Liverpool, City win to set up straight fight for EPL title

The Premier League title race looks to be a straight fight between Liverpool and Manchester City after the top two collected contrasting home wins on Wednesday and third-place Tottenham lost at Chelsea for a second defeat in five days.

Liverpool stayed in first place thanks to a 5-0 win over Watford, with Sadio Mane and Virgil van Dijk scoring two goals each, while City needed a second-half penalty from Sergio Aguero to beat West Ham 1-0 and stay a point back.

Tottenham’s title bid disintegrated at Stamford Bridge, with Kieran Trippier’s embarrassing own goal clinching a 2-0 win for a Chelsea side that didn’t contain the world’s most expensive goalkeeper. Kepa Arrizabalaga was dropped to the bench as punishment for refusing to be substituted in Chelsea’s League Cup final loss to Man City on Sunday.

With Tottenham having also lost at Burnley on Saturday, the team is now nine points off the lead and only four ahead of Arsenal, which thrashed Bournemouth 5-1 to strengthen its grip on fourth place. Tottenham and Arsenal meet in the north London derby on Saturday.

Manchester United is a point further back in fifth after beating Crystal Palace 3-1 away, with Romelu Lukaku scoring two of the goals.

In the other game Wednesday, Southampton climbed out of the relegation zone by beating Fulham 2-0.