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.
Liverpool screamed for a penalty deep in stoppage time after Jeremy Doku’s reckless tackle on Mac Allister in the box, with television replays showing Doku’s boot hitting the Argentine in the chest.
“It was 100% penalty,” Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said. “They will find an explanation. It was 100% foul in all areas of the pitch and probably a yellow card.”
The officials disagreed and the VAR did not send the referee to have a second look after checking the decision.
Spurs pump in 4
Tottenham Hotspur hammered 10-man Aston Villa 4-0 on Sunday.
Villa’s decision to start with a five-man backline cost them dearly in the second half as they conceded four times, with John McGinn getting sent off for a violent tackle that will likely incur a three-match ban.Starting the day fourth, five points ahead of their fifth-placed visitors, Villa struggled from the off as Spurs pressed them high up the pitch and forced them to turn over the ball.
Villa had an appeal for a penalty turned down in the 34th minute as Leon Bailey went tumbling under an innocuous challenge from Yves Bissouma, and their only promising chance of the first half came in stoppage time as Lucas Digne sent a looping header just wide from a well-worked corner.
Spurs struck twice early in the second half with James Maddison volleying the opener in the 50th minute and Son Heung-min setting up Brennan Johnson to net 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 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 swept home the third a minute into stoppage time, and he notched his second assist of the afternoon by setting up substitute Timo Werner to score three minutes later.