power home Dwight McNeil’s corner.

Liverpool’s night was summed up when Diaz’s powerful effort came back off the post with Pickford finally beaten.

But it was Klopp who was crestfallen come the final whistle as he looks set to depart Anfield with just one Premier League title to his name.

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