Liverpool defeated Everton as the title race intensifies, while Manchester City secured a win despite being without Haaland.
Liverpool took another step toward the Premier League title with a 1-0 win over Everton in the Merseyside derby on Wednesday, while Manchester City defeated Leicester 2-0 to strengthen their push for a Champions League spot.
With only eight games remaining, Liverpool are now 12 points clear of second-placed Arsenal, who triumphed 2-1 over Fulham on Tuesday.
After suffering defeats in both the League Cup final against Newcastle and the Champions League last 16 against Paris Saint-Germain, Arne Slot’s side regained their winning form as they aim for a 20th English title, which would equal the record, and their first since 2020 in Slot’s debut season.
Diogo Jota, who had gone over two months without scoring, was the hero for Liverpool, ending his drought with a 57th-minute strike following a clever flick from Luis Diaz.
The win was especially sweet for Liverpool after their dramatic 2-2 draw at Everton in February, which featured a last-minute equalizer from David Moyes’ side.
At the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City managed just fine without Erling Haaland, who will be out for up to seven weeks due to an ankle injury sustained in Sunday’s FA Cup win over Bournemouth.
City wasted no time, taking the lead just two minutes into the match against second-bottom Leicester, who have now lost seven consecutive league games. Jeremy Doku and Savinho combined to break through Leicester’s defense before Jack Grealish slotted home his first league goal since December 2023.
The protest against City’s deal with a third-party ticket resale company saw hundreds of fans remain outside the stadium for the first nine minutes, missing Grealish’s long-awaited goal.
City doubled their lead in the 29th minute when Omar Marmoush capitalized on a mishandled pass from Leicester goalkeeper Mads Hermansen to score.
With the win, City moved into fourth place, one point ahead of fifth-placed Newcastle and two points clear of sixth-placed Chelsea, who play Tottenham on Thursday. The top four automatically qualify for the Champions League, with fifth place likely securing a spot as well.
In other matches, Newcastle celebrated their first major trophy in 56 years with a 2-1 win over Brentford. Alexander Isak’s first-half strike and Sandro Tonali’s goal in the 74th minute helped Eddie Howe’s side keep the party going after their League Cup triumph.
Aston Villa stayed in the hunt for a Champions League spot with a 3-0 victory at Brighton, thanks to goals from Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio, and Donyell Malen.
At the bottom of the table, Southampton missed the chance to avoid setting a Premier League record for the worst-ever points total, drawing 1-1 with Crystal Palace. Despite Paul Onuachu’s first-half header, Matheus Franca’s injury-time equalizer for Palace means Southampton remain two points off Derby’s record low of 11 points from the 2007-08 season.
Southampton will be relegated if they lose at Tottenham and Wolves beat Ipswich this weekend.
Ipswich, in 19th, kept their survival hopes alive with a 2-1 win at Bournemouth, with Nathan Broadhead and Liam Delap scoring for the visitors. Despite a goal from Evanilson for Bournemouth, Ipswich held on to move within nine points of safety.
