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​Liverpool went 25 points clear at the top of the Premier League on Saturday evening as they beat Norwich City 1-0 at Carrow Road.

Norwich had a golden chance to take the lead, when Lukas Rupp was one-on-one with Alisson. The German tried to unselfishly set up Teemu Pukki for an open goal, but Alisson got a vital hand to the ball to claw it away, sparing Liverpool’s blushes with an some excellent goalkeeping.

Liverpool increased the tempo in the second half, peppering the hosts’ goal with shots. Tim Krul pulled off three decent saves within the space of a few minutes, tipping Naby Keita’s shot over the bar before getting down well to pull off a double save from Mohamed Salah and the Guinean.

With 77 minutes on the clock, Liverpool finally broke down a resilient Norwich side and scored. Jordan Henderson’s long ball was brought down nicely by Sadio Mane, who turned and thumped it into the bottom corner to send the Liverpool fans into pandemonium.

The Reds held on to secure the three points as their incredible season rolls on.

NORWICH

Key Talking Point

With one win in their last 12 league games, it was a big ask for ​Norwich to take anything off the league leaders. Yet the Canaries were solid in the opening 45 minutes, containing Liverpool while showing positive signs in attack to hold them off going into the break.

The visitors became more and more frustrated in the second half, but Norwich were resilient. They were firm and organised at the back, and with Dutch international Tim Krul in goal it looked as if Liverpool were never going to score in an excellent defensive display.

Mane’s winner finally broke Norwich hearts, but they should take pride in their performance. They kept the league leaders out for three-quarters of the game and while they will feel hard done, they can leave with the knowledge that they certainly can play and put in a battling display.

Player Ratings

Starting XI: Krul (8*); Aarons (6), Zimmermann (6), Hanley (6), Byram (N/A); Tettey (6), McLean (6); Rupp (6), Duda (6), Cantwell (7); Pukki (6).

Substitutes: Lewis (6), Buendia (N/A), Drmic (N/A).

STAR MAN – TIM KRUL

Norwich produced a noteworthy defensive performance despite defeat, and Tim Krul was the heart and soul of that. Save after save from the Dutch goalkeeper proved his worth in goal, making several fantastic and crucial saves in a display worthy of credit.

LIVERPOOL

Key Talking Point

​Liverpool had the chance to go a colossal 25 points clear at the top, but they struggled to hit their stride at Carrow Road. The first half saw a measly one effort on goal, and they didn’t seem to be at their best as they missed chance after chance against a stubborn Norwich defence.

The Reds piled on the pressure after the break, but for their dozen shots on goal nothing was going their way. Sadio Mane’s introduction off the bench was the game-changing moment, and with his goal Liverpool battled out a massive victory in their pursuit of the Premier League.

It wasn’t pretty, but Liverpool did what they came out to do and earned a 16th straight league win. Jurgen Klopp’s side have taken one huge step closer to securing the title, and with the trophy in sight Liverpool’s 30-year wait is starting to reach its anticipated climax.

Player Ratings

Starting XI: Alisson (7); Alexander-Arnold (6), Gomez (6), Van Dijk (7), Robertson (6); Keita (6), Henderson (7), Wijnaldum (6); Salah (6), Firmino (7), Oxlade-Chamberlain (6).

Substitutes: Fabinho (6), Mane (7*), Milner (N/A).

STAR MAN – SADIO MANE

​Sadio Mane came off the bench and did exactly what he needed to do, in a match-winning performance. He needed just 17 minutes after coming on to strike for the Reds, and it was his goal and his contribution that made the difference at Carrow Road.

Looking Ahead

Norwich travel to high-flying ​Wolves next Sunday, as they continue their fight for Premier League survival. The Canaries are back at Carrow Road five days later, when ​Leicester City travel to Norfolk on 28 February.

