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LIVERPOOL — Jurgen Klopp hopes a nervy 1-0 win over West Ham will be more fondly remembered at the end of the season after Sadio Mane’s goal closed the gap on Manchester City at the top of the table to three points.

Defeat leaves West Ham still two points outside the top four having played more games than all their rivals for a place in next season’s Champions League.

But David Moyes’ men will rue a host of missed chances to salvage a point, which would have given City breathing space at the top of the table.

“You cannot only win the ones where you are flying, today we were obviously not flying and had to dig really deep,” said Klopp. “If you are not well organised you have to defend with passion and that’s what we did.”

After lifting the League Cup last weekend, Liverpool remain on course for a historic quadruple of trophies.

The pursuit of City may be the biggest challenge in that quest, but a run of seven straight league wins has at least enlivened a fight for the title after City looked set to cruise towards a fourth league win in five seasons at the turn of the year.

Liverpool roared out of the blocks and should have been in front within seconds when Mohamed Salah fired wastefully straight at Lukasz Fabianski with just the goalkeeper to beat.

West Ham were without the influential presence of Declan Rice in midfield due to illness, while Jarrod Bowen limped off early in the second half with a nasty looking injury.

Should Bowen be sidelined for a lengthy spell, Michail Antonio will be even more crucial to any remaining dreams of a place in the Champions League next season.

Antonio has only scored once in the Premier League in 2022 but showed signs of regaining his best form as he twice forced Alisson Becker to turn the ball behind for a corner.

Mane on target

Liverpool went in front on 27 minutes when Mane was in the right place to tap in Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross.

West Ham should have levelled soon afterwards when Alexander-Arnold cleared Pablo Fornals’ chip off the line before Ibrahima Konate and Alisson scrambled to block two follow-up efforts.

The Hammers are one of only two teams to beat Liverpool since April having edged a 3-2 thriller at the London Stadium in November.

And they should have come away with at least a point as they enjoyed the better chances after the break.

“I felt we were worthy of something today,” said Moyes.

A last ditch challenge from Andy Robertson forced Bowen into slashing wide as Liverpool’s high line was repeatedly caught out on the counter-attack.

Manuel Lanzini had the biggest chance to provide another twist in the title race when the Argentine somehow side-footed over with the goal gaping 20 minutes from time.

Klopp took the brave decision to take off Salah with the game still in the balance 10 minutes from time, much to the Egyptian’s displeasure.

Antonio had another late chance to claim a point as he burst clear on goal only to be foiled by a combined effort of Robertson and Naby Keita as Liverpool held on.

LONDON — Manchester United make the short trip to Premier League leaders Manchester City on Sunday buoyed by their recent record at the Etihad as Leeds begin a new era under Jesse Marsch.

Elsewhere, Liverpool will seek to make it seven league wins in seven against high-flying West Ham, one of only two sides to beat the Reds this season.

Arsenal could take advantage of visits to the top two for the Hammers and United by moving into fourth with games in hand to come when they travel to Watford.

AFP Sport takes a look at some of the key talking points ahead of the weekend action.

Can City end United Etihad jinx?

Even though they are now indisputably the top dogs in Manchester, City have had real problems beating United on their own turf in recent years.

The Premier League champions have won just one of their past seven home games in all competitions against United — in sharp contrast to their impressive record at Old Trafford.

Both teams need the three points on Sunday, with leaders City seeking to keep Jurgen Klopp’s charging Liverpool at arm’s length and United’s top-four hopes looking shaky.

The fourth-placed Reds are just two points ahead of West Ham and Arsenal, as they seek to secure Champions League qualification for next season, while the Gunners have three games in hand.

City, who tend to dominate possession, have been caught out in recent years by United’s pace on the break and Pep Guardiola will be wary of the threat posed by players such as Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford.

United have lost just one league game since interim manager Ralf Rangnick took charge in December but this is by far his toughest task yet.

Marsch makes

Leeds bow

New Leeds boss Jesse Marsch has two huge tasks — following in the footsteps of the hugely popular Marcelo Bielsa and tightening up a horrifically leaky defence.

