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There was a time when a certain section of the Liverpool fan base were calling for Roberto Firmino to be relieved of his place in the Reds starting XI.

In truth, the Brazilian had gone so long without scoring a goal – with his barren run at Anfield stretching to 13 years at one point – the notion that he was living on borrowed time in the first team wasn’t necessarily ludicrous.

Jurgen Klopp has persisted with Firmino despite his struggles in front of goal in recent times – though he hasn’t got much choice in fairness when Divock Origi is squandering chances like he did against Burnley.

Klopp named the usual three-pronged attack for Liverpool’s trip to Tottenham on Thursday evening – a fixture which represented a huge test for the faltering Premier League champions – and Firmino produced the sort of performance that proves just how pivotal he is to Liverpool’s title chances.

No individual is capable of winning a title, it not only takes a team but a squad to clinch one of the toughest top tier crowns in European football. However, certain players have an ability to spark others into life, to produce a piece of magic or show a bit of determination and work rate that spurs their teammates on, and that’s exactly what Firmino is to Liverpool.

From the first minute at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium he showed he was up for the fight, hassling the Spurs backline and throwing himself about.

His ability to drop into pockets of space and link up play with the rest of his teammates his unparalleled in the Liverpool squad, so much so that when he isn’t playing well, quite often Liverpool don’t play well.

After a superb first-half display, all the Brazilian needed was a goal to cap his performance, and that’s exactly what he got. While the highlights will show a tap-in, there was so much more to the goal – there was an anticipation that Eric Dier and Hugo Lloris were going both going to leave the ball, and a movement needed to pull off the shoulder of the Spurs defence.

Once he’d grabbed his goal it was clear that the Firmino of old was returning, not afraid to drop deeper and deeper when needed to try and influence play, so much so that at times he found himself sat in front of the Liverpool backline – some strikers daren’t even stray into their own half, but when you’ve got the skill and the guile to knit play together like he has, you almost want him to just run after the ball so he can make things happen.

Liverpool’s trip to Spurs always looked like a big game – rarely do two Premier League giants meet without it being described as such – but this game truly was huge in the context of Klopp’s side’s season.

A defeat would have seen them drop five points off of the top four and ten points off leaders Manchester City. Not only that, but anything other than a win would have seen them take just two wins from their opening ten away league games of the season.

In a weird sort of way, this season has become so bonkers that people have just stopped emphasising the importance of games, because regardless what happens everyone is well aware the losing team could just go and win the next 15 games in a row. But make no mistake about it, Liverpool’s trip to Spurs was massive, and Firmino delivered when they needed him most.

Yet again.

Youri Tielemans secured Leicester a point at Goodison Park as his side fought back from a goal down to draw with Everton.

The visitors dominated early proceedings but it was the Toffees who took the lead as James Rodriguez worked some space before curling a beauty into the far corner beyond Kasper Schmeichel.

Leicester forced Jordan Pickford into plenty of saves in the second half and the pressure eventually told as the England stopper was deceived by Tielemans’ strike from distance, which he could get a flailing hand to.

The draw keeps Leicester in third, two points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City, while Everton are seventh.

Let’s get into the player ratings.

Jordan Pickford (GK) – 5/10 – Made four saves in total but the main takeaway will be that his error cost his side a win.

Mason Holgate (RB) – 6/10 – Had some shaky moments against Harvey Barnes early on but grew in stature as the game progressed. Not much of an attacking threat and subbed off in the second half.

Yerry Mina (CB) – 6/10 – Aerially dominant at the back for the Toffees and a loud presence. Minimised Ayoze Perez’s influence alongside partner Michael Keane.

Michael Keane (CB) – 7/10 – A solid outing for the England international. Made one particularly brilliant recovery tackle. Quietly having an excellent season.

Ben Godfrey (LB) – 6/10 – A seriously strong presence at left back, even if it’s not his natural position. Attacking game isn’t particularly great but little got past him.

James Rodriguez (RM) – 8/10 – Curled in a beauty from the edge of the box to open the scoring. Added that bit of stardust Everton needed to get ahead when they struggled during the first half.

Andre Gomes (CM) – 6/10 – Always happy dribbling past opponents, making a game-high five on Wednesday night, and his passing improved.

