DUBAI: Liverpool completed their 119-day mission to displace Manchester City from atop the English Premier League.
It only lasted a matter of hours.
The status quo was ultimately maintained in what is promising to be another gripping fight for the title between the two giants from northwest England after both teams won on Saturday.
Liverpool were first up, beating Watford 2-0 to make it 10 straight victories in the league.
That meant City dropped out of first place for the first time since Dec. 4 — but not for long.
Pep Guardiola’s team kicked off barely 30 minutes later, at relegation-threatened Burnley, took the lead after five minutes and eased to a 2-0 victory.
Liverpool and City have games in the Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday before what could yet be a decisive meeting at City’s Etihad Stadium five days later. One point will separate them heading into that potential title-decider, with seven more games each to play after that.
If third-place Chelsea had any faint ambitions of catching the top two, they were surely extinguished after conceding four second-half goals in a 4-1 home loss to London rival Brentford.
One of Brentford’s scorers at Stamford Bridge was Christian Eriksen, who netted the second for his first goal in the Premier League since returning from suffering a cardiac arrest at last year’s European Championship. He also scored in back-to-back games for Denmark over the international break.
Wolverhampton kept up their push for a finish in the European positions by beating Aston Villa 2-1 while Leeds drew 1-1 with Southampton and last-place Norwich held Brighton 0-0 and are now seven points from safety.
Man City, Liverpool both win in EPL; Brentford stun Chelsea
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Man City, Liverpool both win in EPL; Brentford stun Chelsea
- Liverpool were first up, beating Watford 2-0 to make it 10 straight victories in the league
- Liverpool and City have games in the Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday
Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka powers her way into the quarterfinals at the Australian Open
- Aryna Sabalenka rolls over the 19-year-old Canadian in just 31 minutes on Rod Laver Arena
- Sabalenka will be up against an even younger player in the quarterfinals, 18-year-old Iva Jovic
MELBOURNE: Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, attempting to win her third Australian Open title in four years, reached the quarterfinals on Sunday with a victory over No. 17 Victoria Mboko of Canada 6-1, 7-6 (1).
Sabalenka, using a high-powered serve that produced three aces in the first set, rolled over the 19-year-old Canadian in just 31 minutes on Rod Laver Arena.
Sabalenka was not quite as dominant in the second set — producing a few more unforced errors — against Mboko, who played well enough to beat many players but not the two-time Australian Open champion.
“What an incredible player for such a young age,” the 27-year-old Sabalenka said of the young Canadian. “It’s incredible to see these kids coming up on Tour. I can’t believe I say that. I feel like I’m a kid.”
“She pushed me so much, and I’m happy to be through,” Sabalenka added in her on-court interview.
Sabalenka led the second set 4-1, and then failed to convert three match points while leading 5-4. Mboko slowly took back the momentum and forced a tiebreaker only for Sabalenka to dominate.
It was the 20th straight tiebreak victory for Sabalenka.
“I try to — not to think this is a tiebreak and play point by point, and I guess that’s the key to consistency,” she said.
Sabalenka won this Grand Slam in 2023 and 2024 and was the runner-up last year against Madison Keys. The Belarussian has also won two US Open titles.
Sabalenka will be up against an even younger player in the quarterfinals — 18-year-old American Iva Jovic.
The No. 29-seeded Jovic defeated Yulia Putintseva 6-0, 6-1 on John Cain Arena in just 53 minutes as she advanced to her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.
In a later match Sunday on Rod Laver Arena, the top-seeded man Carlos Alcaraz of Spain faced American No. 19 Tommy Paul for a spot in the quarterfinals.
Alexander Zverev and Coco Gauff, the third seeds on the men and women’s side, also played later for spots in the quarterfinals.