Leeds have conceded an eye-watering 60 goals in the Premier League this season — five more than any other team.

They are just two points and two places above the relegation zone after four straight defeats under the sacked Argentine.

Leeds conceded 20 goals in February alone in the Premier League — the most a side has ever shipped in a single month in the competition.

The American former RB Salzburg and RB Leipzig boss has expressed his “massive” admiration for Bielsa as he begins the task of saving the club from relegation.

“Everything that’s been done has laid an incredible foundation and coming into this moment I just want to try to do everything I can to help take the club into the next phase of our history,” he said.

Arsenal’s top-four chance

Arsenal, for so long a fixture in the Champions League under Arsene Wenger, have a golden chance to return to Europe’s top club competition after five seasons away.

Mikel Arteta’s side are favourites to seize fourth spot, which secures entry into the competition, after recovering strongly from a disastrous start to the season.

The Gunners slumped to the bottom of the Premier League table after losing their first three matches but have stormed up the table since.

Arsenal, who face relegation-threatened Watford on Sunday, will overtake United if they make the most of their games in hand.

Their three recent wins on the bounce have come despite a lack of resources up front following the departure of forward and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Barcelona.

Speaking about the importance of qualifying for the Champions League, Arteta said: “This has to be the aim every year to be playing among the best teams in the world and that’s what we want to do.”

LUTON, United Kingdom — Thomas Tuchel admitted he cannot imagine life without Roman Abramovich after the Russian billionaire's stunning decision to put Chelsea up for sale.

Abramovich has come to the "incredibly difficult" conclusion that he must sell Chelsea amid the political fall-out from Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The 55-year-old revealed the shock news less than an hour before Chelsea kicked off in their 3-2 FA Cup fifth round win at Luton on Wednesday.

Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003 and his vast investment helped the west London club win 19 major trophies, including five Premier League titles and two Champions League crowns.

He hired Tuchel in January 2021 and was in Abu Dhabi recently to watch as Chelsea won the Club World Cup for the first time, having already lifted the Champions League and UEFA Super Cup in the German's reign.

But the Abramovich era at Stamford Bridge is coming to an abrupt end due to the war in Ukraine.

Abramovich reportedly opted to sell Chelsea amid fears he could come under British government sanctions given his alleged links to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

With a consortium of billionaires already making their interest in a deal public, Abramovich set his asking price for Chelsea at a reported £3 billion ($4 billion) and pledged to give the net proceeds to victims of the Ukraine conflict.

Swiss tycoon Hansjorg Wyss and American investor Todd Boehly, a co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, are understood to be two of the parties joining forces to bid for the Blues.

Tuchel and his players only learned of the oligarch's decision to sell up shortly before the Luton match.

'Massive change'

And he conceded he needed time to get to grips with the seismic changes on the horizon in the post-Abramovich world.

"It's a bit too early to speak, because I can only think about Chelsea with Roman Abramovich. So it's very hard for me. It hasn't sunk in yet that this is going to stop. It's a massive change of course," Tuchel said.

Asked if the bombshell announcement had rocked his players given their creaky display for long periods against second tier Luton, Tuchel said: "They have internet connections, they watch TV so of course they knew, they get messages. But still we focused in the preparation only on sports.

"And maybe some players are more affected, some less, but in the end we managed to focus, grow into this game and find the key to win it."

Tuchel is well aware the impending regime change could lead to all manner of issues in the future.

At present, he mostly deals directly with Chelsea technical advisor Petr Cech and Marina Granovskaia, a club director and long-time Abramovich aide.

Publicly at least, he remains calm and insisted the sale will not be a problem as his main focus remains on the players and his staff.

"I don't think I need to talk about it, I don't know as much as maybe you think. I'm not a CEO or member of the board. So, I'm very sure the club will speak to us and the players," he said.

"I'm not so much worried because I still feel privileged and in a good place. And I still hope and trust for the best. I'm not so much the person who worries about things I cannot influence.

"It's big news, it will be a big change, but I'm also never afraid of change, and will focus on what I can influence, and this is staff and team."