Tom Davies (CM) – 6/10 – Everton’s central midfield partnership was a little sieve-like at times but Davies recovered from a poor start to have a decent game. Made a couple of crucial interceptions and clearances.

Lucas Digne (LM) – 7/10 – Pushed up the pitch to offer more of an attacking threat. Delivery from wide areas was great as usual. Skipper for the night.

Richarlison (ST) – 5/10 – Grafted and did his defensive work but couldn’t get anything going in an attacking sense.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin (ST) – 6/10 – Everyone’s favourite FPL striker had little to work with as Leicester dominated the ball. Had an intriguing battle with Leicester’s central defenders but will have better nights.

Alex Iwobi – 5/10

Gylfi Siggurdson – 5/10

Seamus Coleman – N/A

Kasper Schmeichel (GK) – 6/10 – Just the one save to make for the Dane, with Everton’s attackers misfiring when they got forwards.

Timothy Castagne (RB) – 6/10 – Did well defensively, even if his attacking forays occasionally left Leicester light at the back.

Wesley Fofana (CB) – 6/10 – A poor attempted clearance gifted the ball back to Rodriguez, allowing the Colombian to hit the back of the net. Made sure the error didn’t get the best of him though, being otherwise assured.

Jonny Evans (CB) – 7/10 – Exceptional again for the Foxes and got the better of Calvert-Lewin. Cut out plenty of crosses and was positionally excellent.

James Justin (LB) – 6/10 – Booked for stopping an Everton counter in the first half but linked well with Barnes down the left.

Marc Albrighton (RM) – 6/10 – Another grafting effort from the former Aston Villa winger. Made some good runs but rarely spotted by those pulling the strings.

Wilfred Ndidi (CM) – 6/10 – Covered ground well in front of Leicester’s defence before picking up a knock and being substituted.

Youri Tielemans (CM) – 8/10 – Fired in the equaliser, helped somewhat by Pickford’s weak hand. Passing not quite as crisp as it has been in recent weeks but still a mightily fine performance.

Harvey Barnes (LM) – 8/10 – An electric performance from the winger. Got the better of a number of Everton players throughout the game and bagged the assist for Tielemans’ goal.

James Maddison (AM) – 6/10 – Started brightly and found plenty of pockets of space. Had a few free kicks in glorious positions but failed to deliver.

Ayoze Perez (ST) – 5/10 – Was dealt with efficiently by Keane and Mina, rarely getting much space to work with. Had to drop deep to get on the ball, contributing to some nice passages of play. He’s just not Jamie Vardy, though.

Nampalys Mendy – 6/10 – Got well involved after replacing Ndidi, making sure the key midfielder wasn’t missed too badly.

Cengiz Under – 7/10 – Some mazy dribbling caught Everton out at times, but decision making was a little off.

Caglar Soyuncu – 6/10 – Didn’t have much defending to do upon arrival.

A month ago, Arsenal were being written off as relegation fodder, while Southampton were being tipped as unlikely top four contenders.

It is testament to the fine job that Mikel Arteta has done in motivating his squad that when the two sides met in the Premier League on Tuesday night, the Gunners managed to secure a fairly straightforward win.

In the past, conceding in the opening three minutes might have been enough to down Arteta’s mentally fragile charges. However, on Tuesday this was not the case. Instead, the Gunners rallied brilliantly, eventually securing a 3-1 victory.

The credit for such a result should not go to just one man – whether that be Arteta or a player – as collectively, the north Londoners were very strong. Despite this, someone who is worthy of extra special praise is Bukayo Saka.

Deployed as a right forward, Saka once again impressed. Since being move to the opposite flank by Arteta five games ago, the Gunners form has improved dramatically. Prior to the switch, Arsenal had won just four of their opening 14 games.

Since swapping him, they are unbeaten, with Saka registering six direct goal involvements in as many games. His latest two contributions were very impressive as well. Just before half-time, Saka slipped free of Jake Vokins and raced onto Alexandre Lacazette’s through ball. Despite travelling at ridiculous pace, he showed the speed of thought to skip past the onrushing Alex McCarthy before firing the ball into the empty net.

After the break, he was at it again, this time returning the favour to Lacazette with a tremendous assist. Drifting free of his marker at the back post, Saka was found by Cedric Soares’ long ball. Without breaking stride, Saka latched onto it before putting an appetising ball across the box for Lacazette to bundle home.

