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Liverpool, Man City battle for Premier League supremacy Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Liverpool and Manchester City resume their rivalry for top spot when they go head to head in the Premier League this weekend, while Chelsea and Manchester United aim to get their title challenges back on track. Under Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, City and Liverpool have become the dominant forces in English football, sharing the past four Premier League titles between them. City, who have won three of those, delivered a warning shot to the pretenders to their crown with a hugely impressive 1-0 win at Chelsea last weekend. But it is Liverpool who boast the only unbeaten record after six games and find themselves a point clear of City, Chelsea and United, even though they dropped two points at Brentford last week. City ended their long wait for a win away to Liverpool in emphatic fashion with a 4-1 victory in February but they have not won in front of a crowd at Anfield since 2003. Fatigue could take its toll on Guardiola’s men after a draining week. Three days after their statement win at Stamford Bridge, the English champions were beaten 2-0 by Paris Saint-Germain in the French capital. Liverpool, by contrast, were able to ease off the gas long before the end of a 5-1 Champions League win over Porto. However, the Reds will be without right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was left out of Gareth Southgate’s England squad announced Thursday with a groin problem. “Obviously when you have something with your muscle, it’s not likely for Sunday,” said Klopp. “No muscle injury heals that quick.” – Everton threat to United – United needed all 95 minutes to edge past Villarreal in their midweek Champions League game, emerging as victors thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo’s dramatic stoppage-time winner. The late intervention from the Portuguese superstar stopped the rot for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men after a run of three defeats in four games. But in truth United were lacklustre again, relying on goalkeeper David de Gea, who produced a string of vital saves. Everton head to Old Trafford level on points with Solskjaer’s men after an impressive start to life under Rafael Benitez. The Toffees are more than capable of following the example set by West Ham and Aston Villa, who have both won at the Theatre of Dreams in recent weeks, unless United show significant improvement. Chelsea made a brilliant start to the season under Thomas Tuchel, picking up where they left off after beating Manchester City in the Champions League final in May. City exacted a measure of revenge at Stamford Bridge last week and Chelsea slipped up again in the Champions League in midweek, losing 1-0 to Juventus. But Tuchel’s men appear to have a relatively straightforward task as they seek to return to winning ways against winless Southampton at home. – Nuno needs response from Spurs – Just three weeks after topping the Premier League table, Nuno Espirito Santo’s position as Tottenham manager has been questioned by fans following three dismal league defeats on the spin. Spurs have lost to Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Arsenal by a combined score of 9-1 to fall back into the bottom half of the table. Nuno is yet to conjure the best from star forward Harry Kane, who failed to force a move away from his boyhood club during the transfer window. And he has so far failed to instill the defensive organisation that was his calling card in three seasons at Wolves. Another defeat when in-form Villa visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday would leave the Spurs faithful restless over the international break. Fixtures (all times GMT) Saturday Manchester United v Everton (1130), Burnley v Norwich, Chelsea v Southampton, Leeds v Watford, Wolves v Newcastle, (all 1400), Brighton v Arsenal (1630) Sunday Crystal Palace v Leicester, Tottenham v Aston Villa, West Ham v Brentford (all 1300), Liverpool v Manchester City (1530)

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Liverpool and Manchester City resume their rivalry for top spot when they go head to head in the Premier League this weekend, while Chelsea and Manchester United aim to get their title challenges back on track. Under Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, City and Liverpool have become the dominant forces in English football, sharing the past four Premier League titles between them. City, who have won three of those, delivered a warning shot to the pretenders to their crown with a hugely impressive 1-0 win at Chelsea last weekend. But it is Liverpool who boast the only unbeaten record after six games and find themselves a point clear of City, Chelsea and United, even though they dropped two points at Brentford last week. City ended their long wait for a win away to Liverpool in emphatic fashion with a 4-1 victory in February but they have not won in front of a crowd at Anfield since 2003. Fatigue could take its toll on Guardiola’s men after a draining...