BERLIN — VfB Stuttgart’s American coach Pellegrino Matarazzo admits his job involves psychology as much as coaching football in the fight to keep his club in the Bundesliga.

Matarazzo’s side are second-bottom in the table and four points from safety with 10 matches remaining.

“The battle to avoid relegation is very, very psychological,” he told reporters in a virtual interview.

“There is a lot of pressure. This club is ginormous with a big fan base. You sense the need to win.

“The more pressure you have, the more you have to be a psychologist than a football coach.”

Matarazzo steered Stuttgart to ninth last season in their first year back in Germany’s top flight, but they have struggled this term and are on a nine-game winless streak.

Yet, Matarazzo is unwavering.

“If I am not convinced that we will stay in the league then I am not the right guy.

“I’m 100 per cent confident this team will get enough points.”

He is adamant despite a torrid season.

A shoulder problem sidelined top-scorer Sasa Kalajdzic for the first half of the campaign.

Injuries and Covid cases meant Matarazzo used 31 players over the first 17 games — the most of any Bundesliga club.

‘Rough and bumpy’

“We had a rough and bumpy first leg of the season,” he admits. “Without making any excuses, it was just a continuous destabilisation of the squad.”

Typical of their fortunes this term, Stuttgart were leading with five minutes left at Hoffenheim last Friday, only to concede two late goals in a 2-1 defeat.

That followed a 1-1 home draw when visitors Bochum grabbed a 94th-minute equaliser.

“Against Hoffenheim, you sensed the fear of losing set in,” Matarazzo said.

“My approach is to never call it luck — it’s about investing a couple of per cent more.

“All we need is a win to get the ball rolling.”

The 44-year-old’s path to coaching in the Bundesliga was unconventional.

Born in New Jersey into an Italian family, Matarazzo’s passion for football was ignited by television highlights of Diego Maradona in his prime for Napoli in the 1980s.

“My family were big fans of Maradona and Napoli,” he explains.

“After Sunday dinner, we would go to the park. I would be Maradona and live that fantasy and passion. It was a big part of growing up.”

Despite graduating with a mathematics degree from New York’s Columbia University, the young Matarazzo headed to Europe to play football.

After unsuccessful trials with Italian clubs, the defender played in the German lower leagues.

After hanging up his boots 10 years ago, Matarazzo studied for his coaching licence on the same course as current Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann.

The pair hit it off and Matarazzo eventually joined Nagelsmann’s coaching staff at Hoffenheim in 2017.

“I went overseas knowing that if it doesn’t work out, I’ll use my college degree to get into the corporate world, but never seemed to stop moving up the coaching ranks.”

He was appointed head coach of Stuttgart in December 2019, but this season has given Matarazzo sleepless nights.

“Mostly after the games when you are wired and going through the situations.

“I handle the pressure by knowing there are parts I can influence and parts I can’t. I give 100 per cent which gives me peace knowing I am doing all I can.”

Flawless German

After spending the last 20 years in Germany, the American speaks fluent German — to his embarrassment.

“I think in German and search for words when I speak English,” Matarazzo admits with a laugh.

“I’m translating what I want to say into English, which is kind of embarrassing.

“The worst for me was when I came back home and my aunt said ‘You have a [German] accent’.”

Matarazzo faces a challenge keeping his players focused, with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine of obvious concern to all. 

“It’s a big part of our lives at the moment — it’s something you know you don’t want to be part of or close to,” he said.

“When you get on the pitch, you can distract yourself and get engulfed in the game.

“We keep moving forward, stay optimistic and hope for a better future.”

PARIS — MotoGP opens a marathon season on Sunday in Qatar with champion Fabio Quartararo trying to hold off Francesco Bagnaia on the faster Ducati, while both glance back anxiously at Marc Marquez.

Marquez has made it clear he is chasing a man who has left the circuit. Valentino Rossi retired at the end of last season after racing in the elite category since 2000, two years before MotoGP was created.

The Italian won seven top-class world titles. At a few days past his 29th birthday, Marquez has six.

