Reds maul Foxes to extend lead; Utd hot on Blues’ tail

Liverpool stretched their Premier League lead to 13 points by outclassing second-placed Leicester in a 4-0 win on Boxing Day as Manchester United and Tottenham cut the gap on fourth-placed Chelsea.

The gap between Chelsea and Tottenham is back down to three points as the Blues lost 2-0 at home to lowly Southampton, whereas Spurs came from behind to beat Brighton 2-1.

In a later match, United moved just a point further back in seventh as they too overturned a poor start to thrash Newcastle 4-1 with Anthony Martial scoring twice.

Liverpool’s trip to their closest challengers was the top billing of a busy Boxing Day card, but there was no contest as the newly crowned world champions showed their class.

Roberto Firmino scored twice from Trent Alexander-Arnold crosses either side of James Milner’s penalty before the brilliant Alexander-Arnold rounded off the scoring himself.

Liverpool also have a game in hand over Leicester and seem destined to finally end a 30-year wait to win the title.

“With all the things around us, the biggest quality of my boys is that we are not listening really, we are completely focused on what we have to do,” Klopp told Amazon Prime.

“I’m really good at partying my friends will tell you, but I never wanted to have a party without a reason.

“If there is something to celebrate I will tell you, until then we will work.”

Fresh from winning the Club World Cup for the first time in Qatar on Saturday, Klopp’s men showed no sign of fatigue from a congested December schedule as they outclassed the Foxes from start to finish.

Alexander-Arnold was a constant threat rampaging forward from right-back and stung Kasper Schmeichel’s palms inside the first minute before Klopp soon had his head in his hands when Sadio Mane somehow spooned Mohamed Salah’s dangerous cross wide.

An opener for the runaway league leaders was only a matter of time and duly arrived just after the half hour mark when Alexander-Arnold’s cross was headed powerfully down past Schmeichel.

The Danish goalkeeper had ensured Leicester’s 3-1 defeat at Manchester City on Saturday was not far more comprehensive and needed to be at his best again to keep the Foxes in the game as he saved one-on-one from Mane moments later.

Two heavy defeats in five days have proved to be a reality check for Leicester’s title ambitions with their focus now on making sure they hold off a chasing pack including Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United to secure a return to the Champions League.

“It’s important there is a little bit of perspective,” said Schmeichel. “If you told us we would be in the position we are at the start of the season we would have taken it.

“We take this as inspiration, that’s the level. Those are probably the two best teams in the world at the minute and that’s the level we have to aspire to be.”

Liverpool, by contrast, demonstrated why they are Champions League winners and Premier League champions in waiting.

With Thursday’s loss to Southampton, the Blues have now lost to West Ham, Bournemouth and the Saints in their last four home league games.

“We are being asked a different question at home. At the moment we are not answering them,” said a frustrated Lampard.

“We do not manage to pick up that final pass.”

Meanwhile, United, who were beaten 2-0 at bottom-of-the-table Watford on Sunday, faced another frustrating evening when Matty Longstaff scored his second Premier League goal -- both of which have come against the Red Devils.

However, unlike when the Magpies beat Ole Gunnar Solskajer’s men 1-0 in October, the response from United was emphatic.

Martial fired in at the near post with the help of Newcastle ‘keeper Martin Dubravka before a thundering finish from Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford’s header made it 3-1 before the break.

Another defensive error then teed up Martial to dink over Dubravka for the fourth early in the second half.

Agence France-Presse


Late Thursday’s English Premier League results:

Leicester 0 Liverpool 4 (Firmino 31, 74, Milner 71-pen, Alexander-Arnold 78); Manchester United 4 (Martial 24, 51, Greenwood 36, Rashford 41) Newcastle 1 (M Longstaff 17)