Manchester United had English Premier League leaders Liverpool looking anxiously over their shoulders after a 3-0 drubbing of Chelsea on Sunday put the champions just five points off the pace with two games in hand. Barcelona left it late to win at Osasuna and go 12 points clear in Spain while David Beckham played almost all the match on his debut for AC Milan, a 2-2 draw at AS Roma.
'The most worrying fact is that young people are becoming less and less interested in football. The current competitions, as designed today, do not attract spectators' interest, except in the final stage.'
Juergen Klopp's Europa League nightmare came true on Friday when his Liverpool side was drawn to meet former club Borussia Dortmund in next month's quarter-finals.
Chelsea and Manchester City offered compelling evidence that they will lead the pursuit of leaders Arsenal and champions Manchester United lost further ground on a Sunday that brought the third managerial casualty of the Premier League season.
Liverpool get its first real test of the season on Saturday when they seek to end a dire series of Anfield results against champions Manchester United.
Manchester City thrashed West Ham United 4-1 in the Premier League on Saturday to claim their first back-to-back wins since October.
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday
Juergen Klopp refused to rule out Liverpool as Premier League title contenders on Wednesday after ending the year level on points with Manchester United and nine behind leaders Arsenal.
The difference in fortunes since Liverpool won 3-0 away to Manchester United in March was illustrated when Louis Van Gaal's team reversed that scoreline on Sunday.
After a string of middling transfer windows, Manchester United have made their biggest statement of intent in recent years by signing centre back Raphael Varane and winger Jadon Sancho.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has admitted that his team will struggle to make a top-four finish at the end of the season, thus virtually ending their hopes of Champions League qualification following a 4-1 defeat against Arsenal on Saturday night.
Chelsea won for the first time in six Premier League matches when they beat relegation-threatened Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-1 at home on Monday.
English Premier League leaders Manchester City and Chelsea slugged out a magnificent 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Leicester City were give a Premier League reality check when the unlikely leaders lost 1-0 at Liverpool on Saturday after Manchester United slumped to a third consecutive league defeat to pile more pressure on manager Louis van Gaal.
Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel was charged with violent conduct for appearing to stamp on Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea.
IMAGES from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday.
Jose Mourinho's reshaped Manchester United destroyed Premier League champions Leicester City 4-1 with a performance that thrilled Old Trafford on Saturday and justified his decision to leave out Wayne Rooney. The shake-up seemed to liberate Paul Pogba who led the way with a polished display, heading his first goal for the club on 42 minutes and starting the clever move that led to Juan Mata firing home United's second after 37 minutes.
Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United enjoyed comfortable wins in the English Premier League on Saturday as fans returned to stadiums after an eight-month absence.
Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold scored with a spectacular strike as they overcame the loss of three players to suspected positive COVID-19 tests and conceding an early goal to beat Newcastle United 3-1 in the Premier League on Thursday.
Manchester City seized the chance to put Premier League leaders Manchester United under pressure with David Silva's double in a 2-0 victory over Fulham on Saturday while Liverpool recorded a 5-0 win at home to Norwich City.
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney's comments that he "hated" title rivals Liverpool have been removed from the Premier League club's website ahead of Saturday's clash between the two sides. Rooney, who began his career with Liverpool's arch-rivals Everton, moved to United in August 2004, a club who also share a close rivalry with the Anfield side.
Phil Foden kept Manchester City's Premier League title challenge on track with a superb second-half double as his side hit back to clinch a 3-1 home victory over Manchester United on Sunday.
first English title for 30 years had been sealed almost a month ago with seven games remaining, following a three-month stoppage because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Liverpool said on Friday they would appeal against an additional two-match ban imposed on midfielder Javier Mascherano by the English FA.
Manchester United, comprehensively outplayed by local rivals Liverpool and Manchester City at Old Trafford recently, face an even tougher challenge when holders Bayern Munich come calling in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Manchester City's long winning run in the Premier League finally came to an end
Salomon Kalou's second-half double against Middlesbrough moved Chelsea up to second in the English Premier League on Wednesday after Liverpool stuttered again by conceding a late equaliser to draw 1-1 at Wigan Athletic. Liverpool wasted the chance to go level on points with leaders Manchester United after on-loan Egyptian striker Mido converted an 83rd-minute penalty on his debut to earn Wigan a point at the JJB Stadium.
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson dismissed Chelsea's Premier League title hopes on Wednesday.
The holders and runners-up made their exit from the League Cup in the fourth round after being beaten by Bolton Wanderers and West Bromwich Albion respectively.
Manchester City made Raheem Sterling the most expensive English player in history when they completed a deal for the 20-year-old forward on Tuesday, rubber-stamping an acrimonious end to his Liverpool career.
The Premier League bursts back into life after the international break.
Graham Potter is in talks to replace Lopetegui, according to British media reports, and the former Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion manager is expected to take charge of West Ham for their FA Cup third-round game at Aston Villa on Friday.
Second-placed Manchester United edged closer towards qualification for the Champions League
Images from Saturday's action in the English Premier League.
Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge is expected to return to training in September after undergoing hip surgery in the United States, manager Brendan Rodgers said on Friday.
Yossi Benayoun struck in injury time to give Liverpool a hugely important 1-0 victory at Fulham that took them top of the Premier League on Saturday. The win takes Liverpool to 67 points, two ahead of champions Manchester United, who have two games in hand and host Aston Villa on Sunday.
'It was shambolic ... so bad' 'United didn't need a new philosophy, they had one for 20-odd years that worked'
Liverpool beat Newcastle United 3-0 at Anfield on Sunday to maintain their pursuit of Manchester United at the top of the Premier League table and send Newcastle deeper into relegation trouble at the bottom. Second-placed Liverpool moved to 77 points with three matches to play. Leaders United have 80 points and four matches remaining.
Juergen Klopp expressed disappointment at the officiating and his Liverpool side's poor finishing in the second leg of their League Cup semi-final at Anfield on Wednesday after Southampton claimed a late 1-0 victory to book a spot in the final.
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