Alvin Jones, Staff Writer
Liverpool made light work of Watford for their 22nd win of the year. Photo/Reuters
Manchester City and Liverpool managed calm 2-0 victories this week as the Premier League title race heats up towards the end of the season. At Anfield, Liverpool dispatched relegation-threatened Watford.
Joe Gomez delivered a perfect cross to Diogo Jota to find the opener in the 20th minute. A sublime pass found Jota at the near post. The Portuguese striker scored his 14th of the season.
Despite a few chances for Watford, Liverpool mostly dominated the game. A late Fabinho penalty sealed the game for the Reds, seeing them temporarily move to the top of the table. Thiago Alcantara put together a man of the match performance for Liverpool.
Another showpiece performance for Thiago, who has emerged as one of Liverpool’s most reliable players.
Diogo Jota scored the opener in the 20th minute, putting away a cross from Joe Gomez. Photo/ Paul Ellis/ AFP
Later at the Turf Moor, Manchester City scored two first-half goals to win against Burnley. A fifth minute strike by Kevin De Bruyne (on his 200th PL appearance) assisted by Rodri opened the scoring.
Ilkay Gundogan tucked away a Raheem Sterling cutback in minute 24 to put the game away. City lead Liverpool by a single point going into their April 10th clash at the Etihad. While that game is not necessarily the title decider, it will be key in deciding who wins the league.
The reverse fixture at Anfield ended 2-2 with De Bruyne rescuing a point for Man City late in the 81st minute.
Ilkay Gundogan and Raheem Sterling celebrate City’s second goal against Burnley. Photo/Matt McNulty/Getty/ Manchester City
Further down the table Chelsea faced off against newly-promoted Brentford. A truly incredible strike by Antonio Rudiger from outside the box was followed by four goals for Brentford.
Watford keeper David Raya watches Chelsea defender Antionio Rudigers’s second half strike fly into the net. Photo/Reuters
A poor defensive performance by Chelsea, who were handed their heaviest defeat since their infamous 5-2 loss to West Brom. A brace by Vitaly Janelt put Brentford in front before new-signing Christian Eriksen made it 3-1 in minute 54. Yoane Wissa put the game to bed late, a 4-1 win for Brentford and their third victory in four games.
Elsewhere in the league, a Spurs 5-1 rout of Newcastle saw them back into the top four, and the most coveted Champions League spots.
Man United and Leicester City played out a 1-1 draw, and Everton were handed another blow in their relegation race. Losing 2-1 to West Ham and losing captain Micheal Keane due to a late red card.