Liverpool emerged from their recent mini-slump to get their Premier League title procession back on track with a 2-1 victory over Bournemouth at Anfield on Saturday.

Their 22nd successive top-flight win at home, breaking the English record set by Bill Shankly’s side in 1972, was sealed by goals from Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane after Callum Wilson had given Bournemouth a shock lead.

It restored Liverpool’s 25-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the table and three more wins are all that are now required to rubber-stamp their first title for 30 years.

Tottenham Hotspur avoided a third straight defeat in the league with a Dele Alli penalty earning them a 1-1 draw at Burnley, after New Zealand forward Chris Wood had given the Clarets an early lead.

The result did little to help Jose Mourinho’s side’s bid for Champions League qualification however, leaving Spurs in eighth place, four points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.

Goals were in short supply elsewhere, especially at Molineux where Wolverhampton Wanderers spurned a golden chance to move above Chelsea and into the top four as they were held 0-0 at home by relegation scrappers Brighton & Hove Albion.

Brighton’s point was all the more precious as the other sides in the relegation mire lost.

They have 29 points in 15th place, two points ahead of a trio of sides immediately below them.

Alexandre Lacazette’s late goal gave Arsenal a 1-0 win over West Ham United, putting them on 40 points in ninth place.

West Ham are 16th, above Watford and Bournemouth on goal difference.

Watford came back to earth with a bump following their 3-0 win over Liverpool last weekend — Jordan Ayew scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win for Crystal Palace.

Bottom club Norwich City’s hopes of survival took another hit as they lost 1-0 at Sheffield United who moved up to sixth place, level on 43 points with Wolves. Norwich are still only six points from the safety zone but time is running out.

Newcastle United’s relegation fears look all but over, though, after a 1-0 win secured at Southampton by Allan Saint-Maximin’s late goal. Southampton played a large chunk of the match with 10 men after Moussa Djenepo was sent off after a VAR review for a stamp on Isaac Hayden.

Liverpool were far from their best but midfielder James Milner said it was important to respond after three defeats in their last four games in all competitions, especially as they face Atletico Madrid next week seeking to overturn a 1-0 deficit in the Champions League last 16.

“It was important that the boys showed great attitude to come back after some iffy results,” Milner said.

“It’s impossible to go through a season without an iffy spell, but it’s about how you are going to come through that and the boys are working hard.”

They made the worst possible start when, after nine minutes, Wilson slotted home for Bournemouth although he appeared to get away with a shove on Joe Gomez in the build-up.

Juergen Klopp was furious but celebrated like a man possessed when his side were gifted a 25th-minute equaliser as Jack Simpson lost possession just outside his penalty area and Mane played in Salah to finish lethally for his 70th goal in his 100th Premier League start.

Mane then fired Liverpool ahead after racing on to Virgil van Dijk’s through ball. Mane also hit the woodwork in the second half and although the hosts laboured at times they stretched their unbeaten league run at Anfield to 55.

Two goals in each half from a rampant Chelsea earned them a 4-0 victory over Carlo Ancelotti’s disappointing Everton on Sunday, cementing their place in the Premier League’s top four.

Everton coach Ancelotti, who spent two years at Chelsea, leading the team which included current Chelsea boss Frank Lampard to the league and FA Cup double in 2010, enjoyed a warm greeting from the Stamford Bridge crowd.

Yet he cut a forlorn figure on the touchline, with his team managing only one shot on target, as Chelsea opened a 2-0 lead with goals from Mason Mount and Pedro before adding to their tally with efforts from Willian and Olivier Giroud.

Everton lie in 12th place in the table, 11 points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.

Mount scored the first in the 14th minute, bursting from midfield and playing a one-two with Pedro before controlling the ball, turning and shooting low into the corner.

Sixty seconds earlier the youth team graduate had forced Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford into a reflex save from a close-range volley.

Lampard hails his returning heroes as Chelsea hammer Everton

Seven minutes later Spain’s Pedro, revelling in space, latched on to a fine through ball from former Everton midfielder Ross Barkley and picked his spot to the left of the advancing Pickford.

The home side doubled their lead in three second-half minutes. In the 51st the indefatigable Barkley set up Willian to shoot across goal and into the far corner from 20 metres with Pickford stranded. Then France striker Giroud poked the ball home from a Willian cross after a corner.

Giroud, who has been starting for Chelsea in the last few weeks with Tammy Abraham struggling for fitness, had been linked with a move away in January.

Yet on Sunday he said he felt physically and mentally fit.