Liverpool continue their Champions League defence next Tuesday, returning to the Wanda Metropolitano eight months on from their final victory to face ​Atletico Madrid. The Reds return to league action on 24 February, hosting ​West Ham at Anfield.

​Tottenham head coach Jose Mourinho has said he has spoken to ​Dele Alli after the midfielder was accused of racism following a social media post about the coronavirus, describing it as an ‘easy conversation’.

​Alli could be charged by the FA after a video of him sat in an airport departure lounge, in which he appeared to mock an Asian man claiming he was possibly infected with coronavirus, went viral. The FA has wrote to Alli and have requested his observations.

Speaking ahead of ​Tottenham’s match against ​Aston Villa, Mourinho said, quoted by ​the Guardian: “Of course I spoke with him about that.

“But for me it was a quite easy conversation, because he was very sorry about that thing. A mistake. It was never his intention to hurt, it was never his intention to offend. He immediately regretted and realised it was a young guy mistake, a young generation mistake.

“It was not a case of me being unhappy and him not understanding why I was unhappy. He regrets and that’s the best he can show. And I think to apologise is remarkable.”

​Alli uploaded the video to his Snapchat before removing it soon after. He then posted a video to Chinese social networking site Weibo, where he apologised and admitted to his humour being misguided.

“It wasn’t funny and I realised that immediately and took it down,” he said. “I let myself down and the club.”

In similar circumstances, ​Manchester City midfielder ​Bernardo Silva received a one-match ban, £50,000 fine and was ordered to attend an awareness course after a tweet sent to teammate Benjamin Mendy posted from his account was considered an ‘aggravated breach’ of the FA’s rules regarding social media, after appearing to be racist towards his teammate.

Mourinho discussed his role in mentoring and lecturing Alli, stating that he is ‘not the FA’.

“I’m his manager. his friend,” he added. “I have to act as an educator and the best way to do it is immediately his reaction. Regret and apologise. So, game over.”

A controversial late Cristiano Ronaldo penalty gave Juventus an undeserved draw in their Coppa Italia semi final clash against ten-men AC Milan, cancelling out Ante Rebić’s sliding finish in a 1-1 encounter in Thursday’s first leg.

Milan created the clearest chances in the first half, with Gianluigi Buffon making good saves to deny Davide Calabria and Rebić. On the other hand, La Vecchia Signora struggled to fashion chances for themselves and looked lethargic in their attacks.

After the break, Rebić poked in a cross from the right flank past Buffon to open the scoring. However, tensions between the teams flared and it was no surprise to see Theo Hernández sent off for two unnecessary fouls.

With the clock winding down, a controversial handball penalty was awarded to the away side for Calabria’s block on Ronaldo’s bicycle kick. The Portuguese star duly dispatched the spot-kick, denying I Rossoneri victory and putting Juve in a stronger position ahead of the second leg in Turin.

MILAN

Key Talking Point

The inclusion of Zlatan Ibrahmović in the starting lineup was particularly eye-catching among fans of I Rossoneri, as it was not clear how effective the veteran striker could be alongside the in-form Rebić.

Player Ratings

Starting XI: Donnarumma (7); Calabria (7), Kjær (7), Romagnoli (7), Hernández (6); Castillejo (7), Kessié (6), Bennacer (7), Çalhanoğlu (7); Rebić (8*), Ibrahimović (7).

Substitutes: Laxalt (7), Paquetá (6), Saelemaekers (6).

Ante Rebić

Juventus have been awful on the road in recent games, and most recently lost 2-1 at Verona in the league. With that in mind, they started the game tentatively and with a cautious mindset.

The home side seemed to carry much more impetus and purpose in their attacks, contrasting with an often-lethargic Juventus attack.

Often pinned back by their opponents, I Bianconeri were second-best for much of the contest and were lucky to stay in the tie.

Player Ratings

Starting XI: Buffon (7); De Sciglio (6), De Ligt (6), Bonucci (7), Sandro (6); Ramsey (6), Pjanić (6), Matuidi (7); Cuadrado (7), Dybala (7), Ronaldo (6).

