Football

ARNE SLOT’S vision is crystal clear now – even if it did get a bit murky for a while tonight and not just because of the fog that blanketed Anfield.For a first Premier League title in his first season as Liverpool manager is now on the horizon.Curtis Jones put Liverpool in control soon after half-timeCredit: AFPThe midfielder made no mistake and survived a long VAR checkCredit: ReutersWith a lead at the top extended to seven points, with a game in hand over second–placed Chelsea, it is for more than just a shimmering image in the distance.Behind to Jordan Ayew’s shock early effort, they simply eased past the valiant but ultimately vain challenge offered by Ruud van Nistlerooy’s side.Slot’s debut campaign in English football is only gaining speed, powered by an unbeaten run that now stretches to a stunning 22 games since his only defeat to Nottingham Forest on September 14.Triumph, not even half a season after succeeding Jurgen Klopp in a job many feared might be impossible because of the huge space the German had vacated, is in his hands.READ MORE ON FOOTBALLAll he and his players, also, of course, top of the Champions League table have to do is stay steady, keep believing, and it will surely be theirs.Although not for the first time this season their start to a game was anything but steady as Ayew produced a stunning opener.Slot will fret in his quieter moments that for all his determination to make his defence a more dependable unit he still has work to do.Yet going forward, Liverpool are becoming a juggernaut and have scored two or more goals in 13 of their last 14 games.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSIndeed they have also overtaken Tottenham as the Prem’s top scorers.The fog created concerns that this clash might have to be called off and even ten minutes before kick-off Anfield was clothed in murk.’Performance of the day’ BBC pundit’s genius Alexis Mac Allister gag leaves fans in stitches on Match of the Day Yet within three minutes, Leicester were being dazzled by their opponent’s full–beam attack.Polish goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk, making his Prem debut in place of Danny Ward, will have been wondering what hit him.Ward, targeted by the club’s boo-boys in Sunday’s 3-0 humiliation against Wolves, didn’t even make the bench having also come on at half-time in the 4-0 defeat by Newcastle.Yet dreams for the 24-year-old who spent the second half of last season on loan at Hartlepool cannot have been made of that panic stations start.For he was a Fox stuck in the headlights as Slot’s men tried to walk the ball into the net before Salah’s stab hit a post.But rather than lie down, Van Nistelrooy’s side, without injured icon Jamie Vardy, were ahead  – maybe to their own amazement – three minutes later.Left winger Stephy Mavididi went for it down the flank against Trent Alexander-Arnold and not for the first time this season the star under Real Madrid’s spotlight found himself beaten.Mavididi steadied himself before squaring and Ayew then performed brilliantly.As Andy Robertson moved tight to close down, the former Crystal Palace veteran produced a magical pirouette to then fire a perfect low shot passed the gob–smacked Alisson and inside his right–hand post.Slot’s side may well have gone into the game believing their own publicity given how so many around them have been declaring that the title is theirs to lose.But if they took it too easy in that first attack it did actually seem too easy for them as they continued to power forward.Cody Gakpo got unfortunate with one shot, Salah saw his effort deflected only inches over the bar.And in the 25th minute, Robertson stole into the box to connect with Alexis Mac Allister’s chip, his header hitting almost exactly the same spot that had denied his Egyptian team-mate.Van Nistelrooy’s strugglers couldn’t keep riding their luck, however, although there was nothing fortunate at all about Gakpo’s equaliser.It was simply down to sheer class.Slot’s fellow countryman gathered the ball on the left flank, checked inside and then let fly with a tremendous, curling right–footer that Stolarczyk could only watch as it glided past him and into his top left-hand corner.That goal came a few seconds before first-half injury time. Four minutes after the break Slot’s men were celebrating again.And once again there was something special about the way they cut their way through Leicester’s massed ranks before Salah slid the ball across the box and Curtis Jones was there to calmly flick over the line.A VAR check for offside was needed to confirm the strike on what as the midfielder’s 100th Prem appearance but there was no question of how high–end that goal was from start to finish.Leicester weren’t quite finished yet and Alisson dodged a bullet after an hour.For had Patson Daka stayed calm he would surely have tucked away another clever pass from Mavididi but instead he mis–kicked a dozen