Stylish Liverpool thrash Watford 5-0 to stay top of EPL
Liverpool rediscovered their swagger and stayed top of the Premier League with a thrilling 5-0 win over Watford that was powered by two goals apiece from Sadio Mane and Virgil van Dijk on Wednesday.
Senegalese striker Sane leapt between defenders to head a close-range ninth minute goal after a sumptuous cross from Liverpool’s marauding right back Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The young England international provided three assists on the night.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 27: Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool celebrates after scoring his team’s fourth goal with Georginio Wijnaldum of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Watford FC at Anfield on February 27, 2019 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
In the 20th minute, Sane received another pass in the box from Alexander-Arnold, first appearing to lose control of the ball before cheekily back-heeling it into the net past Watford keeper Ben Foster.
Belgian forward Divock Origi made it 3-0 in the 66th minute, cutting into the box from the left wing before firing past Foster at his near post.
Dutch defender van Dijk headed in the fourth and fifth goals late on as Watford were swept aside.
Liverpool could have bagged even more as Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah also ran Watford ragged.
It’s a different tale from a team who had failed to score in their last two games against Bayern Munich in the Champions League and Manchester United in the Premier League,
The result kept Liverpool top of the Premier League on 69 points, just ahead of Manchester City on 68 points after the champions’ 1-0 win over West Ham on Wednesday.
Manager Juergen Klopp looked delighted that his team had found their fluency and intensity again against the Hornets.
They had drawn three out of their last four league games to allow City back into the race. (Reuters/NAN)
Ozil starts, scores as Arsenal hammer Bournemouth 5-1
Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil marked his first Premier League start of 2019 with a goal and an assist as his side hammered Bournemouth 5-1 in their Premier League clash at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.
The German attacking midfielder had not started a game for Arsenal since their 1-1 draw away to Brighton & Hove Albion on December 26 due to a knee problem.
He, however, showed no ring rust as he rattled home the first goal in the fourth minute.
He then turned provider for the home side in the 27th minute, drawing out Bournemouth goalkeeper Artur Boruc before playing a simple pass to allow Henrikh Mkhitaryan to fire into an empty net.
Midfielder Matteo Guendouzi threw Bournemouth a lifeline shortly afterwards as he lost the ball on the edge of his own box to Dan Gosling, who squared it to Lys Moussett for a simple finish to make it 2-1.
However, the revival was short-lived as Laurent Koscielny put Arsenal 3-1 up just after the break.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang soon made it four just before the hour mark, finishing a counter-attack by rounding Boruc and slotting the ball home.
Substitute Alexandre Lacazette completed the rout by scoring from a free kick 12 minutes from the end to hand Bournemouth their fourth defeat in their last five league games.(Reuters/NAN)
Goalkeeper Arrizabalaga dropped as Chelsea beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0
Chelsea put their tumultuous League Cup final defeat behind them to revive their top-four hopes with a 2-0 victory over stuttering Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
Under-pressure manager Maurizio Sarri made the bold decision to drop goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga in favour of Willy Caballero.
The Spaniard’s antics against Manchester City at Wembley on Sunday angered many at Stamford Bridge when he refused to be substituted.
But Chelsea showed they are still behind the Italian with a deserved victory over their London rivals thanks to Pedro’s opener midway through the second half and a comical Kieran Trippier own goal late on.
Chelsea remained in sixth spot, three points behind fourth-placed Arsenal having played a game less.
Third-placed Tottenham’s slim title hopes now look extinguished after a second successive league defeat and they could have few complaints after a disappointing derby display.
Gonzalo Higuain was denied by the post early on for Chelsea while Spurs midfielder Harry Winks rattled the crossbar just before halftime.
Pedro fired Chelsea in front in the 57th minute, turning inside Toby Alderweireld before beating Hugo Lloris from a tight angle.
Tottenham huffed and puffed but shot themselves in the foot in the 84th minute when Trippier and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris got in a tangle and the full back’s attempted back pass rolled in.
Tottenham are four points above Arsenal, who they host on Saturday, and five points above Manchester United. (Reuters/NAN)
Aguero penalty gives Manchester City 1-0 win over West Ham United
Sergio Aguero’s penalty gave champions Manchester City a 1-0 win over West Ham United at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday to stay a point behind Premier League leaders Liverpool.
The decisive moment came in the 59th minute when Felipe Anderson was ruled to have brought down Bernardo Silva and Aguero coolly slotted home from the spot.
Former City manager Manuel Pellegrini set his West Ham team up to frustrate the hosts and they did an excellent job for most of the game.
The Hammers forced City into wide areas where they struggled to create openings.
City camped in the visitors’ half for the opening 45 minutes with David Silva going close to breaking the deadlock when he hit the post after an excellent low cross.
West Ham went close after the break when substitute Manuel Lanzini found Andy Carroll at the back post, but City keeper Ederson did well to parry the forward’s well-struck effort.
City boss Pep Guardiola promptly threw on Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva from the bench and they changed the tempo and flow of the game.
Second-placed City have 68 points while leaders Liverpool are on 69. (Reuters/NAN)