“My goal is to fight for the title,” Marquez said at the Honda team presentation, but he added that the competition would be tough.

“Fabio was champion, and he deserves to be because he was the most consistent, but Pecco Bagnaia ended the year being the fastest with the Ducati.”

Marquez returned last season after crashing a few laps into the 2020 campaign. For much of last season, he struggled and he sat out the last two races with double vision.

With one good arm, he still won three races, all at tracks with an emphasis on left-turning corners, which the Spaniard preferred even before smashing his right arm.

“Today everything looks good, the vision is perfect, the arm is better too,” he said in February.

Worryingly for his rivals, the revamped Honda seems to be quicker. The second factory rider, Pol Espargaro, set the best time at pre-season testing in Indonesia and then declared: “I’ve never been so fast.”

That might not be an entirely a good thing for Marquez. In previous seasons, the Honda bikes have been set up to suit his risky and aggressive riding style.

Quartararo, a 22-year-old Frenchman, has also made a habit of winning with bikes on which others struggle. Last season he collected 278 points while the other three men who raced factory Yamahas over the season collected just 31.

After winning five of last season’s first 12 races, Quartararo struggled to keep up with the accelerating Ducatis as Italian Bagnaia won four of the last six.

‘Fastest bikes ever’

At testing, the Frenchman complained to the motorbike media that Yamaha has been unable to deliver a greater top speed.

“Last year we were an average 9kph [slower], today we are at 9kph. So we didn’t make any steps forward,” he said.

“If you have no power, you adapt yourself, like I did in the past. So, if we need to adapt we’re going to adapt.”

Yet while Quartararo has a lower top speed than the Bologna Bullets, testing suggested he still compensates with the best average speed over a lap.

While Yamaha, KTM and Honda will all have one satellite team this season, Ducati has three.

“When you know that there will be eight Ducatis, eight of the fastest bikes ever, it will be difficult,” said Quartararo.

It is going to be a long season.

After 14 races in 2020, all in Europe, and 18 last season in a second COVID-curtailed season, there are 21 on the schedule. That is up from the 19 in each of the two seasons before the pandemic.

Finland makes its belated return after a 40-year gap. Indonesia, which hosted two races in the 1990s, is also added. Australia, Argentina, Japan, Thailand and Malaysia, all cancelled in each of the last two seasons, are scheduled to run in a season that stretches to November 6.

LOS ANGELES — The NBA-leading Phoenix Suns and Western Conference rivals Golden State tumbled Sunday as Joel Embiid and James Harden signalled the Philadelphia 76ers are a force to be reckoned with in the East.

The surging Utah Jazz, fuelled by 26 points from Donovan Mitchell, downed the Suns 118-114 to post their eighth victory in nine games.

Utah’s Rudy Gobert returned after missing six games with a sore right knee and non-COVID illness, scoring 16 points and pulling down 14 rebounds. That included a season-high eight offensive rebounds.

The Suns, who still own the best record in the NBA at 49-12, lost back-to-back games for the first time since dropping two on December 25 and 27.

Devin Booker led the Suns with 30 points. Cameron Johnson and Deandre Ayton added 23 apiece but Phoenix are clearly still finding their way in their third game since losing All-Star point guard Chris Paul to a broken thumb that could sideline him the rest of the regular season.

The Golden State Warriors, chasing the Suns for top spot in the West, couldn’t capitalise, surrendering a 21-point third-quarter lead in a 107-101 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in San Francisco.

On the eve of his 23rd birthday, Luka Doncic scored 34 points and pulled down 11 rebounds for Dallas, connecting on a pair of key baskets down the stretch and draining the clinching free-throws in the waning seconds.

Dallas out-scored Golden State 33-13 in the final period, when the Warriors made just four of their 18 attempts from the field.

Stephen Curry finished with 27 points and 10 assists for the Warriors, but without Klay Thompson and Draymond Green Golden State had no answer to the Mavs’ late charge.

In New York, Harden posted his first triple-double as a 76er and clicked again with star teammate Joel Embiid in their 125-109 victory over the Knicks.