yards out.Having taken the hint Liverpool went back into high–energy attacking mode and Darwin Nunez – given a start to give No1 striker Diogo Jota a break – finally emerged from his own brain fog.His strike from Salah’s cross looked perfect to be fair to the mercurial Uruguayan but Stolarczyk excelled himself with a heroic block.Gakpo thought he had claimed a second after smashing a shot into the net only for a VAR check that seemed to take forever to cancel with Nunez minutely offside.READ MORE SUN STORIESYet the third was always going to come and almost always when a killer blow is required, it once more came from Salah.He gathered the ball, moved forward in that usual quick fashion of his, then when Van Nistelrooy’s defence thought they were sorted to blight the danger, he simply used Victor Kristiansen as a wall to block his dart inside before curling another exquisite shot beyond a goalkeeper.Jordan Ayew gave Leicester the perfect start inside six minutesCredit: ReutersCody Gakpo curled home a superb equaliser just before the breakCredit: ReutersThe Dutchman saluted his fans after his important goalCredit: RexMo Salah bent the ball into the bottom cornerCredit: GettyThat was Salah’s 100th home Premier League goal – 98 for Liverpool after two for ChelseaCredit: PAThe fog caused chaos and even threatened to postpone the match beforehandCredit: PAJakub Stolarczyk came in for Danny Ward to make his Premier League debutCredit: PA More

MANCHESTER UNITED’S flops were booed off following the 2-0 defeat at Wolves.And the result leaves the Red Devils just eight points above the relegation zone.Manchester United slumped to a third defeat in a weekCredit: AlamyRed Devils supporters booed their team at full-timeCredit: PAAfter a drab goalless first half at Molineux, Bruno Fernandes’ moment of madness when already on a yellow card changed the game.His careless lunge on Nelson Semedo 90 seconds into the second period saw ref Tony Harrington send him for a third early bath of the season.And that gave Wolves the boost they needed to go on and snatch all three points.Matheus Cunha scored directly from a corner before Hwang Hee-chan grabbed a second in the 99th minute.READ MORE ON MAN UTDThere was only just time for the restart as Harrington blew the full-time whistle as Ruben Amorim’s men fell to a third defeat in a week – following the Carabao Cup exit at Spurs then the 3-0 humiliation at home to Bournemouth.And the latest result saw patience run out for plenty of the travelling supporters who made the Boxing Day trip to the West Midlands.A chorus of jeers, whistles and boos sounded from the away end as United slumped to 14th in the Premier League table.Their tally of 22 points from 18 games features six wins, four draws and eight defeats with a goal difference of -3.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSThat leaves them 17 points off leaders Liverpool but more worryingly just eight ahead of 18th-placed Leicester before kick-off between the two teams at Anfield in the late game on Boxing Day. And the complaints were not limited to inside the stadium. Former Man Utd star slams Rashford and says he should move to MLS On social media, fans were quick to voice their growing concerns about the state of their team yet again.One said: “Another disappointing and frustrating game to watch. Team is clearly a bang average one and bereft of any ideas and creativity. Amorim has a huge job on his hands.”Another wrote: “You owe Erik ten Hag an apology. This is genuinely embarrassing.”A third added: “Woeful performance.”A fourth replied: “Worst I’ve seen my club in 30 years.”And a final user asked: “How long before Amorim is booted?”Things don’t get much easier for the Red Devils with Newcastle, Liverpool and Arsenal in their next three fixtures. Man Utd ratings vs WolvesBy Ken LawrenceWOLVES landed a shock Boxing Day knockout as Manchester United’s struggles continued.The 2-0 defeat means Ruben Amorim has won just two of the seven Premier League games he has taken charge of.United find themselves 14th in the table and today were not helped by Bruno Fernandes’ red card and Andre Onana letting one in direct from a corner.Here is how SunSport rated the performances…ANDRE ONANA: 4He needed to make an agile save from Jorgen Strand Larsen in the first half, but badly misjudged the flight of Cunha’s corner for the opening goal – his claim that he was obstructed by Matt Doherty was rejected.LENY YORO: 5Recalled but booked after only four minutes for a foul on Cunha, so he was walking on eggshells and was tested by Wolves throughout. Subbed just after the hour mark.HARRY MAGUIRE: 6The England defender did his best to keep United in the game when they were under pressure for long periods – at least he helped to stem the tide until the dying seconds and had a header on target in stoppage time.LISANDRO MARTINEZ: 6Teamed up well with Maguire to stop Wolves from winning this more easily, he