Premier League

BRIGHTON made it three wins in a row as they cruised to a 4-0 victory at rock-bottom Southampton to climb to eighth place in the Premier League and keep their European ambitions on track.Goals from the excellent Joao Pedro, Georginio Rutter, Kaoru Mitoma and Jack Hinshelwood were more than enough to condemn the Saints to a 21st defeat of the season.Brighton defeated Southampton to keep their European hopes aliveCredit: PABrighton star Joao Pedro scored the opener against SouthamptonCredit: RexGeorginio Rutter scored Brighton’s second at SouthamptonCredit: RexKaoru Mitoma made it three for Brighton against a struggling SouthamptonCredit: ReutersThat leaves Ivan Juric’s struggling side on just nine points, two fewer than Derby’s record low total from the 2007-2008 season.As if they did not already have enough problems, Southampton lost their captain Jan Bednarek through injury after just 10 minutes.Forgotten man Armel Bella-Kotchap was his replacement, coming off the bench to huge acclaim from the home support to make his first appearance in 567 days.Brighton were quickly on top though, with Pedro and Rutter causing Saints plenty of problems.Read More on FootballCarlos Baleba came close to opening the scoring when his free-kick cannoned off the wall and looped up on to the roof of the net before Mitoma missed a great chance at the far post after being found by Hinshelwood’s deep cross.The Seagulls were not to be denied for long and hesitation in the Saints defence was pounced upon by Pedro who coolly scooped the ball over the advancing Aaron Ramsdale to give Fabian Hurzeler’s side a deserved lead.Southampton were struggling to break into the final third but Welington did force Bart Verbruggen to claw the ball over the bar with a curling shot from the edge of the area in a rare home attack.Southampton thought they had equalised at the start of the second half when Cameron Archer neatly finished off a clever pass from Mateus Fernandes. Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSArcher was flagged offside and VAR concurred, much to Saints boss Juric’s frustration.The Croatian boss was left even more red-faced when Brighton made it 2-0. Former Championship star now a train driver in ‘new career to last the rest of my life’ Joe Aribo was adamant that he had been fouled by Rutter in the build-up but referee Darren Bond waved away the protests and Yankuba Minteh was left with the simple task of rolling the ball across the six-yard box for Rutter to prod home his fifth league goal of the season.The game as a contest was over but Brighton had plenty of chances to add to their tally. Minteh had the goal at his mercy as he cut inside from the left but Ramsdale scrambled back to get a hand to his weak effort and Kyle Walker-Peters completed the clearance.It was just a temporary reprieve as another brilliant touch from Pedro sent Mitoma clear and the Japanese forward coolly dinked the ball over Ramsdale to score his fifth goal in seven games and cue a mass exodus in the home stands.Those who had remained saw Brighton add a simple fourth as Brajan Gruda’s corner fell to the unmarked Hinshelwood at the far post from where the 19-year-old scored his second goal of the campaign.Jack Hinshelwood completed Brighton’s triumph at SouthamptonCredit: Rex More

DAVID MOYES vowed to bring back the thrills when he returned to Goodison – but not even he imagined it would be quite like this.Two goals up, then two goals conceded…and an Everton penalty in the last of six added minutes which referee Andy Madley overturned after reviewing the video.Everton were initially awarded a stoppage-time penalty for a foul on Young but the ref overturned his decisionCredit: AFPBruno Fernandes inspired Man Utd to a comeback at Goodison ParkCredit: PAManuel Ugarte produced a brilliant equaliser to salvage a drawCredit: GettyThe Red Devils were completely outplayed in the first halfCredit: ReutersBeto and Abdoulaye Doucoure got on the scoresheet for the ToffeesCredit: GettyIf Moyes’ hair hadn’t already gone grey by the time he went back as Goodison boss, it surely would be now.At half-time the Toffees were in cruise control – goals from Beto and Abdoulaye Doucoure giving them an advantage that could easily have been double.But then Ruben Amorim threw Alejandro Garnacho on from the bench for the final, frantic half an hour, and the whole thing turned on its head and United somehow clawed their way back.A stunning Bruno Fernandes free-kick and an equally blockbusting edge-of-the-box drive from Manuel Ugarte somehow earned United a point that never looked likely.Everton thought they were handed a golden chance to win it for a second time – only to have it snatched away a minute later.When Idrissa Gana Gueye fired in a low drive after 95 minutes, Andre Onana pushed it back into play and Ashley Young crashed under Matthijs De Ligt’s challenge.The Dutchman clearly had a hand on Young’s shirt, and ref Madley had no doubt – yet when he was sent to the monitor for a double check, amazingly the official changed his mind.Everton were enraged, United escaped…and everyone left Goodison wondering quite how Moyes had failed to gain revenge on the side that sacked him 11 years ago.Most read in FootballJOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUSBeto had blasted Everton ahead on 19 minutes, making United pay for their pitiful attempts to clear Jack Harrison’s corner.Then Doucoure doubled the advantage by muscling Harry Maguire aside to nod in when Onana blocked Jack Harrison’s point-blank drive.Europa League last 16 draw sees Man Utd face Real Sociedad and Tottenham take on AZ Alkmaar United were on the canvas – yet somehow picked themselves up when everyone was expecting a knockout count.First skipper Fernandes fired in a scorching free kick – although keeper Jordan Pickford’s initial step to the right gave him no chance of reaching it.And ten minutes from the end another Fernandes free kick was headed clear by Beto, only for Ugarte to smash it back with interest.Everton were stunned into silence at chucking it away, only to think they would at least make amends from the spot in that unbelievable, jaw-dropping finsh.Referee Madley, though, decided otherwise… More

