Liverpool earn a point after draw with Man City

Liverpool — Alexis Mac Allister fired home a second-half penalty as Liverpool salvaged a point against Manchester City in a breathless 1-1 Premier League blockbuster at Anfield on Sunday that left Arsenal top of the table.

Liverpool are second but level on 64 points with the Gunners, with 10 games remaining of a thrilling three-way title race. Holders City, who are unbeaten in 21 games across all competitions, are third on 63.

Arsenal climbed top with their 2-1 win against Brentford on Saturday.

City looked poised to hand manager Pep Guardiola his second victory in nine trips to the cauldron of Anfield when John Stones lost his marker to tap in Kevin De Bruyne’s corner from close range in the 23rd minute. Stones leapt onto the barrier in front of the visitors’ fans and shook both fists in celebration.

The cheers were deafening when Mac Allister slotted home from the penalty spot past Ederson in the 50th minute after the keeper had sent Darwin Nunez flying through the air with a rash challenge in the box.

Buoyed by the goal, Liverpool kept pressing and had numerous near-misses. City’s Jeremy Doku hit the post against the run of play, as both sides had to settle for the second draw this season between the two titans. 

Earlier Tottenham Hotspur hammered 10-man Aston Villa 4-0 thanks to four second-half goals, allowing them to close the gap with their Birmingham rivals to two points in the chase for Champions League football next season.

Starting the day five points behind their fourth-placed hosts, Spurs struck twice early in the second half with James Maddison volleying the opener in the 50th minute and Brennan Johnson netting the second three minutes later after Villa gave the ball away cheaply.

Any chance the home side had of staging a comeback all but disappeared when John McGinn was shown a straight red card in the 65th minute for clattering Spurs defender Destiny Udogie.

With Villa on the ropes, Spurs captain Son Heung-min and substitute Timo Werner both scored home in stoppage time for a 4-0 victory that moves them to 53 points, two behind Villa with the London side also having a game in hand. 

West Ham United’s Danny Ings scored a stoppage-time equaliser in a 2-2 draw against Burnley at the London Stadium to deny his former club their first Premier League victory of 2024.

The result moved Burnley off the bottom and up to 19th with 14 points in the standings while West Ham are seventh with 43 points, one ahead of Brighton & Hove Albion.

A first-half own goal helped Brighton & Hove Albion stretch their Premier League unbeaten home streak to a club record-extending 12 matches as they beat relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest 1-0 at the Amex Stadium.

The home side, who came into the contest off the back of three defeats across all competitions, were the better side throughout the first half and got the lead in the 29th minute after defender Andrew Omobamidele accidentally bundled the ball into his own net following a free-kick.

The Seagulls rise to eighth in the standings with 42 points from 28 matches, while Forest stay at 17th place, three points clear of the relegation zone with 10 games to go.

Reuters