The goal put the game beyond Southampton’s reach but it was just the latest, decisive impact that Saka has had while operating down the right-hand side.

Of course, it would be overly simplistic to put Arsenal’s sudden upturn in fortunes down to the tweaking of one player’s role, but his success in the position does suggest that his long-term future could lie there.

Previously this season, when deployed as a wing-back, there was a feeling that Saka could not influence things enough in the final third. There is little danger of that now and the England international’s efficient, yet attractive performances have played a significant role in transforming Arsenal stodgy, predictable approach play.

Considering he has only been able to legally buy a pint for just under 17 months, that is, quite frankly, ridiculous.

It’s been a tough start to life back in North London for Gareth Bale, but an impressive performance against Wycombe Wanderers in the FA Cup was a hint that he may finally be hitting the ground running.

The on-loan Real Madrid star had netted just three times in his previous 11 appearances and had seen his game-time under Jose Mourinho strictly limited heading into their cup trip. But he looked sharp from the off at Adams Park, forging out chance after chance for himself, with just his end product lacking.

His goal eventually arrived on the stroke of half-time, however, cancelling out Fred Onyedinma’s surprise opener, when he met Lucas Moura’s cross and lifted it over despairing home keeper Ryan Allsop.

It was his first FA Cup goal since scoring against Coventry way back in 2013, and a reminder that he does, in fact, love playing the FA Cup.

Despite the distance between his two most recent FA Cup strikes, Bale’s equaliser at Wycombe was his fourth goal in his last six FA Cup starts. In that same run, he has also assisted five, taking him to nine direct goal involvements in his last six starts in the competition.

The run stretches back to a fifth round replay against Stevenage in 2012, in which he instrumented a 3-1 win with a hat-trick of assists. He then scored in successive appearances against Bolton, Coventry and Leeds – which was his last FA Cup run-out before leaving for Real Madrid.

Interestingly, his strike at Wycombe also meant Bale’s last six goals have been spread across six different competitions for club and country – yet none of them are La Liga.

He has hit the back of the net for Spurs in each of the four competitions they have competed in this season, for Wales in a Euro 2020 qualifier against Croatia, and for Real Madrid in a Copa del Rey tie away to Unionistas.

Luiz Suarez, the ultimate footballing villain, the dirtiest player in the game and the supremely gifted striker has just turned 34.

His career has been been full of highs and lows. For each breathtaking goal, there has been an epic controversy, for each trophy, a disciplinary issue.

However, one thing is for sure. Players like Suarez do not come around often. To toast his mercurial talent, 90min decided to remember the five best moments of his career… so far.

Before he became a household name across Europe, Suarez cut his teeth in the Eredivisie.

An impressive spell at Groningen convinced Ajax to sign him on a five-year contract in 2007 and it did not take him long to start turning heads.

In his first two seasons for de Godenzonen, he managed 17 and 22 goals respectively, racking up a similar number of assists in each campaign as well.

However, Suarez saved his very best form for the 2009/2010 term. That season he managed a ridiculous 49 goals and 24 assists in just 48 games. That averages out as 1.5 goal involvements per appearance. Truly staggering numbers.

Uruguay were far from favourites going into the 2011 Copa America.

Despite possessing a squad containing the likes of Edinson Cavani, Diego Godin and an ageing Diego Forlan, Argentina and Brazil both boasted shorter odds with bookies around the world.

With the help of an in-form Suarez though, La Celeste managed to win their first continental trophy in 16 years.

Their star striker played in all six games, bagging both goals in a 2-0 semi-final win over Peru. His heroics continued in the final against Paraguay as well, where he scored and assisted as his side strolled to a 3-0 win.

Unsurprisingly, he was named player of the tournament.

Prior to Jurgen Klopp side’s incredible feats, the closest Liverpool had come to ending their top-flight title drought came during the 2013/2014 season.

Now, this Reds’ team was nowhere near as well drilled as Klopp’s charges, but in Suarez they possessed one of the most irresistible game changers in Premier League history.

During that campaign, Suarez hit 31 goals and racked up 17 assists in just 35 games. This included two hat-tricks and four goals in one game against poor old Norwich City.