Former Most Valuable Player Harden, playing his second game for the Sixers since arriving in a blockbuster trade from Brooklyn, notched the 68th triple-double of his career with 29 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds.

He also came up with five steals and proved the perfect complement to Cameroonian centre Embiid, who scored 37 points, pulled down nine rebounds and blocked four shots.

Tyrese Maxey got in on the offensive display, scoring 21 points and grabbing seven rebounds.

Embiid said that so far the addition of Harden — a two-time NBA scoring champion as well as a proven playmaker — was working just as Philadelphia had hoped.

“Unstoppable”, Embiid said of the Sixers’ offence with Harden in the mix. “What are you really gonna do? He’s a great passer and obviously I’ve got someone that attracts a lot of attention, too.

“So you’ve got to make a decision, do you stay on me or do you stay on him? And if you want to guard both of us, with the other guys, now you’ve got Matisse [Thybulle] driving to the rim or wide-open shooters.”

Philadelphia’s second straight victory saw them improve to 37-23. They are third in the Eastern Conference and just 2 1/2 games behind conference leaders Miami.

The Knicks seized the lead early in the fourth quarter, but seven straight Sixers points from Harden put Philadelphia back in front in the nip-and-tuck battle.

An aggressive Embiid set career highs with 23 made free throws and 27 attempts.

Harden said he was “just winging it” with his new team, but coach Doc Rivers found plenty to praise.

“The biggest thing was the steals, he had his hands everywhere, but I thought offensively, because they’re a pretty solid defensive team, they made us really think and figure things out on the fly,” Rivers said. “I thought James did a great job of orchestrating where guys should be.”

Elsewhere, Kelly Olynyk drained a jump shot from the baseline as time expired to lift the Detroit Pistons to a 127-126 overtime win over the Hornets in Charlotte.

The Los Angeles Clippers pulled out a close one in Houston, where they edged the Rockets 99-98.

LONDON — Jurgen Klopp challenged Liverpool to chase a historic quadruple after the Reds won the League Cup final in a dramatic penalty shoot-out against Chelsea on Sunday.

Klopp’s side clinched the first of the four major trophies they are competing for this term when Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga smashed his penalty high over the crossbar.

Kepa was the only player to miss in the shoot-out as Liverpool converted all 11 of their kicks and Chelsea netted 10.

It was a fittingly tense conclusion to a thrilling encounter that finished 0-0 after extra-time despite both sides creating numerous chances.

Liverpool had a Joel Matip goal controversially disallowed for a dubious offside against Virgil van Dijk in the second half.

Chelsea were denied three times by the offside flag, with Blues boss Thomas Tuchel furious that Romelu Lukaku’s effort didn’t survive a VAR check.

Liverpool’s record ninth League Cup triumph was their first domestic knockout tournament triumph since 2012.

Having failed to win a trophy last season, Klopp believes his players can use the momentum from their Wembley success to fuel their bid to become the first English club to enjoy a trophy clean-sweep.

The Reds are six points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City with a game in hand, hold a 2-0 lead heading into their Champions League last-16 second leg against Inter Milan and host Norwich in the FA Cup fifth round on Wednesday.

“This is the start. We are not silly. You need luck. We have to survive, work hard and, we have to play on Wednesday again, which I cannot believe at this moment,” Klopp said.

“Anfield will be rocking because of this result and hopefully we can deliver a game to enjoy.

“We don’t get nervous when things don’t go well. We are more experienced now.”

“It’s a big one for us. The first time for this group. The atmosphere was outstanding. It was nice to celebrate with the people after the match.”

‘Two lions going at each other’

Liverpool’s final kick in the shoot-out was coolly converted by keeper Caoimhin Kelleher, who was again deputising for first-choice Allison Becker after playing all but one game in the competition this season.

“The game he played was absolutely incredible. I can remember two brilliant saves. He showed his full skill set in the penalty shoot-out,” Klopp said.

“It was like two lions going at each other. It was absolutely crazy. It was one of the most spectacular shoot-outs I ever saw.”