ENZO MARESCA hopes that Chelsea’s KITCHEN STAFF can inspire his stars to Champions League football.And he called a meeting of 100 employees at the training ground to let everyone know they have a part to play — even the fruit-cutters.Enzo Maresca opened up on his plan to kickstart Chelsea’s seasonCredit: GettyThe Blues have struggled for wins of lateCredit: GettyHe reminded his under-performing stars just how many people are working hard behind the scenes to help them achieve their goals.Boss Maresca revealed: “I prepared a meeting with all the people: The kitchen staff, groundsmen, kit men, everyone inside the building.“I asked them to push until the end because our target was to bring this club back into the Champions League. I did this a month ago.“I said to the players in that meeting, ‘When I arrive here in the morning at seven o’clock, there are people from the kitchen cutting the fruit in the same way’. Cut, cut, cut, cut.READ MORE CHELSEA NEWS“So there are people behind who you cannot see, who are working every day to help you to reach your target.“The kitchen people are preparing breakfasts and they are doing it all perfectly.“I tried to convince them there are people behind who work hard and we need to push all together to reach our target.”Maresca, whose side face a crunch clash at fellow top-four contenders Aston Villa this evening, revealed his kitchen-staff plan was the result of a sleepless night.Most read in FootballJOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUSHe said: “I went to bed at 12 o’clock and I woke up at four o’clock. It was when we were third or fourth. I couldn’t sleep.“I started to think, ‘It could be a good idea in the morning to arrive and pull all the people together in the building and share this message’. And they were there, everyone, at ten o’clock.”Humble Nicolas Jackson snubs mega-money supercars as he leaves Chelsea training in £30,000 Fiat 500 Maresca is not the first Chelsea boss to seek inspiration from fruit.Mauricio Pochettino, axed last summer to make way for Maresca, kept lemons in his office as he believes they suck up negative vibes.Chelsea certainly need inspiration from somewhere after a barren spell of two Prem wins since December 16.The Blues have slipped to sixth.Maresca made it clear his players had to step up in spite of an injury crisis.He said: “My ambition since I joined this club has been always the same, to bring this club where this club deserves to be.READ MORE SUN STORIES“It’s the reason why I joined this club, because I saw the same desire from the owners and the sports directors.“Otherwise there was no sense to join, because this club cannot just survive, it’s a club that you need to win games, you need to fight for something important.”Mauricio Pochettino used some unusual methods while Chelsea bossCredit: Getty More

MANCHESTER CITY got taught a lesson against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.And it sums up the state of them currently that they’ll be going into this game against Liverpool thinking: ‘Oh my god, I hope we don’t get slapped’.Liverpool will be looking forward to facing a struggling Manchester City sideCredit: EPAPep Guardiola has endured a harrowing seasonCredit: PAIt’s been a humbling year for City and Pep Guardiola, who is probably learning more about himself during this period than anybody else.Their struggles were cut and pasted into one 90-minute Champions League slog out in Spain on Wednesday night. The game was over after a couple of minutes when Madrid took the lead.Quite ironic that for all the chat of Guardiola changing the face of football and inspiring a tactical revolution with his pass-pass style, City were done by a long ball and a Kylian Mbappe lob.Pep’s teams have shown in the past that they are capable of reacting to a result, a performance, like that – but this is not a City team of the past.They’ve shown so many levels of vulnerability. They’ve become comfortable, soft.It was so difficult to win the trophies they have over the years, but they also had the luxury of people being in awe of them. Now, that awe has worn off and everyone wants to take them on.Liverpool certainly will. For years this was THE fixture – the decider for the title. Guardiola vs Jurgen Klopp. Two great sides going at it and it usually produced plenty of fireworks and drama.Pep Guardiola admits ‘best team won’ as Real Madrid knock Man City out of Europe But right now, I fear for City. I really do. They could get done on their own patch. Will they be able to shake off that Madrid humbling and respond? You would have to argue: probably not.They have been well beaten by the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham already this season, but this one is going to hurt them the most if it goes the way it should.It seems silly to say given how good City’s squad still is and how much money they have invested, but which area of the pitch are they better than this Liverpool in?We all get excited about Ederson kicking the ball a long way, but Alisson is a better keeper. City’s back four is not better than Liverpool’s, nor is their midfield or front three.You would perhaps go with Erling Haaland, especially given the form of Darwin Nunez and his missed sitter in the 2-2 draw at Aston Villa.But let’s not forget, Diogo Jota also missed a very simple chance.But did I expect Nunez to score when he went through to an empty goal? No, I didn’t.It would have felt like a loss at Villa Park for Liverpool, and there is a chance City may turn up and give them another bloody nose, but I wouldn’t put my own money on that.This Liverpool, they don’t lose in the big moments. Arsenal fans will be hoping this is the start of the ‘wobble’. Some wobble this is, eight points clear with 12 games left.I wouldn’t have minded that sort of ‘wobble’ in my career. They’re in a perfect position knowing that even if it gets close towards the end, Arsenal still have to go to Anfield and win.I just don’t see how Liverpool lose the title from here, and if they do, it will make for a great f***ing column!Kylian Mbappe helped dump City out of the Champions LeagueCredit: GettyDarwin Nunez is the only Liverpool man to miss out in a combined XICredit: GettyTroy Deeney is backing Liverpool to get the job done at the EtihadCredit: Rex More