His otherworldly form lifted Liverpool to the top of the table, three points clear of their closest rivals with three games to play. Although it did not end well, Reds fans will always remember Suarez as the man who dared them to dream.

Without Suarez, Barcelona would not have won the treble in the 2014/2015 season.

It was not just the sheer volume of his contribution – he registered 48 goal involvements in just 43 games – but also his knack for popping up at decisive moments.

He bagged a brace in the round of 16 and quarter-final stages of the Champions League, as well as scoring in the final, and also provided an assist in the Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao.

Elsewhere, he scored the winner in the second Clasico of the season, a result that provided Barça with the momentum to get over the line.

Over the course of this article, we have already dropped some mind-bendingly excellent stats, but they all pale into insignificance when compared to Suarez’s 2015/2016 season.

Following up a treble-winning campaign was always going to be hard for Barça. Although his team would only return two trophies that term, Suarez’s personal performance reached new heights.

By the time he went on his summer holidays, the Uruguayan had scored 59 goals in 53 games in all competition. Not impressive enough for you? How about we add his 24 assists into the mix as well?

This campaign was Suarez at his absolute best. No defender in world football could deal with his movement, and goalkeeper’s lay awake at night worrying about having to face him one-on-one.

If you do one thing today, go and check out a goal compilation from that season on YouTube. We promise you will not be disappointed.

When the ball looped up into the air and threatened to drop between the Aston Villa striker and the Newcastle United goalkeeper, you just knew there was only going to be one winner.

Ollie Watkins leapt highest, put his body on the line and threw himself at the ball. The relief on his face said it all. The 25-year-old had ended his nine-game drought without a goal, and had silenced the minute percentage of critics or doubters questioning his Premier League credentials.

In truth, those who have questioned his ability at this level must have been purely casting an eye over the statistics, rather than tuning in to catch Watkins in action over the course of an entire 90 minutes.

For when you actually sit down and concentrate on what the striker brings to a game outside of cold, hard facts and figures, you quickly realise that he was born to compete against defenders at the highest level.

His opening goal of the evening did highlight one of his greatest strengths – his instinct. Watkins can smell goals, and he remains alert to even the slightest morsel of hope that the ball may drop to his feet. And when it does, he will be waiting.

That moment arrived on 13 minutes, when he anticipated Fabian Schar may miss his interception, and sniffed out the chance before shot-stopper Karl Darlow had time to flatten him. It was a brave header, but Watkins won’t tell you that it was courage – he’ll tell you it was his instinct.

His second major talking point arrived soon after, when he demonstrated two of his other key traits: movement and clinical finishing. Watkins is a proper live-wire, buzzing around the opposition backline and slipping in between markers at every given opportunity.

He loves drifting into wide areas and loitering like a hawk, waiting to swoop down onto its prey. And he did exactly that, studying Jack Grealish’s glide up the pitch, and anticipating his killer pass. Watkins sprung into action, racing onto the through ball and sliding a perfect shot home without a second thought.

Unfortunately, he’d jumped the gun this time, but it was clear that confidence was flowing through his veins.

Ultimately, it was his work rate and ability when not bearing down on goal which impressed onlookers the most – yet again. Watkins made it his night’s mission to terrorise and harass each centre-back, popping up on the left, the right and down the middle without warning.

He anticipated every pass arriving in his path, sprinting on angles to receive long punts downfield from Emi Martinez, and bringing the ball out of the sky and under his spell with deadly precision. Then, back to goal, he would wait for support, hold off his marker and make another penetrative run in behind a ragged Newcastle defence.

The Villa star knows exactly when to come short, when to stretch the backline, or when to put his head down, charge forward and draw desperate tackles from tiring defenders.

Watkins knows how to make every centre-back close his eyes at night, and see the forward’s face – or more accurately, see his back racing away into the distance.

And as for Watkins, he’ll sleep as soundly as he always should, safe in the knowledge that scoring goals is only a fraction of his well-rounded and dynamic style of play. Appreciate him, Villans, just as much as his teammates do.

Non-league Chorley put in a valiant display against Wolves, but a stunning first-half goal from Vitinha was enough to hand the visitors a narrow 1-0 win.