Tuchel insisted he will not second-guess his decision to send on Kepa to replace Edouard Mendy, who had made a series of superb saves throughout the match.

Kepa has a reputation as a penalty-saving expert and came off the bench to help win the UEFA Super Cup shoot-out against Villarreal earlier this season.

But the Spaniard failed to repel any of Liverpool’s kicks before his own miss.

“We did it before with Kepa, he is slightly better in penalty saving and that is why I made the decision. It is unusual all 11 players need to shoot, he took it a bit too quick,” Tuchel said.

“Sometimes these things can turn against you but you make them when they need to be made, not after when people can judge you.

“We gave everything and it was a brilliant match. The disallowed goal for Romelu is a very close call, there are bad feelings about this.”

LOS ANGELES — Kyrie Irving returned from a two-week absence to score a season-high 38 points and lead the Brooklyn Nets to a nail-biting 126-123 win over the NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.

Irving’s decision not to be vaccinated against Covid-19 means he cannot play home games because of New York’s vaccine mandate. But he showed no sign of rust against the Bucks.

“It’s the collection of guys we have in the locker room. Honestly, they keep me in shape,” Irving said. “They keep pushing me, keep me motivated.”

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo had 29 points and 14 rebounds. But he missed a desperation three-pointer at the buzzer that would have forced overtime, and the Bucks saw victory slip away against a team that had only two wins in their last 10 games.

“Oh my goodness, he had a good chance to make that shot,” Irving said. “Anything could have happened. We were resilient tonight. we did all the little things to get a win.”

Nets star Kevin Durant and new acquisition Ben Simmons celebrated the victory from the bench.

Nets coach Steve Nash said he expects Durant to return from a sprained knee ligament in the coming week.

However, Simmons has yet to take part in a “high-intensity workout” since arriving in the trade that sent James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Nash said Simmons’ conditioning was a key issue but did not comment on a report that Simmons is battling a sore back.

Slovenian point guard Goran Dragic did make his Nets debut, scoring six points in 14 minutes.

Irving said that despite the injuries and coronavirus concerns that have hindered the Nets so far this season, they have plenty of potential.

“When we get our full team back, we’re going to be good,” he said of a Nets team seeking to gain ground in an Eastern Conference led by the Miami Heat with the Chicago Bulls in hot pursuit.

The Heat moved a game ahead in the East with a 133-129 victory over the San Antonio Spurs while the Bulls fell 116-110 to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Ja Morant was spectacular in a 46-point performance, setting a career-high and a Grizzlies’ franchise record.

His display ended Chicago’s six-game winning streak. Chicago’s DeMar DeRozan also saw his streak of eight straight games with at least 35 points snapped, just two shy of the franchise record set by Michael Jordan.

DeRozan finished with 31 points and seven rebounds, but that wasn’t enough against 22-year-old Morant and his surging Grizzlies.

Morant connected on 54 per cent of his shots from the field with a trio of three-pointers and an array of highlight-reel baskets that included a 360-degree spin to bank in a shot and an alley-oop dunk in his 20-point third quarter.

Miami, fuelled by a season-high 36 points from Bam Adebayo, overcame a 16-point first-quarter deficit to improve to 40-21.

Elsewhere, Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 53 points to lead the Celtics to a 113-104 victory over the Detroit Pistons and their rising star Cade Cunningham.

Tatum, fresh off his third All-Star Game appearance at the age of 23, had 26 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Brown scored 27 points, and the Celtics notched their 11th win in 12 games.

Cunningham scored 25 for Detroit, who started the fourth quarter with a four-point lead but couldn’t replicate their upset win over the Celtics earlier this month.

“I’ll give credit to Detroit, they came out and played another good game against us,” Brown said. “But down the line, we executed, made some shots, and got out and ran, and we guarded how we do per usual and the game opened up a little bit.”

Atlanta’s Trae Young bounced back from an off night with a 41-point outburst in the Hawks’ 127-100 victory over the Toronto Raptors.

Young, who had connected on just three of 17 shots in a loss at Chicago on Thursday, made his first four shots against Chicago to put himself on his way to a fifth 40-point game this season.