Liverpool on Wednesday extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to 13 points after a 2-0 victory over Newcastle United.
Liverpool took full advantage as second-placed Arsenal dropped more points in a 0-0 draw with Nottingham Forest.
Dominik Szoboszlai scored in the 11th minute and Alexis Mac Allister netted just past the hour mark at Anfield to secure a 20th league win of the season from 28 games.
Photo: Reuters
Title success would see Liverpool equal Manchester United’s record haul of 20.
It all seems so easy for Liverpool right now. With their rivals faltering one by one, the Merseyside team keep edging closer to the title.
Not even the absence of coach Arne Slot from the sideline after he was handed a two-match suspension could halt his team’s progress.
Photo: AP
A goalless draw with Nottingham Forest highlighted Arsenal’s problems amid an injury crisis in attack, with the Londoners failing to score for the third time in four games.
Arsenal were linked with a move for Aston Villa’s OIlie Watkins at the end of the window, but ended up empty-handed. It looks like that will be the case in terms of their title pursuit after the draw saw them slip further adrift of Liverpool.
“We played well and were dominant through the whole games, but goals happen in the boxes,” Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard said. “We defended well, but up top we need to try and create more.”
Manchester City moved back up to fourth after Erling Haaland returned from a knee injury and scored in their 1-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur.
Ten-man Manchester United were given a scare by relegation-fighting Ipswich Town.
Trailing inside four minutes at Old Trafford after Jaden Philogene’s early goal, United bounced back to win 3-2, despite Patrick Dorgu’s red card in the 43rd minute.
Manchester United moved up to 14th — ahead of Everton, who drew 1-1 against Brentford.
Copa del Rey
AP
Kylian Mbappe’s replacement Endrick on Wednesday scored a first-half goal as Real Madrid won 1-0 against Real Sociedad in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final.
Madrid were without Mbappe after he had tooth removed and was forced to miss practice on Tuesday. The France star has scored six goals in his past five matches.
Endrick, an 18-year-old Brazil forward, scored in a breakaway after Jude Bellingham’s long pass.
“Endrick has helped us a lot,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “His goal was fantastic. He worked well up front and on defense as well. The team has been playing well.”
Coppa Italia
Reuters
Empoli on Wednesday knocked Juventus out of the Coppa Italia with a dramatic 4-2 penalty shoot-out win after a 1-1 draw in regular-time, leaving coach Thiago Motta ashamed by the Bianconeri’s shock exit.
Empoli initially led with a first-half goal by Youssef Maleh, while Juventus struggled to pose any serious threat before the interval, prompting Motta to criticize his side’s performance and urging his players to take responsibility.
“Shame. I feel shame for what we saw in the first half and I hope my players feel the same,” Motta told a news conference. “The attitude was shameful. Maybe I am wrong because I did not make the players understand the importance of this game and the importance of wearing the Juventus shirt. We made a mistake and that’s why we’re not in the semi-finals.”
After Khephren Thuram equalized for Juventus in the second half, the match went to penalties where Empoli emerged victorious 4-2.
Coupe de France
AP, PARIS
USL Dunkerque on Wednesday showed their fighting spirit once again, rallying from 2-0 down to win 3-2 against top-flight Stade Brestois 29 and reach the Coupe de France semi-finals.
The second-tier side had already knocked out Ligue 1 high-fliers Lille OSC in the previous round on penalty kicks after equalizing six minutes into stoppage-time in that game.
Holders Paris Saint-Germain romped to a 7-0 win against fourth-tier Stade Briochin in Wednesday’s other quarter-final, with striker Goncalo Ramos grabbing a hat-trick.
DFB-Pokal
AP, LEIPZIG, Germany
Benjamin Sesko’s penalty on Wednesday was enough for RB Leipzig to book the last semi-final spot in the DFB-Pokal with a 1-0 win over VfL Wolfsburg.
Leipzig, who won the competition in 2023, joined third-tier Arminia Bielefeld, VfB Stuttgart and defending champions Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the last four.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
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