LONDON, April 3 (Xinhua) – Manchester City led the Premier League with a 2-0 away win over Burnley on Saturday, while Liverpool beat Watford at home.
Diogo Giotto’s goals և Fabinho’s late penalty kick put Liverpool at the top of the table for two hours to mark Jürgen Klopp’s 250th game as manager. Still, Pep Guardiola’s side could feel the pressure dissipated in the 5th minute when K. finished. Rahim Sterling’s volley pushed them forward in Turf Moor.
Then, in the 25th minute, Sterling appointed Ilkay Gundogan in his team’s second game.
Third-placed Chelsea suffered a crushing 4-1 defeat at home to Brentford, who made an impressive move to safety.
Although Antonio Rudiger’s long-range shot put Chelsea ahead in the 48th minute, Vitaly Chanel’s first goal in the afternoon equalized the visitors two minutes later.
Brentford then caused a stir when Christian Eriksen put them ahead in the 54th minute, while Janelt’s second goal made it 3-1 in an hour, and Ioan Visa added a fourth with three minutes left in the game.
Tottenham Hotspur finished fourth after beating Newcastle United 5-1 on Sunday. Ben Davis և Matt Doherty’s goals before the break և changed the game after Fabian Shari’s penalty kick pushed Newcastle forward.
Son Heng-min made it 3-1 after a move by Harry Kane, and Emerson Royal added a fourth before Steven Bergwein finished the fight.
The victory puts pressure on Arsenal, who visit Crystal Palace on Monday.
West Ham also maintained their European options, winning 2-1 at home to Everton, who remain in a deep struggle against relegation.
Aaron Creswell’s well-executed free-kick put West Ham ahead in the 32nd minute. Although Mason Holgate equalized in the 53rd minute, Jarrod Bowen celebrated his comeback with a winning goal five minutes later.
All that was left was for Michael Keane to see his second yellow card, leaving Everton with ten men in the last 25 minutes, to end the unfortunate return for coach Frank Lampard to face the former club.
Manchester United beat Leicester City 1: 1 after one more disagreement. Kelechi Iheanacho put Leicester ahead in the 63rd minute, Fred equalized three minutes later, and Leicester saw the winning goal ruled out after Iheanacho fouled Rafael Varane.
Johnny’s goal in the seventh minute’s the first own goal of Ashley Young’s long career Վ Wolverhampton beat Aston Villa 2-1 at home, whose goal was scored by England striker Ollie Watkins in the 86th minute.
James Ward-Pruss’s superb free-kick gave Southampton a 1-1 draw with Leeds United, who took the lead in the first half through Jack Harrison.
In the end, Brighton and Norwich drew 0-0, ending a series of six defeats on both sides, but neither will be happy.
There are no changes at the top, while the Spurs are fourth in the Premier League.
Arsenal currently holds the fourth spot in the Premier League, but their north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur are right behind them.
Spurs’ good recent form has led some pundits to suggest they will overtake Arsenal between now and the season’s fate to take the final Champions League spot. The race between those two will be one of the leading Premier League talking points this April and May, but if it were to happen in 2024 or 2025, it might not attract the same interest.
That’s because a new format for the Champions League has just moved one step closer, and that new format could, in some seasons, eliminate the “race for a fourth place” in the Premier League.
The European Club Association, which looks after the interests of Europe’s (most extensive) soccer teams, has agreed on changes to the Champions League from 2024-25 onward. It has sent the proposal to UEFA for UEFA to discuss next month, and that proposal is expected to be approved.
One of the proposed changes enlarges the Champions League to 36 teams, rather than the current 32, two of those extra places will go to groups based on their “historical significance” rather than their performance in the previous season.