Liverpool, Tottenham miss chance to extend Premier League lead London (AFP) – Liverpool and Tottenham remain tied at the top of the Premier League after both were surprisingly held to 1-1 draws at Fulham and Crystal Palace respectively on Sunday. The top two face each other at Anfield on Wednesday and, after Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United failed to win on Saturday, they missed the chance to open up a gap at the top in the title race. Liverpool needed a Mohamed Salah penalty 11 minutes from time to avoid an embarrassing defeat at Fulham after a dreadful first-half performance from the English champions left Jurgen Klopp seething on the touchline. “We needed half an hour to get our feet in the game, that’s why I shouted a bit at them,” said Klopp. “The first 30 minutes was just not good, we could have lost the game in that period. We didn’t because the next 60 were really good.” Bobby DeCordova-Reid’s thunderous finish into the far corner to take the lead was no more than Scott Parker’s side deserved as the returning Alisson Becker kept Liverpool in the game before the break. Fulham were also controversially not awarded a penalty when referee Andre Marriner stood by his initial decision after reviewing Fabinho’s challenge on Ivan Cavaleiro. Liverpool dominated the second-half to pin Fulham back, but needed a spot-kick themselves to salvage a point when Aboubakar Kamara was penalised for handling Georginio Wijnaldum’s free-kick. Salah slammed the penalty low and just beyond the grasp of Alphonse Areola, but Fulham comfortably saw out the final 10 minutes to the delight of 2,000 fans at Craven Cottage. Despite the limited numbers, there is pattern across the last two weekends that the return of supporters is providing a boost to the home side. “They played a big part,” said Parker. – Tottenham pegged back – Palace could also count on the return of fans to Selhurst Park for the first time in nine months to inspire a second-half fightback against Tottenham. Harry Kane opened the scoring thanks to a goalkeeping howler from Vicente Guaita as he misjudged the England captain’s long-range effort. Spurs then sat on their lead and failed to hold out for a sixth consecutive Premier League clean sheet when Hugo Lloris failed to hold Eberechi Eze’s free-kick and Jeffrey Schlupp swept home the rebound. “We lost two points. If I look to the last 10 minutes of the game, yes, if I look at the first 45 minutes, yes, but from 45 to 75 minutes we couldn’t play or build from the back and we made lots of mistakes,” said Spurs coach Jose Mourinho. Guaita then redeemed himself with a pair of outstanding saves as Spurs suddenly found their attacking thrust again after the equaliser. The Spanish ‘keeper got down low to his left to deny Kane a second before Eric Dier’s brilliant stoppage-time free-kick was somehow clawed behind by Guaita. – Southampton soar – Southampton are now just two points off the top after they climbed into third with a comfortable 3-0 win over struggling Sheffield United on Sunday. Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side took the lead when Che Adams netted against his former club. Stuart Armstrong’s deflected effort doubled the Saints’ advantage before Nathan Redmond wrapped up their fifth victory in the last seven games. “I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t continue what we’re doing at this moment,” said Hassenhuttl. “We know every game is tough but as long as I see the guys are hungry, the mentality has changed completely at this club. There’s no reason, for me, why we shouldn’t keep playing like this.” Bottom of the table United remain without a win this season, having lost 11 of their 12 games to leave them starring relegation in the face. Leicester can move to within a point of the leaders when they host Brighton later on Sunday. Arsenal also host Burnley at the Emirates looking to end a run of four league games without a win.

London (AFP) – Liverpool and Tottenham remain tied at the top of the Premier League after both were surprisingly held to 1-1 draws at Fulham and Crystal Palace respectively on Sunday. The top two face each other at Anfield on Wednesday and, after Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United failed to win on Saturday, they missed the chance to open up a gap at the top in the title race. Liverpool needed a Mohamed Salah penalty 11 minutes from time to avoid an embarrassing defeat at Fulham after a dreadful first-half performance from the English champions left Jurgen Klopp seething on the touchline. “We needed half an hour to get our feet in the game, that’s why I shouted a bit at them,” said Klopp. “The first 30 minutes was just not good, we could have lost the game in that period. We didn’t because the next 60 were really good.” Bobby DeCordova-Reid’s thunderous finish into the far corner to take the lead was no more than Scott Parker’s side deserved as the returning Alisson Be...