Substitutes: Bentancur (7), Higuain (6), Rabiot (7).

Juan Cuadrado

On the rare occasions Juventus did carry attacking threat, it often came down the right wing.

Juan Cuadrado created some good openings by cutting inside on his left foot and used his pace to trouble Hernández, forcing him into fouls that eventually led to the red card.

Looking Ahead

​Liverpool CEO Peter Moore has had to shoot down calls for Steven Gerrard to return to the club on a short-term deal in order to earn a Premier League medal, insisting it wouldn’t be fair on the current squad.

Considered one of Liverpool’s greatest ever players, the one club trophy that eluded Gerrard during his playing time at Anfield was that of the Premier League.

Due to that, a social media discussion had emerged from the Reds’ fanbase to bring their former captain back to the club on short-term deal – potentially even just a few days long – so that Gerrard could scoop a winners’ medal. These calls had gathered pace as ​Liverpool are now just a maximum of six wins away from lifting a maiden ​Premier League crown.

Speaking at an event hosted by the Cape Town Official Liverpool Supporters’ Club, Moore hilariously listed the single tiny problem facing the possibility of Gerrard returning to the club before the end of the season.

“Let me explain what would have to happen,” he quipped, via ​Soccer Laduma. “So the question is, ‘can we bring Steven Gerrard back to get a Premier League medal?’ and the question I ask you is: which player do you want to cut from the squad to make that happen? If you haven’t noticed, he’s the employee of a different football club at the same time as well.

“Look, we all love Stevie G and we’re all very proud of him for his managerial career, but I keep seeing this ‘bring him in on a five-day contract so he can win a medal’ [but] it just doesn’t happen that way.

“Chemistry in a dressing room is important. Can you imagine that? That you have to cut a player, to say ‘you’re not going to get a medal’? It’s not like they’re handing these things out to everybody, you’ve got a squad, right? And thirdly, you can’t add a player to a squad once it’s locked.

“Other than that, it’s really possible.”

Thanks for clearing that up.

​In two of Europe’s most dominant footballing nations, their respective league’s were monopolised by two supergiants in the 2010s.

Much like Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller monopolised the steel and oil industries in 19th century America, Bayern Munich and Juventus have had a stranglehold on the Bundesliga and Serie A for the past decade.

The last time we saw either of the aforementioned sides fail to top their division was way back in 2012.

But in the space of a few hours on Sunday night, a pair of ‘underdogs’ proved that the two dictators – in the nicest sense of the word – could be brought to their knees come May.

The first side, RB Leipzig, met Bayern head-on in the Bundesliga after a poor run of form saw the Bavarian’s hold their first lead at the summit since October. Defeat at the Allianz Arena would’ve put Bayern four points clear at the top and well on their way to an eighth consecutive league title.

And after an opening 45 minutes of Leipzig midfielders chasing Thiago’s shadow and the hosts working their way to Peter Gulacsi’s goal at worrying regularity, Bayern looked set for victory.

The only issue, however; it was still 0-0 – with a combination of heroic defending by Leipzig’s back three and good fortune being the major factors for the first-half stalemate.

The second period though, was a completely different story as Julian Nagelsmann’s tactical versatility came to the fore once more.

Die Roten Bullen switched from a 5-3-2 to a 4-4-2 to deter the threat posed out wide by the home side – mainly from Alphonso Davies down the left. Overall, it worked a treat with Bayern’s danger from wide areas brought to a standstill, creating just one high-quality chance in the second half, an opportunity spurned by Leon Goretzka after some neat interplay between the German and Robert Lewandowski saw the former one-on-one with Gulacsi.

In possession, Leipzig continued to take the direct route – attempting to expose the void left in behind by Bayern’s advanced full-backs by turning the ball over in their own half.

