Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City suffered surprise defeats in their 15th Premier League match.
Liverpool had to dig deep to beat Sheffield United 2-0 as they put another stamp on their Premier League title bid. United were far from their best but Jurgen Klopp praised their mature performance.
Goals from Virgil van Dijk and Dominic Szoboszlai were enough for Liverpool to take the three points at Bramall Lane. Klopp’s men have moved back to within two points of leaders Arsenal, but their main objective is to finish in the top four and qualify for the Champions League again.
The race for the top four was seen as the most exciting battle in recent times. And in the 15th game of the 2023/24 season, the result could not have been better for Liverpool.”Manchester City” aims to win the Premier League for the fourth time in a row.
However, they lost 1-0 to Aston Villa. Ollie Watkins’ strike saw Villa climb to third in the table to secure a place in the top four. City are bottom of the Champions League with 34 points, four behind Liverpool.
Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur lost on Thursday. Newcastle qualified for the Champions League ahead of the Reds last season but could be in contention again. Liverpool’s Merseyside neighbors Everton beat the Magpies 3-0 at Goodison Park with goals from Dwight McNeil, Abdoulaye Doucour and Beto.
Newcastle are eight points behind Klopp’s men.Tottenham are the only team to beat Liverpool in the Premier League this season.
Under newly appointed Ange Postecoglou, Tottenham started the season strongly and were leading for a while, but hit a bump. The 2-1 defeat at home to West Ham United was Tottenham’s fourth defeat in five league games.
This leaves them fifth and seven points behind the Reds. Arsenal came close to dropping points but Luton won 4-3 thanks to Declan Rice’s 97th minute goal. Liverpool sit two points behind the Gunners but have the chance to go top with a win at Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon.
But more importantly, it allows United to put extra pressure on the chasing pack and take a step towards getting back into the Champions League.
