Second place Liverpool lost to 16th place Everton 2-0, severely hurting their chances of winning the EPL title this season. Liverpool are now stuck on 74 points after 34 matches, three points behind Arsenal and only one ahead of Man City who have played two less games.
Everton came out with loads of energy, with their fans roaring despite their team’s 16th place position in the table. Dominating the early stages, they almost had a chance to take the lead from a penalty spot after just six minutes. Alisson fouled Calvert-Lewin in a one-on-one, but the striker was found to be offside and the penalty was overturned after a VAR review.
It was only a matter of time though until Everton would break through, scoring in the 27th minute with a low shot from Jarrad Branthwaite. Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s header in the second half put his team up 2-0 which stood as the final score.
Everton’s defense was outstanding with goalkeeper Jordan Pickford making three big saves to keep Everton in front. He denied Darwin Nunez, Diaz and Andy Robertson to keep Liverpool scoreless going into the second half.
The closest Liverpool came to scoring was in the 69th minute when Diaz was almost able to curl one into the right-hand post. Unfortunately for them the ball hit the goalpost and ricocheted out.
Mohamed Salah also had a late chance to get his team on the board but scorched a shot over the bar from close range.
With only four matches left to be played, Liverpool will need some big assistance from Arsenal and Man City to have a chance of winning the league title. With no major teams really standing in the way of either team, it seems unlikely though that both teams will falter.
The loss to Everton could very well end up being the nail in the coffin for Liverpool’s chances to lift the trophy this year.
Man United Beat Sheffield To Move Into 6th Position
Manchester United moved up the EPL table into sixth place after their 4-2 win against Sheffield United at Old Trafford on Wednesday night. Captain Bruno Fernandes led from the front, scoring twice in the second half to ensure another solid performance from his team.
The visitors however led twice in the match, giving United the scare of taking a humiliating loss to the bottom-most team in the league. Sheffield have only won three times this season and are very likely to be on the chopping block to be relegated at the end of the season.
The scoring opened surprisingly in favour of Sheffield when the United goalkeeper Andre Onana made a horrible pass which ended with a Jayden Bogle goal. The 23-year-old burst towards that ball and then expertly drove it into the far corner.
The lead didn’t last very long though as Maguire turned in an Alejandro Garnacho cross with a header to bring the teams level just 7 minutes later.
Ben Brereton Diaz put the visitors up once again early in the second half but Fernandes leveled things out from the penalty spot. He then brought United into the lead with a beautiful strike from 25 yards out with just nine minutes to go in regulation time.
Fernandes’ two goals gives him seven goals and two assists in Manchester United’s past five games. In total, the team has been part of 27 goals in that period. Manchester United have conceded and scored at least two in each of the 5 games.
It’s clear that United have the offensive power to compete with almost every major team but the defense has not played up to par. While they have managed some success in the recent past, they will need to make some big changes in defensive personnel in the off-season to be a top team.
Next up for Man United will be Burnley on Saturday, while Sheffield plays Newcastle. While Sheffield couldn’t come out with a victory at Old Trafford they will take their two goals as a win against one odd the better sides in the league.
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