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Round-up: Liverpool get job done at Burnley, De Jong rescues Barcelona, Danilo earns precious point for Juventus

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Liverpool closed the gap at the top of the Premier League with a 1-0 win at Burnley in difficult conditions on Sunday while Tottenham Hotspur slipped to a third consecutive league defeat as they succumbed 2-0 at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

West Ham United capitalised on Spurs dropping further points in the race for a spot in the top four as Craig Dawson snatched the Hammers a last-gasp equaliser in a 2-2 draw at Leicester City, while Newcastle United boosted their survival hopes with a 1-0 win over Aston Villa.

The home side initially adapted better to the awful conditions in Lancashire, but their profligacy in front of goal cost them dear as Fabinho pounced to score what proved to be the winner in the 40th minute. It was the Brazilian’s fifth goal since the turn of the year.

Burnley continued to press in the second half, but Liverpool dug in to see out the win, with goalkeeper Alisson standing firm when called upon. The Brazilian made more saves at Turf Moor than in any other league match this season.

SPURS STRUGGLE 

Having lost their previous two league games before Wolves’ visit to North London, Antonio Conte’s Spurs needed to get back to winning ways if they were to keep pace with their rivals in the race for a top-four finish.

Spurs were up against from early in the game, with Raul Jimenez volleying Wolves into the lead inside six minutes.

Things quickly went from bad to worse as Leander Dendoncker doubled Wolves’ lead in the 19th minute.

Tottenham improved in the second half but the closest they came was a deflected Harry Winks shot against the post, allowing Wolves to leapfrog the London club into seventh place with 37 points, only four behind fourth-placed West Ham.

It is the first time Conte has lost three league games in a row since his days managing Atalanta in November 2009. 

Danilo earns precious point for Juventus

Juventus defender Danilo headed home a stoppage-time equaliser to rescue a 1-1 Serie A draw at Atalanta on Sunday and earn a point that could prove crucial to the Bianconeri’s top-four ambitions.

The Brazil international nodded in from a corner in the 92nd minute, cancelling out a long-range thunderbolt from Ruslan Malinovskyi that had put Atalanta on the verge of reclaiming fourth place.

Juve remain fourth on 46 points, two ahead of Atalanta, but Gian Piero Gasperini’s side have a game in hand. 

Roma held again

Bryan Cristante scored a 94th-minute equaliser to rescue a 2-2 Serie A draw for AS Roma at Sassuolo on Sunday, as Jose Mourinho’s side lost more ground in the race for European qualification.

The Giallorossi were looking for a response after a 0-0 league draw with relegation battlers Genoa and 2-0 Coppa Italia defeat by Inter Milan in the last week.

However, another league stalemate leaves them seventh with 40 points, two behind Lazio and six behind Juventus in fourth.

A Tammy Abraham penalty gave the capital club the lead at the end of the first half, but a mistake from goalkeeper Rui Patricio led to a Chris Smalling own goal for the equaliser, before Hamed Traore completed the turnaround with a well-taken strike.

However, Sassuolo defender Gian Marco Ferrari picked up a second yellow card with 12 minutes remaining and Roma capitalised deep in stoppage time through a Cristante header.

Elsewhere, bottom two Genoa and Salernitana played out a 1-1 draw that did little to help either sides’ hopes of survival, leaving them six and nine points adrift of the safety zone respectively.

Cagliari earned a 1-1 draw at Empoli that took the 18th-placed Sardinians level with Venezia above them on 21 points, while midtable Hellas Verona hammered Udinese 4-0. 

Late De Jong header rescues point for Barca

A 96th minute header from substitute Luuk De Jong saw Barcelona rescue a 2-2 draw away at city rivals Espanyol in LaLiga on Sunday in a game where both sides had a man sent off in the closing stages.

Espanyol looked set for a first home league victory over Barca in 15 years before De Jong turned in Adama Traore’s cross to salvage a point.

Xavi Hernandez’s side moved back into the fourth and final Champions League spot as a result — level on 39 points with Atletico Madrid and one ahead of Real Sociedad in sixth.

It had looked like Barca would be in for a comfortable evening when they took the lead inside the first two minutes when Pedri turned in Jordi Alba’s cross from close range.

Ferran Torres and Traore both went close for the visitors, but they were pegged back on the stroke of halftime as Sergi Darder curled an effort in from the edge of the box after good work from Raul de Tomas.

Barca midfielder Gavi also had a goal ruled out by VAR 10 minutes after the restart as they sought to retake the lead.

But they were made to pay for some lax defending by substitute Eric Garcia on 64 minutes as Darder returned the favour, sending De Tomas away with a ball over the top.

The former Real Madrid player coolly finished and looked to have won the game for the hosts.

With tempers flaring late on, Gerard Pique and Nico Melamed both saw red following a coming together off the ball before De Jong’s late effort saw the spoils shared.

Marseille consolidate second place in Ligue 1 

Arkadiusz Milik netted a spectacular overhead kick goal to hand Olympique de Marseille a late 2-1 away win at struggling Metz on Sunday as they consolidated second place in Ligue 1.

Milik was a surprise omission from the starting line-up but wasted no time after coming on to deliver a spectacular finish, receiving the ball on his chest with his back to goal and scoring a stunning winner eight minutes from time.

New signing Cedric Bakambu put Marseille ahead after 26 minutes as they moved onto 46 points, 13 behind runaway leaders Paris St Germain.

Marseille are now four ahead of third placed Nice, who lost at Olympique Lyonnais on Saturday.

Defeat for Metz leaves them second from bottom.

Earlier on Sunday, Kevin Gameiro volleyed home from an 11th minute corner for his ninth goal of the season and victory for Racing Strasbourg at Angers. Strasbourg consolidated their fourth place in the standings with 41 points, one adrift of Nice.

St Etienne won a third successive league game to move off the bottom, where Girondins Bordeaux now find themselves in spite of a managerial change last week.

Vladimir Petkovic was sacked after last weekend’s 5-0 loss at Stade Reims and while awaiting new coach David Guion to take over on Monday, Bordeaux were 3-0 down inside a half-hour at Racing Lens. But they did fight back to make it 3-2 with more than 30 minutes to play but could not find the equaliser.

Clermont Foot led at halftime at home to St Etienne but Mahdi Camara equalised in the 70th minute and then Timothee Kolodziejczak headed home the 82nd minute winner for the visitors from a corner.

Martin Satriano, on loan from Inter Milan, scored twice in his first start for Stade Brest as they thumped Troyes 5-1 in the pouring rain at home, with Franck Honorat adding two more after the break before Steve Mounie netted the fifth.

Monaco were held at home to a goalless draw by Lorient while Nantes beat Reims 1-0. 

Reus double inspires Dortmund to win at Union

Borussia Dortmund closed the gap on leaders Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga to six points after Marcos Reus’ double inspired the title chasers to a 3-0 win at Union Berlin on Sunday.

Without top goalscorer Erling Haaland through injury, captain Reus settled any Dortmund nerves in aftermath of the 5-2 thrashing at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen last time out, drilling the visitors in front in the 18th minute.

Reus then put Dortmund firmly in command in the capital seven minutes later, after rounding the goalkeeper and slotting home the second.

Having remained in control for the majority of the second half, Raphael Guerreiro poked home a late third to make sure of the win for the visitors.

Bayern’s shock 4-2 defeat by VfL Bochum on Saturday opened the door for second-placed Dortmund, who took full advantage to keep the title race alive on 46 points from 22 matches played, six points off the champions.

This season’s surprise package Union never really got going, with a second successive defeat meaning they drop to sixth in the standings. 

 

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.

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