stood his ground and produced some important challenges in the latter stages before Wolves caught him on the break with the last action of the game.NOUSSAIR MAZRAOUI: 5Tenacious and determined, but was one of several players given a torrid time by the best player on the pitch – Cunha.MANUEL UGARTE: 5Dispossesed too easily at times, struggled against a lively Wolves attack and was eventually taken off as one of Amorim’s subs following Fernandes’ red card.KOBBIE MAINOO: 5Looked a threat early on, created some good openings, but he was booked after the break as United looked short on ideas. Faded and was subbed.DIOGO DALOT: 6Brought a tremendous save from Jose Sa in the first half in what was a rare bright spot for United – but he had no major influence on a poor team display.AMAD DIALLO: 5Lacked awareness of his team-mates sometimes and looked a shadow of the player who turned the Manchester derby around less than two weeks ago.BRUNO FERNANDES: 3Sent off early in the second half for a second yellow after a challenge on Nelson Semedo, but the captain had cut a frustrated figure before that.RASMUS HOJLUND: 5Became visibly annoyed at times at a lack of service from his team-mates, he had no joy up front and was subbed with 10 minutes left.SUBSCasemiro (for Mainoo, 63 mins): 6Christian Eriksen (for Ugate, 63 mins): 6Antony (for Yoro, 63 mins): 6Alejandro Garnacho (for Amad, 79 mins): 5Joshua Zirkzee (for Hojlund, 79 mins): 5Amorim, though, was desperate to try and keep spirits up despite the nightmare triple header off the back of three painful defeats. He said: “Of course, when you lose, when we don’t win, it’s a step back. It was really hard with the sending off.”The goal was similar against Tottenham. Then, we tried. READ MORE SUN STORIES”Even with one less guy we tried to and I think we were near something but then Wolves scored the second one.”Then, in the end, we tried everything and the transition was 2-0. For us, let’s continue.”Bruno Fernandes did not help his team by getting sent off at 0-0Credit: Reuters More

RUBEN AMORIM has delivered his most ominous verdict yet on Marcus Rashford’s future.Amorim sidelined the England striker yet again as crisis-hit Manchester United slumped 2-0 at Wolves on a bruising Boxing Day.Marcus Rashford was again not involved in Man Utd’s squadCredit: ReutersRuben Amorim gave a huge hint over what’s next for RashfordCredit: AFPThe 27-year-old Mancunian revealed that he was ready for a “new challenge” after not being included in the squad for the Manchester Derby and has now been left out of the following three matches.Amorim appeared to make an Old Trafford exit even likelier for the one-club man with his assessment of the situation following Thursday’s defeat at Molineux.Asked if Rashford had “shown him anything different” since being left out, the Portuguese boss said: “If he’s not here… you can make your mind (up).”The 10-man Red Devils dropped to 14th after their latest set-piece nightmare saw them concede directly from a corner for the second time in eight days.READ MORE ON MAN UTDAmorim added: “It’s always the same reason. “We have to be same professionals, same guys, winning or losing. “Losing, I have to be stronger. I will continue with my idea until the end”.Before the game Amorim confirmed that, whatever happens in the long term, Rashford is keen for now to regain his place at struggling United.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSHe stressed: “It’s my decision. He wants to play. He is trying. Yes, it’s my decision, only my decision.”No, I spoke with a lot of players individually during training so I’m trying to do things my way. And it’s the only way I know.Ruben Amorim explains why Marcus Rashford is still exiled at Man Utd despite ‘wanting to play’ “If I don’t do that, I will lose myself and I will not lose myself. I know what I am doing.”Rashford appears to have accepted he might have to move on to rejuvenate his career.He told journalist Henry Winter: “For me, personally, I think I’m ready for a new challenge and the next steps.”But he stressed: “When I leave it’s going to be ‘no hard feelings’.”You’re not going to have any negative comments from me about Manchester United. That’s me as a person.”If I know that a situation is already bad I’m not going to make it worse.”I’ve seen how other players have left in the past and I don’t want to be that person.”When I leave, I’ll make a statement, and it will be from me.”However, none of the speculation stopped Rashford sharing a joyful family photo as he enjoyed a Christmas Eve meal.Fans reacted positively to what appeared to be a snap from a pub or restaurant – with menus on the table for the 18 people pictured.READ MORE SUN STORIESRashford added the words: “Family time – Happy Christmas everyone 🎄.”Replies from supporters included: “We love you Rashy ❤️.” and “Merry Christmas GOAT ❤️.”Rashford faces an uphill task to win round AmorimCredit: Getty More