Mohamed Salah ended a nine-match goal drought as Liverpool returned to the top of the Premier League after coming from behind to earn a late 3-1 win at Southampton.
Shane Long put the Saints ahead on nine minutes, when he controlled a flick-on header by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to fire in his 50th Premier League goal.
On 36 minutes, Liverpool were level as Naby Keita rose highest to head in his first goal for the club from a Trent Alexander-Arnold cross.
With 10 minutes remaining, Salah broke forward following a Southampton corner and fired superbly past Angus Gunn to reach a half-century of PL goals for the Reds.
Liverpool added a third six minutes later, when Roberto Firmino played in substitute Jordan Henderson to finish.
Victory puts Liverpool on 82 points, two points clear of Manchester City having played a match more than the champions. Southampton are 16th on 33 points.
Naby Keita grabbed a first-half equaliser for a sluggish Liverpool side after Shane Long had given hosts Southampton a deserved lead at St Mary’s.
The Saints drew first blood when Shane Long latched on to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s flick-on and fired a low strike past Alisson.
It took time for the Reds to respond as they lacked rhythm for the majority of the first half.
However, they drew level nine minutes before the interval from an unlikely source. Naby Keita headed home Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross to equalise, notching his first goal for the club.
The Reds can return to the top of the Premier League table with victory and went into the break with the scores level.
Jurgen Klopp’s side trail leaders Manchester City by just a point, with just six games of the season remaining.
Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri has revealed his plan for Gonzalo Higuain at the club.
The striker joined Chelsea in January this year on loan from Juventus to strengthen the Premier League club.
Despite Higuain’s inability to help the club’s attack, Sarri says he wants to keep the Argentine at Stamford Bridge next term, though the club’s transfer ban may block prevent him from turning his loan from Juventus into a permanent move.
Asked if he wants to keep the striker, Sarri said: “Yes of course, but it depends on the club, it depends on Juventus, it’s not clear the situation at the moment.
“I think that he has to improve. Physically, mentally. But I think also that he will be able to be very useful for us in the last part of the season.
“You know very well that it’s not easy in the first months to play in the Premier League…I think he has time for improvement.”
Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has expressed his delight at Chelsea’s talisman Eden Hazard, stating: “I’ve always appreciated him”.
There have been speculations over Chelsea playmaker’s desire to play for Los Blancos especially now that his hero Zidane has returned to the Santiago Bernabeu.
“I will not give my personal opinion about what may happen because the season has not ended,” Zidane told reporters on Friday, as cited by Marca, when quizzed specifically on Hazard.
“I’ve always appreciated him, I’ve seen him a lot since I was playing in France, he is fantastic.”
The Belgium captain has also said this year that he “did not want any regrets” on his career in the latest of a long-running line of hints that he would be open to a move to Madrid.
Andres Iniesta has registered his displeasure over the inability of Barcelona to win more Champions League trophies.
The former Barcelona captain won three European crowns across his 15 years in the first-team squad at the Catalan giants, but Real Madrid won the competition four times in his last five seasons at the club.
“I would have wanted to win more Champions League, we could have won more,” Iniesta told Club del Deportista, in quotes cited by Marca.
“I think we should all feel immense pride in what we achieved because we won many trophies and made a lot of people very happy.
“Real Madrid won a lot of Champions League trophies but were unhappy not winning more La Liga titles, so this works both ways but we had the capability of winning more in Europe.
“My decision to leave was at the right time, I felt I had given my all to the club and my soul is still there.”
Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has presented a massive £500,000-per-week demand for him to remain at Old Trafford as the club are ready to begin talks over new deal with the Frenchman.
With Real Madrid circling for the World Cup winner, United are desperate to lock down the Frenchman with a new long term contract.
And he wants to become the club’s highest paid player, matching Alexis Sanchez on half a million every week, according to the Sun.
Compatriot Zinedine Zidane has publicly spoken of his admiration for Pogba, fanning the flames of recent speculation over a move to the Bernabeu.
The 26-year-old has looked a player transformed under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and United are desperate to keep him.
There are two years left on Pogba’s contract, but the club can extend that deal by an additional season.
And, the Daily Mail reports that United are willing to offer a three-year extension with improved terms that would keep him at Old Trafford until 2024.
Chelsea legend Frank Lampard believes Chelsea youngster Mason Mount is good enough to force his way into Maurizio Sarri’s side.
The Derby manager has been impressed with the on-loan midfielder and would be delighted if he was given a chance at Stamford Bridge.
Mount has netted seven times and provided five assists in all competitions this season, reports the Express.
And Lampard believes the 20-year-old ‘deserves’ a chance at Chelsea.
“Firstly, he has the potential to be a top player, and I mean that,” Lampard told Goal
“I think he can go as far as he wants. I have seen a progression in him now.
“He has played two-thirds of a season now in the Championship, which is full throttle and very taxing on a young midfielder to be the creator that he is.
“Also the amount of work he does off the ball for us, which I think goes unnoticed, he has been fantastic in doing that for us.
“He is a player who really wants to learn and be at the top. It is as important as the talent itself. He works fantastically hard.
“He is a good team-mate and he has the talent to go to the top. He has been a pleasure to work with.
“His choices have been really good. He was very successful in the Chelsea academy and youth team, as a team and for him as an individual.
“He took a leap to go abroad. That in itself, in terms of his personality, says a lot and he performed brilliantly there in terms of goals and assists.
“He has come to the Championship and performed very well here as well. So I think everyone’s pathway is different.
“We know that at Chelsea it is quite difficult to get into their first team at 17, 18 or 19 years of age, but he hasn’t sat still. He has actually gone out and played and played a lot of games.
“I would be delighted for him [to play for Chelsea]. I know what a great lad he is as well. He works so hard, and he has a good mentality.
“If anyone deserves it, it will be Mason, and I would be absolutely delighted for him to get in that team.”
Reports have emerged in England over Zinedine Zidane’s desire to sign Manchester United defence ace Eric Baily to strenghten Real Madrid defence.
Los Blancos have performed below their high standard so far this season and are determined to make big changes this summer.
Bailly joined Manchester United in 2016 from Villarreal for £30million wasted little time in making an impression, notching up 38 appearances in all competitions as the Old Trafford club won Community Shield, League Cup and Europa League trophy.
But the Ivory Coast international, in the last two seasons, has made just 35 appearances and looked a shadow of the player that shone in his first campaign. He has played 90 minutes just four times under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, reports the Mirror.
And, according to the Sun, Bailly is set to be handed an unlikely escape route this summer, with a return to Spain with Real Madrid .
It’s claimed that sources close to Bailly are aware United are ready to move on defensive targets and that they believe Bernabeu chiefs have the Ivorian on a list of ‘first-tier’ targets this summer.
Madrid have already made clear that they have no interest in selling Raphael Varane, and that means the chances of a move for Bailly would seem extremely slight, regardless of the thoughts of the player’s camp.
The club already have skipper Sergio Ramos as Varane’s defensive partner, plus Spain international Nacho as an able deputy.
The Spanish giants have also announced the arrival of Porto’s Eder Militao this summer too, meaning there is already plenty of depth in defence, with other areas looking in far greater need of strengthening.