And within 25 seconds of the restart, Marcel Sabitzer should’ve given his side the lead but instead blazed over, despite the Austria international enjoying the freedom of Bavaria inside the Bayern box.

Nevertheless, it was a glorious chance created as a result of Tyler Adams and Timo Werner exploiting the void left by a surging Davies.

Their second fantastic chance of the half came 15 minutes later, with the same ploy working a treat once more. This time Konrad Laimer – who was majestic in the second-half, slowing down Thiago and finishing the game with the most combined tackles and interceptions on the pitch (eight) – set Christopher Nkunku on his way in the left channel with a fantastic pass in behind Benjamin Pavard.

The Frenchman then presented the deadly Werner – who’d similarly exposed Bayern’s high line – with a seemingly unmissable chance from inside the area. The ruthless German, however, fluffed his lines when it mattered most, placing his first-time finish wide of Manuel Neuer’s post.

So with both sides as equally wasteful, a stalemate it was – which absolutely nobody saw coming – and Bayern’s lead at the top remained just a point. Nonetheless, Leipzig’s impressive second-half display could turn out imperative when it’s all said and done.

Next up, Inter, who would regain top spot in Serie A with a victory in the Derby della Madonnina at the expense of Juve – who slipped up at Hellas Verona on Saturday night, losing 2-1.

But after a first-half of Milan superiority and outright domination, things looked bleak for the Nerazzurri at the break. A 2-0 deficit to overcome, Juve’s monopoly to halt and most importantly, a cringy Zlatan Ibrahimovic tweet to avoid post-match – an image of the Swede posing with a crown to go with the caption “The King Has Returned” seemed inevitable.

And while a tactical switch set the precedent for Leipzig’s significant second-half improvement, Inter’s superb display at San Siro in the second period was, simply put, down to work ethic. The Nerazzurri players inspired by what would’ve been a passionate, to put it lightly, team talk by Antonio Conte at the break.

Diego Godin returned to his 2014 best, Stefan de Vrij proved why he’s the best defender in the division while Marcelo Brozovic showed just how crucial he is to Conte’s side – operating as the most advanced midfielder out of possession to prevent Ismael Bennacer from controlling the game, while also acting as the deep-lying ‘regista’ when Inter had possession.

With the Conte press returning in the second period, Inter ensured that Milan had less joy when building up from the back; with the midfield cutting off vertical passing lanes and preventing the likes of Ante Rebic and Hakan Calhanoglu from having joy between the lines.

Inter’s newfound intensity, desire and determination laid the foundation for a gargantuan comeback. Oh, and it’s fair to say that the whole ‘momentum’ thingy played a bit of a role as well after Brozovic had sweetly struck home a volley to leave the score at 2-1 just six minutes after the restart.

Whether it be Alexis Sanchez’s perseverance and awareness to set up Matias Vecino for the equaliser or de Vrij stretching his neck muscles to the limit to ensure Inter took the lead, it was mightily clear just how much a derby victory and ultimately, toppling the Bianconeri means to the Inter squad.

The celebrations after Romelu Lukaku’s header to make it 4-2, meanwhile, highlighted just how motivated this unit is. They’re ready to take over.

​​So come the end of May, we could be looking at February 9 as a defining day in two hotly contested title races.

With their impressive second-half display ensuring they held Bayern to a 0-0 draw on the road, Leipzig will be hoping that they’ve turned another corner after a patchy run of form while halting the Bavarian’s momentum in the process.

As for Inter, well, they were able to salvage themselves from a demoralising defeat at the hands of their bitter rivals – one that could’ve easily sent their season on a downward spiral. Sunday’s games were a taster of what these two challengers can achieve with two fantastic managers at the helm; with Conte’s pragmatism and Nagelsmann’s innovation potentially laying the foundations for a new dawn in Italy and Germany at the start of the 2020s.

​Inter mounted a heroic second-half comeback to topple AC Milan 4-2 in the Derby dello Madonnina on Sunday night, returning to the top of Serie A in the process.

