10-Man Liverpool Draws with Fulham in Premier League but Arsenal Cannot Take Advantage

Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk after the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool FC and Fulham FC, in Liverpool, Britain, 14 December 2024. (EPA)
Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk after the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool FC and Fulham FC, in Liverpool, Britain, 14 December 2024. (EPA)
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10-Man Liverpool Draws with Fulham in Premier League but Arsenal Cannot Take Advantage

Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk after the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool FC and Fulham FC, in Liverpool, Britain, 14 December 2024. (EPA)
Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk after the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool FC and Fulham FC, in Liverpool, Britain, 14 December 2024. (EPA)

Premier League leader Liverpool twice came from behind with 10 men to draw with Fulham 2-2, yet dropped points for the second straight match to give hope to its title rivals on Saturday.

Arsenal couldn't take advantage.

A 0-0 draw at home to lowly Everton left third-placed Arsenal still six points behind Liverpool and will go down as a big opportunity missed.

Undermined by Andy Robertson's 17th-minute red card, Liverpool did well to earn a point at Anfield — but could have produced a win after sustained late pressure following Diogo Jota's equalizer in the 86th.

Fulham led for the first time after Andreas Pereira's 11th-minute volley deflected into the net off Robertson, who was sent off six minutes later for bringing down Harry Wilson as the last man and denying a goal-scoring opportunity.

Cody Gakpo leveled just after halftime by heading in a cross from Mohamed Salah, who registered his 100th assist for Liverpool in all competitions.

Substitute Rodrigo Muniz's flick put Fulham back ahead in the 76th, only for Jota to run onto Darwin Nunez's pass, turn his marker and drive home a finish from the edge of the area.

Liverpool drew at Newcastle 3-3 in its last league game.

Arsenal has also drawn two games in a row, after a 1-1 at Fulham last weekend.

O’Neil on the brink

Wolverhampton manager Gary O’Neil will do well to survive this latest damaging defeat.

Ipswich beat Wolves 2-1 thanks to Jack Taylor’s winner in the fourth minute of stoppage time in a match between teams in the relegation zone, though only one of the coaches came into it under real pressure.

O’Neil has led Wolves to only two victories in the league this season, and three since March. The slide under O’Neil began at the end of last season when Wolves won just one of their last 10 league games after being knocked out of the FA Cup in the quarterfinals by second-tier Coventry.

On Monday, after losing at West Ham 2-1, O’Neil expressed his disappointment at losing the connection with Wolves’ fans and also aimed some criticism at the club’s owners for sanctioning the sale of many of its top players over the last two years.

There were boos at halftime and fulltime at Molineux, with Wolves staying in next-to-last place and dropping three points behind third-to-last Ipswich.

Ruud awakening

Ruud van Nistelrooy fell to his first loss with Leicester — and it was a big one.

Leicester was thrashed 4-0 at Newcastle, for which Jacob Murphy scored twice and Alexander Isak nodded in his seventh goal of the campaign. Bruno Guimaraes netted the other goal.

Van Nistelrooy, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker, was brought in to replace the fired Steve Cooper and earned a win and a draw — both at home — in his first two games in charge.



Mbappé Scores Again as Real Madrid Ends 2024 in 2nd Place in Spanish League

Real Madrid's French forward #09 Kylian Mbappe reacts during the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and Sevilla FC at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on December 22, 2024. (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP)
Real Madrid's French forward #09 Kylian Mbappe reacts during the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and Sevilla FC at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on December 22, 2024. (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP)
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Mbappé Scores Again as Real Madrid Ends 2024 in 2nd Place in Spanish League

Real Madrid's French forward #09 Kylian Mbappe reacts during the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and Sevilla FC at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on December 22, 2024. (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP)
Real Madrid's French forward #09 Kylian Mbappe reacts during the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and Sevilla FC at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on December 22, 2024. (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP)

Kylian Mbappé added to his scoring streak with a superb strike 10 minutes into a Spanish league match as Real Madrid beat Sevilla 4-2 on Sunday to finish the year one point behind leader Atletico Madrid.
Mbappé sent a right-footed shot into the upper corner for his fourth goal in as many matches with Madrid in all competitions. It was Mbappé's sixth goal in his last eight games with Madrid, The Associated Press reported.
Federico Valverde, Rodrygo and Brahim Díaz also scored in the comfortable home victory.
Atletico rallied to shock Barcelona 2-1 Saturday with a stoppage-time goal by Alexander Sorloth. Third-place Barcelona is two points behind Madrid, having played an extra game.
Valverde scored in the 20th and Rodrygo in the 34th before Sevilla got on the board with Isaac Romero in the 35th. Díaz extended Madrid's lead in the 53rd and Dodi Lukebakio got the visitors' other goal in the 85th at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
Sevilla, sitting in 12th place, had won two of its last two games in all competitions.
Valencia draws late Second-to-last Valencia salvaged a 2-2 home draw with Alaves, thanks to a goal by Dani Gómez eight minutes into second-half stoppage time after the visitors had taken the lead with Joan Jordán in the 88th.
The setback drew more protests from Valencia fans who have been unhappy with the administration of team owner Peter Lim.