Liverpool's Portuguese striker Diogo Jota celebrates scoring the only goal in their Premier League match against Everton at Anfield, 3 April, 2025. Photo: AFP
Liverpool have continued their march towards the Premier League title with a 1-0 victory over Everton in a scrappy Merseyside derby as Diogo Jota slotted home the winner in the second half.
The champions elect, with 73 points after 30 games, restored their 12-point lead over second-placed Arsenal while Everton, whose nine-game league unbeaten ended, are 15th on 34 points.
Everton's Beto had an early goal chalked off for offside and missed a sitter before Jota broke the deadlock in the 57th minute with his first goal in two-and-a-half months. Anfield erupted when Luis Diaz back-heeled the ball into Jota's path and the Portuguese forward beat a tackle before firing into the net.
"Massive, of course," Jota said summing up the win. "Not only because it is a derby, but because of the (first game since the) international break. It was important to start with three points and hopefully that gives us momentum for the rest of the season."
Liverpool fans thought Everton should have been reduced to 10 men after 11 minutes following a fierce tackle by defender James Tarkowski on Alexis Mac Allister, but Everton's captain was only shown a yellow card.
The teams had met in an explosive derby in February that ended 2-2, with Tarkowski equalising deep in stoppage time in a chaotic game that featured four red cards, including one to Liverpool manager Arne Slot.
While Liverpool are unbeaten in 26 league games, they went into last month's international break on a negative note after being eliminated by Paris St Germain in the Champions League and losing to Newcastle United in the League Cup final.
Slot's men looked sluggish and disjointed on Thursday and Everton could have gone ahead when Beto raced away from defender Virgil van Dijk and beat goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher before hitting his shot against the post.
Kelleher started in goal for Liverpool, with regular starter Alisson recovering from a concussion suffered on international duty with Brazil.
The heated mood in Anfield was cranked up another notch with the contentious early tackle. Tarkowski won the ball but his studs-up follow-through caught Mac Allister square in the calf. VAR confirmed the decision of a yellow card, which gave the centre back the joint most yellow cards without being sent off in Premier League history, with 63.
"I thought at the time that it was a brilliant tackle for a derby game," Everton boss David Moyes said.
Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville said on the Sky Sports commentary that Tarkowski was very lucky to escape a red card for a tackle that was a "potential leg breaker".
"We were playing against Everton, they make it very difficult for you," Van Dijk said. The games we have played against each other over the years have always been tough.
"They have a certain way of playing and you have to be ready for it. The first half wasn't our greatest but we kept a clean sheet and obviously Jota made a fantastic goal. Three points and we move on."
Moyes remained without a victory at Anfield in 22 games leading Manchester United, Sunderland and West Ham United as well as his current team.
"Liverpool were the better team, there's no doubt about that," Moyes said.
"But I don't like the goal, I think the goal was offside. I'm really surprised it wasn't given. Or maybe I'm not surprised. I don't think many managers come here and think that they get loads of decisions at Anfield generally."
Manchester City beat Leicester City
Jack Grealish salutes to the sky after scoring Manchester City's first goal in their 2-0 Premier League win over Everton at Etihad Stadium in Manchester, 2 April, 2025. Photo: AFP
Jack Grealish scored his first Premier League goal for 16 months as Manchester City eased to a 2-0 win over relegation-threatened Leicester City at the Etihad Stadium to keep alive their hopes of Champions League qualification for next season.
Grealish netted inside two minutes and Omar Marmoush added a second goal as City moved into fourth place in the table with 51 points from 30 games. Leicester are 19th with 17 points from the same number of matches, 12 points from relegation safety.
Pep Guardiola watched from the stands as he serves a touchline ban and what seemed like several thousand City fans missed the first nine minutes, including Grealish's goal, as they vacated their seats in protest at the club's ticket prices.
"It wasn't easy with 10 players behind the ball," Guardiola told the BBC. "We missed the third goal to be more relaxed, it's never over. But pleased for a good performance."
Leicester slipped to a seventh Premier League loss in a row without scoring a goal on another dire night in which they did not even manage a shot on target.
Other matches
Marcus Rashford scored his first league goal for Aston Villa in a comfortable 3-0 win at Brighton & Hove Albion which moved the visitors ahead of the hosts in the Premier League table.
Villa moved up to seventh place on 48 points, one behind Chelsea who host Tottenham Hotspur on Friday (NZT), while Brighton are one point behind in eighth.
Sandro Tonali scored a sensational winner and Alexander Isak took his season's Premier League goal tally to 20 as Newcastle United beat Brentford 2-1 to boost their bid for a Champions League place.
Relegation-threatened Ipswich Town secured a shock 2-1 win at Bournemouth, three days after the hosts lost 2-1 to Manchester City in the FA Cup quarterfinals.
Substitute Matheus Franca struck in stoppage time to deny Premier League bottom side Southampton a rare victory, as Crystal Palace snatched a 1-1 draw at St Mary's Stadium.
- Reuters