The Rossoneri seemed to stun the hosts early on with their suffocating intensity out of possession, and they went close to taking the lead through Hakan Calhanoglu – whose effort from distance cannoned off the post.

Despite Milan’s superiority, Inter started to threaten Gianluigi Donnarumma’s goal as Diego Godin and Matias Vecino went close.

The ‘away’ side’s dominance eventually paid off, however, as Ante Rebic tucked into an empty net after good work from Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Just before half-time, things went from bad to worse for Inter as Zlatan himself doubled the Rossoneri’s lead, sweeping in at the back post after Franck Kessie had rather fortuitously knocked the ball into his path.

Remarkably though, Milan’s two-goal lead swiftly evaporated within eight minutes of the restart. Marcelo Brozovic pulling one back for the Nerazzurri with an expertly taken volley before Vecino atoned for his earlier miss to level things up.

Milan halted the momentum after Vecino’s equaliser but with 20 minutes remaining, Inter took the lead through Stefan de Vrij; the Dutchman glancing his header home expertly from an outswinging Antonio Candreva corner to beat Donnarumma.

The away side started to probe once more as they went in search for an equaliser, and they almost snatched a point through Ibrahimovic but his header rattled the post. 

But in stoppage time, Romelu Lukaku ensured Inter would claim all three points as he nodded home substitute Victor Moses’ cross from the right – the Belgian taking his goal tally in Serie A up to 18 for the season.

INTER

Key Talking Point

What a second-half display by Antonio Conte’s men, eh?

After a tepid, conservative effort in the opening 45, Inter came out like a team possessed after the break. Their work-rate out of possession increased ten-fold as they started to prevent Milan’s creators from having joy in between the lines, with Inter’s midfield trio eventually taking ownership of the middle of the park.

It was their persistence and determination that ultimately led to them bagging four goals in the second period, with Conte seemingly doing an incredible job to reinvigorate his players at half-time.

Although it was yet another incomplete display, their second-half performance was certainly one of champions.

Player Ratings

Starting XI: Padelli (4); Godin (6), De Vrij (8*), Skriniar (7); Candreva (6), Vecino (6), Brozovic (8), Barella (6), Young (5); Sanchez (6), Lukaku (8)

Subs: Eriksen (7), Moses (6), Biraghi (N/A)

Stefan de Vrij

The Dutchman continued to prove why he’s one of the most underrated defenders in Europe with a match-winning display in the derby.

Although Ibrahimovic’s physicality caused him problems in the early exchanges, he quickly acclimatised and started to win the one-on-one battle against the Swede.

While his defensive clearance to prevent Milan from doubling their lead (before they actually did) was immense, his goal to complete the Inter comeback was even better.

MILAN

Key Talking Point

Despite the defeat, Stefano Pioli can take great confidence from his side’s first-half display in this one – arguably their finest 45 minutes of football this season.

The 4-4-2 setup worked a treat for Pioli, with the likes of Calhanoglu – operating as a second striker – Rebic and Saul Castillejo enjoying significant space in behind Inter’s relatively flat midfield three. Their quick combination play also caused the hosts a lot of issues while they persistently overloaded the flanks to ensure Candreva and Ashley Young were in for a testing 90 minutes.

Tactically, Pioli got it spot on but in the end, they were simply outdone by a moment of magic by Brozovic out of the blue and all the momentum the Nerazzurri took from it.

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Player Ratings

Starting XI: Donnarumma (6); Conti (6), Kjaer (7), Romagnoli (6), Hernandez (7); Castillejo (7), Kessie (8), Bennacer (8*), Rebic (8); Calhanoglu (6), Ibrahimovic (7)

Subs: Leao (6), Paqueta (6), Bonaventura (6).

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Ismael Bennacer

A consistent performer in midfield for Milan this season, Bennacer churned out another fantastic display on Sunday night.