Separated by five divisions, there was little expectation that the home side could replicate their 1986 FA Cup heroics against a Wolves team boasting a whole host of international stars – but that didn’t stop the hosts from pushing the Premier League side to the limit.

In truth, the visitors were very poor in a game that lacked quality, and the contest was only really illuminated by a stunning strike from Vitinha; one that arrowed into the top corner from at least 30 yards out after Chorley failed to close him down.

The home side were inevitably dogged, and the game did feature some crunching tackles and a hilarious exchange that saw Chorley manager Jamie Vermiglio laugh in the face of Adama Traore after a bit of handbags.

Right, enough of all that, let’s rate the visitors surprisingly strong team.

John Ruddy (GK) – 6/10 – Called into action far more frequently than he would have expected. Alert early on to deny Elliot Newby when the game had only just got going.

Willy Boly (CB) – 7/10 – Expected to dominate in the air and did so for the most part. A calming presence in a system very familiar to him by now.

Conor Coady (CB) – 6/10 – Looks far more assured playing in a back three, and mopped up well under some fairly intense home pressure.

Max Kilman (CB) – 6/10 –  Recalled to the side and will feel that his performance on the night may be enough to convince Nuno that he should revert back to this shape in the Premier League.

Ki-Jana Hoever (RWB) – 5/10 – Offered little in the final third and should be disappointed to have not influenced the game more. Was a big chance to show what he can do and didn’t take it.

Joao Moutinho (CM) – 5/10: Has Moutinho been cloned and replaced with somebody not quite as good? Looks a shadow of the class player we all know he is.

Leander Dendoncker (CM) – 6/10 – Combative in midfield but misplaced a number of passes. Not his finest hour in a game he should really have dominated.

Vitinha (CM) – 8/10 – Scored a goal worthy of winning any game. Has plenty of maturing to do, but can use this display as a stepping stone for bigger and better things.

Rayan Ait-Nouri (LWB) – 5/10 – Another player who didn’t really show Nuno what he can do. Is highly rated and has obvious talent, but must do more to engage himself in the game.

Patrick Cutrone (ST) – 5/10 – Can tell he’s been away on loan, and was alarmingly off the pace. Opportunity missed.

Fabio Silva (ST) – 6/10 – Worked hard up front but failed to stamp his authority on the game. Is young and will learn, but must do so quickly given his enormous price tag.

Pedro Neto (LW) – 5/10

Adama Traore (RW) – 5/10

Ruben Neves (CM) – 5/10

Jurgen Klopp said Liverpool’s poor decision making was to blame for their 1-0 defeat at home to Burnley on Thursday, a result which saw the Reds lose ground in the Premier League title race.

Having dominated the majority of the game against Sean Dyche’s men, Liverpool were unable to break the deadlock, with a combination of Divock Origi’s poor finishing and Nike Pope’s superb reactions keeping the score at 0-0.

The Reds received a sucker-punch late on as Alisson brought down Ashley Barnes in the area, with the striker stepping up to slot home the resulting penalty and end Liverpool’s incredible home league record.

Klopp was quick to stress in his post-match interview that he believes his side’s poor decision making is the reason they’ve struggled to break teams down of late, and that it’s an area of their game he’s keen to work on.

“It’s not that we don’t create chances because the players don’t have the ability, it’s because of our decision making,” he told Sky Sports. “The difference between a good footballer and a very good footballer is decision making. It’s not rocket science.

“In the second half we had a lot of good moments with Trent [Alexander-Arnold] especially, he tried to pass the ball inside and then we are not in the right moment. They are waiting for the cross and then realising when the ball is on its way ‘oh it’s for me’ and then they move.

“It’s not about how high your skill set is, it’s about making decisions in that moment. If something doesn’t work we have to try harder, longer and make better decisions.”

Since the Reds’ emphatic 7-0 win over Crystal Palace in December, they’ve mustered just a single goal from 90 shots in the Premier League, a barren spell which has seen them drop six points behind leaders Manchester United.

Despite Liverpool’s inability to find the back of the net in recent weeks, Klopp took full blame for his side’s recent poor performances, though he conceded he wasn’t sure how they managed to come away from the clash with Burnley empty-handed.

“We lost the game which is actually impossible to lose, but we did it,” he added. “That’s my fault, my job is to make sure the boys feel the right amount of confidence, make the right decisions but obviously it didn’t work out tonight [Thursday].