“We’ve been killers in the box. It showed the team character and confidence,” he said. “It was good to get a goal.”

OPEN GOAL

Dominic Calvert-Lewin missed an open goal with the score at 2-0 when he tried to chip past advancing goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga but put the ball wide.

Everton had Pickford to thank for keeping the scoreline to four after the keeper made sharp saves from Willian, Giroud and Barkley.

“Everything went wrong,” Ancelotti said. “We were not good enough defensively, too open defensively. With the ball We did a lot of mistakes on passes. It was not a good day.”

Lampard, who has delighted fans by bringing youth team players into the senior squad, felt able to give Premier League debuts to two more local teenaged players who joined the club as young children.

Attacking midfielder Faustino Anjorin came on for Willian and Armando Broja, born in Slough but who plays for Albania’s under-21 team, replaced Giroud for the last five minutes.

Midfielder Billy Gilmour, 18, also started the game after a fine performance in the team’s 2-0 FA Cup win over Everton’s neighbours Liverpool last Tuesday.

Lampard said the young players brought energy to the team but he needed to keep a balance and the senior players also performed on Sunday with motivation, speed and confidence. He singled out fine showings from Pedro, 32, and Giroud, 33.

“We need to keep our feet on the ground but today we saw really good stuff,” Lampard said.

“The whole attitude and focus of the team was strong today…the application of the team today was spot on.”

Manchester United completed their first home and away Premier League double over Manchester City since the Alex Ferguson era with goals from Anthony Martial and Scott McTominay giving them a 2-0 victory at Old Trafford on Sunday.

United’s triumph over second-placed City leaves runaway leaders Liverpool, who have a 25-point advantage, even closer to the title but not even that bitter-sweet element of the win could dampen the celebrations in the Stretford End.

Liverpool now require only two more wins to guarantee lifting their first league title for 30 years and may not even need those six points if City fail to beat Arsenal and Burnley in their upcoming games before the Merseyside derby.

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United may have had to defend for large parts of the second half but they were disciplined throughout and allowed City few clear chances after taking the lead in the 30th minute through Martial after a clever free-kick from Bruno Fernandes.

The arrival of Portuguese midfielder Fernandes in late January has transformed United’s season and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s improving side are now unbeaten in their last 10 games in all competitions.

The creativity and verve of Fernandes has been key to that upturn in form, but there have been improvements across the field as United have moved up to fifth, still three points off the fourth Champions League spot currently held by Chelsea.

Solskjaer sees solid foundations at United after derby glory

But no-one in Manchester needs reminding that fifth place may be enough to face the continental elite next term, if City’s two-year UEFA ban from Europe is upheld despite their appeal.

SHAKY START

United were shaky in the opening stages, sitting deep and allowing City space to move the ball around midfield, but after adjusting they began to take advantage of the absence of the injured Kevin De Bruyne from the City midfield.

United’s opening goal was straight off the training ground with Fernandes surprising City’s defence with a sharply-taken chipped free-kick over the top to Martial whose volley sneaked under the arm of the diving Ederson.

It was a goal which delighted Norwegian Solskjaer who has been pushing Martial to gain more of a predator’s instinct and it was one of several signs of a good understanding between the Frenchman and Fernandes.

“Anthony and Bruno have hit if off. It is a privilege to be a manager of a squad with this attitude. You can’t ask for more. They are going to improve as players as well,” said Solskjaer.

City had a Sergio Aguero effort ruled out for offside after the break but with Bernardo Silva unusually ineffective, the champions lacked their trademark midfield dominance.

Raheem Sterling was unable to connect with a low ball across the face of the goal from Riyad Mahrez in one of the few clear openings City created.

At the other end, the speedy Dan James broke clear after a wonderful through ball from the outstanding Aaron Wan-Bissaka but opted to blast at Ederson when he could have squared the ball to a team mate.

But the game was to end in raucous joy for the United faithful as substitute McTominay made sure of the points by driving the ball into the unguarded net from 25 metres after a woeful throw-out from Ederson straight to the midfielder.

“That was such a sweet moment. It’s such a beautiful feeling to score like that in front of the fans. But we can’t get too carried away and need to keep pushing for the Champions League,” said the Scotland international.

“We will take confidence from that but in the coming weeks we have got to keep the run going,” he said.

Guardiola defended his team’s performance but Bernardo Silva was more frank in his assessment.

“A very bad day for us, it is always a special game even though we are not going for the title. It is a special game for our fans and us and we need to do better. It is not acceptable to play this way and lose like this,” he said.

The last time United completed the league double over City was in the 2009/10 season.

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