Virgil van Dijk scored a late winner against West Ham to move Liverpool to within six points of the Premier League title
Late Van Dijk goal sees Liverpool move to within six points of the Premier League titleBy JAMES ROBSONAP Soccer WriterThe Associated PressLIVERPOOL, England
LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Virgil van Dijk scored a late winner against West Ham on Sunday to move Liverpool to within six points of the Premier League title.
A 2-1 victory at Anfield means Arne Slot’s team needs to win just two more games to be certain of a record-equaling 20th English league title and draw level with Manchester United’s total.
“A big relief,” was how the Liverpool manager described Van Dijk’s 89th-minute header. “We saved a big set-piece for a very important moment.”
Liverpool had looked like dropping points when Andrew Robinson scored an own-goal in the 86th to level the game at 1-1 after Luis Diaz’s first-half opener. But captain Van Dijk rose to head home and ensure the league leader took advantage after second-placed Arsenal slipped up on Saturday by drawing 1-1 with Brentford.
Chelsea came back from 2-0 down against relegation-fighting Ipswich to draw 2-2 and Wolves’ hopes of avoiding the drop were further boosted by a 4-2 win against Tottenham.
Wolves moved above West Ham on goal difference and up to 16th in the standings. Both teams need five more points to be certain of safety.
Title in sight
Liverpool could be crowned champion as early as next Sunday if Arsenal loses to Ipswich earlier that day.
The Merseyside club is 13 points clear at the top of the standings with six rounds to go.
Victory completed a week of celebrations for Liverpool supporters after top scorer Mohamed Salah ended uncertainty over his future by signing a new two-year contract.
He marked that new deal in style by maintaining his outstanding form this season to cross for Diaz’s opener in the 18th minute.
It was his 45th goal or assist in the league this season, which set a new record for a 38-game Premier League campaign, according to statistician Opta.
He left the field late on to a standing ovation from the home fans.
West Ham twice came close to equalizing before Roberton’s own-goal. Mohammed Kudus hit the bar in the first half and Jarrod Bowen was denied by Alisson when through on goal after the break.
Onana dropped
Andre Onana was left out of Manchester United’s squad for the game against Newcastle following his latest high-profile errors for the club.
The Cameroon international was partially at fault for both goals in United’s 2-2 draw with Lyon in the Europa League on Thursday and was not even on the bench for the game at St James’ Park.
“Sometimes, you have to push the player to play again, sometimes you have to let him disconnect a little bit,” United head coach Ruben Amorim said. “You have to manage everything, sometimes people just look at the physical aspect but the mental aspect is really, really important.”
It was United’s 4,000th game in the English top flight.
Everton, Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa are the only other teams to reach that landmark.
Chelsea held
Chelsea’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League next season were dealt an unexpected blow by Ipswich.
Trailing 2-0 at halftime at Stamford Bridge, an own-goal from Axel Tuanzebe just after the break got Enzo Maresca’s team back into the game.
Jadon Sancho leveled in the 79th, but it was still two points dropped for fifth-placed Chelsea, which could have moved above Manchester City in fourth.
Wolves near safety
Wolves need just five more points to be certain of safety after a 4-2 win against Spurs.
Rayan Ait-Nouri and an own-goal by Djed Spence gave Wolves a 2-0 lead at halftime. Jorgen Strand Larsen and Matheus Cunha scored after the break, with Mathys Tel and Richarlison on target for Spurs.
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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
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