“We had the ball a lot, we created some situations, that’s all ok, but in the final moment our decision making is not right at the moment.”

Manchester United’s title challenge gathered momentum as they ran out 2-1 winners over Fulham on Wednesday evening.

The result ensured the Red Devils returned to the Premier League summit, two points clear of rivals Manchester City in second (who have a game in hand) and Leicester in third and six points clear of Liverpool (who also have a game in hand).

It’s a position that seemed unthinkable when they were being hit for six by Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham in October or when Demba Ba was making a mockery of them for Istanbul Basaksehir in November – and a large debt of thanks to the position they currently find themselves in is owed to Bruno Fernandes.

The midfielder has been the catalyst for change at Old Trafford since his arrival from Sporting CP last January, and he has dragged United up the table this term with 11 goals and seven assists in the Premier League.

Fernandes was typically good again against Fulham on Wednesday evening, playing a pivotal part in United’s equaliser as his teasing delivery was palmed into the path of Edinson Cavani by Alphonse Areola and popping up with his signature flicks and deft touches.

But it was Cavani and Paul Pogba who shone brightest for United, demonstrating that the Red Devils do have another dimension to them.

Fulham had taken the lead inside six minutes through Ademola Lookman. Fulham, the side who tend to win when they go ahead under Scott Parker versus Manchester United, the side who have made a habit of sparking a comeback and winning from losing positions. Something had to give. Fulham gave.

Cavani equalised with an instinctive, smart poacher’s finish and really looked the part up top for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, his goal capping off a thoroughly impressive all round performance from the Uruguayan. His work rate was exceptional; he chased back, he harried, he flew into tackles and he didn’t give the Fulham backline a moment’s respite.

Going forward, Cavani’s movement was smart and unpredictable. He almost gave United the lead in the second half with a darting near post run and header, only a strong Areola save keeping him out.

Areola could do nothing to keep out Pogba’s scorching strike minutes later. It was a thing of pure beauty from the United midfielder, cutting inside on the edge of the box and then sending an ridiculously audacious strike into the Fulham net.

It was a moment of world class, match winning quality from Pogba where – just like against West Ham in December – he demonstrated his ability to change a game with a single flash of brilliance.

Fernandes is world class, but against Fulham the Red Devils demonstrated that they have more strings to their bow.

Leicester City are top of the league and Chelsea manager Frank Lampard could be out of a job soon.

Those were the headlines from the Foxes’ 2-0 win at the King Power Stadium on Tuesday night, in what could prove to be one of the momentous results in the Premier League’s recent history.

Things got off to an incredible start when Wilfred Ndidi scored inside six minutes. His goal was… pretty weird, to be honest.

The result of a botched, but clever, corner routine, Ndidi swung a left peg at the ball, after Harvey Barnes’ scuffed effort, and it flew past Edouard Mendy, clipping the post as it went in.

For those Foxes fans who have watched the Nigerian fire off long shots to little success over the years, the goal was a very welcome surprise.

James Maddison then rattled the crossbar, while Marc Albrighton stung Mendy’s palms with a fierce long shot soon after.

However, the next real talking point came when Chelsea were awarded a penalty.

Except, no, they weren’t. VAR made sure of that, much to the annoyance of Blues’ fans everywhere. Jonny Evans was initially judged to have brought Christian Pulisic down in the box, but upon review the challenge actually took place just outside.

A few minutes later, that particular decision would sting even more, with Leicester doubling their lead through Maddison.

It did not take long for the cries of ‘LAMPARD OUT’ to start after that…

After the break, Leicester’s dominance continued. By the hour mark, James Justin had nodded a free header wide at the back post, Marc Albrighton had had one ruled out for offside and Youri Tielemans was denied by Mendy’s legs.

Despite being in the ascendency, Foxes fans were not comfortable with their two-goal cushion and were pushing their side to see the game off.

In truth, they never looked like surrendering their lead.

Around the 65-minute mark both Callum Hudson-Odoi and Kai Havertz were withdrawn having contributed very little.

Reviews of their performances were not good…

Did Chelsea’s substitutes help change the game? We think you already know the answer to that.

In the end, the game rather petered out, a bit like Lampard’s managerial career perhaps?