Premier, Conte brakes Liverpool. And bring Manchester City closer to the title

In the match between Klopp and Conte the most celebrating are… Guardiola and Arteta, on the pitch tomorrow. Liverpool and Tottenham draw 1-1 at Anfield (Diaz responds to Son’s advantage). A result that slows down the race of both teams. With a win, the Reds would have been, for one night, first in the standings alone, at +2 over Manchester City (played tomorrow night against Newcastle), while the three points would have served Spurs to overtake Arsenal (direct clash in next round) and jump into the Champions League, at -3 from Chelsea. Liverpool dominated the game (66% of possession) but produced as much as their opponents, despite shooting almost three times as much (22 shots to 8 for Salah and teammates): a post (van Dijk and Hojbjerg) and three shots for part.

The choices

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Diaz and captain Henderson take a starting shirt, instead of Jota and Keita, after starting on the bench, last Tuesday, against Villarreal in the Champions League. Only one novelty in the Spurs: confirmed the team that beat Leicester in the last round of the championship, with the exception of Moura, replaced today by Kulusevski. Klopp relies on 4-3-3; Conte responds with a 3-4-3. Liverpool immediately focuses on domination of the game, pressing and ball possession but Tottenham holds up the opposing pressure, and then tries to sting in the restart. Among the guests Kane (12 ‘) tries, for the hosts Diaz (32’): the defenses are good guard. The clearest chance for the Reds comes in the 39th minute, when Van Dijk coordinates with a header and hits the crossbar. The Spurs reacted immediately: Hojbjerg shot from distance and the ball hit the post to Alisson’s right (43 ‘).

The goals

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The second half opens with the advantage of Tottenham, arrived at the end of a collective action: Kane opens for Sessegnon, a cross from the left winger and a rapacious touch by Son, who bags undisturbed from close range (56 ‘). Liverpool balance the result in the 74th minute: Diaz’s conclusion, Bentancur’s decisive deviation and the ball behind the displaced Lloris. Six minutes of injury time but the score doesn’t change anymore. Liverpool are now 1st with 83 points, tied with Manchester City (which, however, can take off again tomorrow): three games remain for both title contenders. Tottenham 5th (would therefore qualify for the Europa League) with 62, -1 from Arsenal (on the pitch tomorrow against Leeds) and +4 over Manchester United. In the next round Aston Villa-Liverpool and the direct clash Tottenham-Arsenal. The Reds, competing on three fronts, are also expected to have two finals: the FA Cup (against Chelsea on May 14) and the Champions League (against Real Madrid on May 28).