The Algerian international was key in Milan’s impressive first-half display, kickstarting quick combination play with penetrating vertical passes while persistently showing off his ability to retain possession amid pressure.

Although he and Kessie were outnumbered in midfield, their intensity and aggression out of possession ensured they dominated the middle of the park for opening 45 minutes.

His influence certainly dwindled in the second period, but an immaculate display nonetheless.

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Looking Ahead

The Coppa Italia is next on the agenda for Inter as they take on Napoli at San Siro in the first leg of the semi-final on Wednesday night. They travel to the high-flying Lazio in Serie A next Sunday in yet another crunch fixture.

Similarly, Milan will also turn their attentions to the Coppa Italia as they host Juventus in the first leg on Thursday night before hosting a slumping Torino side in league action.

​Atletico Madrid reclaimed a top-four spot on Saturday evening with a narrow 1-0 victory over mid-table Granada, thanks to an early strike from forward Angel Correa.

Atleti took the lead after just six minutes, when the hosts robbed their opponents of possession on the edge of the box, and Correa calmly tucked the ball home for Diego Simeone’s side. Los Colchoneros then thought they had doubled their lead soon after, but the goal was quickly ruled out for a clear offside infringement.

Simeone’s men continued to dominate proceedings, and Vitolo missed an excellent chance to extend the lead, firing just wide for the rampant Rojiblancos. The hosts ended the first half as the stronger side, and their coach would have been disappointed to have only gone into the break with a one-goal advantage.

Getafe goalkeeper Aaron Escandell was called into action early in the second half, when he kept out Saul Niguez’s strike from a Correa cross. Yannick Carrasco entered the field on the hour mark, and he almost got his first goal since returning to the Spanish capital, but Escandell was up to the challenge once more.

​Atleti continued to pin back their opponents, but shot-stopper Jan Oblak was suddenly required to make a smart save with 20 minutes left to play, as Atleti begin to close out the match in typical Simeone fashion.

The Spanish giants dominated possession throughout the match, and they saw out the final minutes very professionally, restricting their visitors to very few shots. The final whistle came as a relief to Atleti ears, who returned to winning ways after three disappointing league results.

The victory means that Atleti climb back into the top four of the table on Saturday evening, leapfrogging Sevilla and closing the gap to third-place Getafe to three points. Simeone’s side sit ten points behind leaders ​Real Madrid, who have a game in hand on their city rivals.

Exclusive – Borussia ​Dortmund remain in no hurry to sell Jadon Sancho before Euro 2020, anticipating that his value could inflate with good performances on the international stage. 

Premier League pair Manchester United and Chelsea are the main chasers for his signatures at the moment, both clubs looking to restructure their forward lines as they go through transitional periods – currently 38 and 32 points respectively behind league leaders Liverpool. 

Sancho is in line to fight for a starting place in Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions side at this summer’s continental tournament, and a strong contribution to a deep tournament run – arguably the only stage on which he is yet to prove himself – could see his price rise even further. 

​Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc has refused to definitively rule out an exit for the England starlet, but told German press after the transfer deadline that no club has contacted with them with a proposal. 

“The fact is no other club has contacted us so far about Jadon,” he said. “[I can’t] reliably answer today [if Sancho will stay at Dortmund beyond the summer]. What I can say for sure is that he feels very comfortable with us. Otherwise he could not produce such [high-level] performances week after week.”

There appeared to be a rift growing between Sancho and the German club as recently as November, when the young Englishman was substituted in the first half of a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of ​Bayern Munich – David Ornstein later writing for ​The Athletic that Sancho felt ‘humiliated’ by the move.

He had been dropped and fined at the end of the previous month for a late return from international duty, but the snub appears to have served only to motivate him. 

Since the Bayern game, Sancho has scored and assisted in eight out of 11 starts, totalling 11 goals and eight assists in that time (including a substitute appearance against ​Barcelona).