Liverpool tightened the noose on the leaders and defending champion Manchester City, with its eighth successive victory over its host Brighton 2-0, Saturday, in the 29th stage of the English Football Championship, while Portuguese international striker Cristiano Ronaldo rebalanced his team Manchester United with a historic hat-trick against Tottenham 3-2 .
In the first match, he scored for the Colombian winner Luis Dias (19) and the Egyptian Mohamed Salah (61 from a penalty kick), who scored the 2000th goal for Liverpool in the Premier League.
Liverpool, who reached the Champions League quarter-finals in the middle of the week at the expense of Italy’s Inter, raised their score to 66 points from 28 games, three points behind Manchester City, who finished the stage on Monday at Crystal Palace and played a game more than the red team.
The visitor opened the scoring early after a clever pass in the depth by Cameroonian defender Joel Matip, who boldly attacked Dias, who came from Porto, and headed it into the goal, while he was subjected to a strong shock from Spanish goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, who had mercy on the referee and the video assistant referee “VAR” by not raising the red card. in his face (19).
Liverpool were able to enter the break with a two-goal lead, but Salah, after traveling a long way on the left flank, hit the body of goalkeeper Sanchez from close range and a narrow angle (43).
After he approached more than once to consolidate the difference, most notably with a shot from the crossbar (58), Salah scored in the second half of the penalty point, after a hand touch on Mali’s Yves Bisoma after a shot from Guinean Naby Keita, translated by the Egyptian pharaoh strong in the heart of the goal (61 ), raising his score to twenty goals, as the top scorer in the league.
Salah .. 20 goals in the league for the fourth time!
This is the fourth time that Salah has reached the 20-goal mark in the English Premier League, at a time when he is negotiating with his club’s management to renew his contract.
While Salah’s contract expires at the end of next season, his German coach, Jurgen Klopp, said on Friday that it depends on the player in the matter of renewal, which prompted the Egyptian business agent to tweet a series of laughing symbols minutes later.
With Liverpool’s 2000th goal in the Premier League, he joins Manchester United, who preceded him with this achievement, knowing that 10% of his goals were scored by the current team’s duo Salah (115) and Senegalese Sadio Mane (86).
Klopp had to replace Salah four minutes after he scored, and Portuguese Diogo Jota took his place.
“Something wasn’t right,” said the German coach. “I think there was a situation where his foot was stretched. We have to see.”
During his last eight victories, German coach Jurgen Klopp’s team scored 21 goals and conceded only twice, knowing that it has not been shaken in the last three games, for the first time this season.
“We were expecting it to be a tough game and I’m really happy with certain moments. We were really strong and scored a great goal,” Klopp explained. “We had intense counter-attacks that we didn’t translate into goals but it’s okay. I’m not very critical with the players. Consistency is the most important thing, But it is also the most difficult.
Liverpool are awaiting, on Wednesday, a difficult postponed confrontation with Arsenal, the rival to qualify for the Champions League, followed by the Cup quarter-final against Nottingham Forest. Attention is drawn to his contract with Manchester City on April 10, which may determine the fate of the league champion.
On the title race, Klopp said, “It’s always the same, you expect Manchester City to win every game when you watch them play. The only thing we can do is win as many games as possible. We’re ready, we don’t need to call it a title race, We just want to win matches.”
A historic hat-trick for Ronaldo
At Old Trafford, Ronaldo returned to Manchester United after missing the city derby against his neighbor City, and brought balance to his team with a hat-trick and a precious victory over Tottenham 3-2 in their struggle to secure the Champions League ticket next season.
Ronaldo scored his hat-trick in the 12th, 38th and 81st minutes and became the best scorer in history in official matches, raising his yield to 807 goals, erasing the previous record of 805 goals, which was recorded by the Austrian Czechoslovakian Josef Bikan.
This is Ronaldo’s second hat-trick in United colors after the first in his first period with him in January 2008, ie after 14 years and 59 days, and the 49th in his career with the clubs that he defended their colors (Sporting, United, Real Madrid and Juventus, Italy).
Ronaldo missed the humiliating 4-1 loss in the stronghold of neighbors and rivals Manchester City last week due to a hip injury.
Reports indicated that the 37-year-old traveled to Portugal instead of staying in Manchester and supporting his teammates in the derby, which sparked speculation about his unhappiness at Old Trafford.
Ronaldo, who returned this season to the “Red Devils” after his departure in 2009 to Real Madrid and seemed unsatisfied after keeping him on the bench several times, responded strongly in today’s match and led his team to its 400th victory in its stronghold, and scored a hat-trick after being satisfied with one goal in the matches the last ten.
Ronaldo also returned his team to the winning streak in a timely manner, as a fiery summit awaits him on Tuesday against his Spanish guest, Atletico Madrid, in the second leg of the Champions League final price (1-1 in the first leg).
United raised its score to 50 points and took fourth place temporarily, two points ahead of Arsenal, which hosts Leicester City tomorrow, knowing that the London team has three games postponed, while Tottenham’s balance froze at 45 points in seventh place with two games postponed.
Ronaldo gave United the lead with a powerful right-footed shot from 25 metres, placed to the right of French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris (12).
Tottenham got a penalty when Swedish international Dejan Kulusevsky passed a cross inside the area, which was touched by Brazilian Alex Telles with his hand, Harry Kane, to the right of Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea (35).
Ronaldo made United progress again after receiving a cross from Gaydon Sancho, which he followed with his right to the left of Lloris (38).
Tottenham managed to equalize thanks to friendly fire when United captain Harry Maguire tried to cut a cross of Spanish defender Sergio Reguilon in front of Argentine defender Christian Romero, who was offside, so he followed it by mistake inside his team’s goal (72).
Ronaldo scored the hat-trick with a header from close range after a corner kick he took to the left of Loris (81).
Brentford continued his awakening and achieved his second successive victory when the wounds of his guest Burnley deepened with a precious 2-0 victory.
Brentford waited for the 85th minute to open the scoring through Evan Toni after a pass from the Danish international Christian Eriksen, before receiving a penalty kick for Tony himself, scoring the second goal (90 +3).