Liverpool’s title hopes dented with 1-1 draw against Spurs
Sports Desk, May 7 (EFE).- Liverpool were held 1-1 by Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on Saturday in a match the Reds saw as must-win if they were to challenge Manchester City for the Premier League title.
Jürgen Klopp’s men, who have already hoisted the Carabao Cup and are through to the FA Cup and Champions League finals, took temporary position of first place, matching City on 83 points and with a slightly better goal difference.
But the defending champions have a game in hand and will be at home Sunday to 13th-place Newcastle United.
Spurs and the hosts went to the dressing rooms deadlocked 0-0 after a high-energy first half that saw the woodwork deny Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk and Tottenham’s Pierre-Emile Hojberg.
The visitors took the lead in the 56th minute with Heung-min Son’s 20 league goal of the season, set up by Harry Kane and Ryan Sessignon.
Mid-season acquisition Luis Diaz brought Liverpool back on terms in the 74th minute with a strike that took a lucky deflection off Spurs’ Rodrigo Bentancur.
Both sides pressed hard for a winner, but they ended up sharing the points.
Fifth-place Spurs improved to 62 points, one behind Arsenal in the battle for the fourth and final Champions League berth, which has come down to the two North London rivals.
Manchester United were mathematically eliminated from the race for fourth after falling 4-0 Saturday to Brighton & Hove Albion.
It was also a disappointing day for the team in third, Chelsea, who blew a 2-0 lead to finish 2-2 with eighth-place Wolverhampton.
Romelu Lukaku, back in the starting lineup after months in the bad books of Blues coach Thomas Tuchel, converted a penalty in the 56th minute and scored from open play two minutes later to give the hosts what should have been a defendable advantage.
But Wolves weren’t ready to give up and Francisco Trincao halved the deficit in the 79th, just seconds after coming on as a sub.
The equalizer came in stoppage time from defender Conor Coady, who headed in a Chiquinho corner.
Chelsea remain third, but their edge over Arsenal is just 4 points ahead of the Gunners game Sunday against relegation-threatened Leeds United.
The relegation picture became clearer Saturday with Watford’s 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace, which sealed the Hornets’ demotion to the second division along with already relegated Norwich City.
Burnley saw their winning streak derailed 3-1 by Aston Villa and remain 16th with 34 points, the same as Leeds but with a better goal difference, though United have a game in hand.
Everton, now 18th, are on 33 points from 32 matches, two fewer than Burnley and one less than Leeds. EFE
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