Liverpool, Man City face tough battle from Premier League challengers London (AFP) – Liverpool and Manchester City remain the teams to beat after three seasons of total dominance but a rejuvenated Manchester United and free-spending Chelsea could force themselves into a four-way race for the title. AFP Sport looks at how last season’s top four are shaping up ahead of the new season. Liverpool After a first league title in 30 years, Liverpool’s challenge will change radically. The club have freed themselves from the burden of history but must ensure the 2020/21 season does not become a huge anti-climax. A lack of fresh blood for the second consecutive season is a risk for Jurgen Klopp’s men, who have amassed 196 points over the past two seasons. Left-back Kostas Tsimikas is the only addition so far, as back up to Andy Robertson. The financial fallout from the coronavirus pandemic meant the arrival of Timo Werner never transpired as the German instead headed for Chelsea, again leaving Liverpool with little as back-up for the front three of Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane. However, ahead of a season that will offer precious little time for respite, Klopp has at least had longer to prepare his squad, with his three major title rivals involved in European action in August. Manchester City City will not have Lionel Messi to take the title fight to Liverpool after the Argentine opted to remain in Barcelona, but it is at the other end of the pitch that Pep Guardiola’s men needed to improve anyway to bounce back from a disappointing campaign. Despite scoring 17 more goals than Liverpool, the dethroned champions finished 18 points behind in second last season. One addition to the defence has already been made, with the £40 million ($52 million) signing of Nathan Ake from Bournemouth to provide cover at centre-back and left-back. A marquee central defender is expected to arrive at the Etihad before the window closes in October, with Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly top of their wishlist. Spanish international Ferran Torres had been added to a stellar cast of attacking talent to replace Leroy Sane, while David Silva’s departure opens the door for 20-year-old Phil Foden to build on his impressive performances in the final stretch of last season. City could be distracted by their desire to finally claim the Champions League in what could be Guardiola’s final season in charge. The Catalan is entering the final year of his contract and has been heavily criticised for failing to get City beyond the quarter-finals of Europe’s top club competition over the past four years. Manchester United United shot up to third in the second half of last season on the back of a 14-game unbeaten run in the Premier League after the January signing of Bruno Fernandes. A flourishing young front three of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood and more midfield depth with the signing of Donny van de Beek offers United some hope that they will not be left in the shade of their two biggest rivals, Liverpool and City, for much longer. However, the manner in which Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men ended the season in mid-August, physically exhausted after a Europa League semi-final defeat to Sevilla, raises questions over whether they can maintain a title challenge in a crammed calendar over the next nine months. An ambitious attempt to land Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund has stalled, leaving Solskjaer short on options beyond his preferred front three, while there is also a lack of cover in defence. Chelsea By far the biggest spenders of the transfer window across Europe, the Blues have splashed out nearly £200 million on Werner, Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech and Ben Chilwell and bolstered a leaky defence with the signing of former PSG and Brazil captain Thiago Silva on a free transfer. More could still be to come with Rennes’ Edouard Mendy reportedly top of Chelsea’s list in their hunt for a new goalkeeper. Frank Lampard achieved his main goal during his first season in charge by securing a place in the Champions League despite a transfer ban and the loss of Eden Hazard to Real Madrid. But expectations on the former England international will be far higher this season as owner Roman Abramovich will demand to see a return on his investment. Lampard cannot afford for the attacking talents of Werner, Havertz and Ziyech to take their time to adjust to the Premier League. However, most importantly, he must find the right balance to improve a defence that conceded 54 goals last season, more than any other side in the top half of the table.

London (AFP) – Liverpool and Manchester City remain the teams to beat after three seasons of total dominance but a rejuvenated Manchester United and free-spending Chelsea could force themselves into a four-way race for the title. AFP Sport looks at how last season’s top four are shaping up ahead of the new season. Liverpool After a first league title in 30 years, Liverpool’s challenge will change radically. The club have freed themselves from the burden of history but must ensure the 2020/21 season does not become a huge anti-climax. A lack of fresh blood for the second consecutive season is a risk for Jurgen Klopp’s men, who have amassed 196 points over the past two seasons. Left-back Kostas Tsimikas is the only addition so far, as back up to Andy Robertson. The financial fallout from the coronavirus pandemic meant the arrival of Timo Werner never transpired as the German instead headed for Chelsea, again leaving Liverpool with little as back-up for the front three of Roberto F...