London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Jan 23, 2026

Liverpool stumble in title race, Watford down

Liverpool stumble in title race, Watford down

What had been a joyous week for Liverpool went flat on Saturday as they stumbled in the title race, dropping two crucial points in a 1-1 draw at home to Tottenham Hotspur.
Watford were relegated from the top flight as they lost to Crystal Palace, while Manchester United's season can hardly end soon enough after a 4-0 hammering by Brighton and Hove Albion.

Liverpool reached the Champions League final on Tuesday with victory over Villarreal but the mood was gloomy as they were unable to ratchet up the pressure on Manchester City at Anfield.

They had won their last 12 Premier League home games and were unbeaten at Anfield in the league for 14 months but trailed to Son Heung-min's 56th-minute goal.

Son's 20th league goal of the season looked like earning Tottenham the win they needed to move fourth but Luis Diaz equalised with a deflected shot in the 74th minute.

Liverpool moved top with 83 points from 35 games with City also on 83 from 34 games. Reigning champions City can go three points clear if they beat Newcastle United on Sunday.

"The dressing room is not flying, come on, but there are other games to play. We just have to keep going," Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said.

Watford's 1-0 defeat by Palace soured former manager Roy Hodgson's return to Selhurst Park.

Wilfried Zaha's penalty earned Palace the points to send Watford down and inflict a first relegation from the Premier League in Hodgson's long managerial career.

Manchester United's soon-to-be ex interim manager Ralf Rangnick apologised after a display he described as "humiliating" on the south coast.

Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella, Pascal Gross and Leandro Trossard were all on target for Brighton as United suffered a fifth successive away defeat in the league to end any remaining hope of a top-four finish.

"It was a terrible performance. From the first until the last minute it was not enough. We can only apologise for this performance and a humiliating defeat," said Rangnick, who will hand over to Erik ten Hag at the end of the season.

Burnley's resurgence, which had seen them escape the relegation zone, came to a halt as they lost 3-1 at home to Aston Villa for whom Danny Ings, Emiliano Buendia and Ollie Watkins were all on the scoresheet.

Burnley are in 16th place with 34 points but 18th-placed Everton have 32 points with two games more to play.

Chelsea are not yet assured of a top-four place as they were held to a 2-2 home draw by Wolverhampton Wanderers.

With potential new owner Ted Boehly watching at Stamford Bridge, Romelu Lukaku scored twice to put the hosts ahead.

But Francisco Trincao scored a spectacular goal 11 minutes from time before Conor Coady headed a dramatic 97th-minute equaliser to deny Chelsea victory on the day the sale of the club was agreed.

Chelsea are in third place with 67 points from 35 games with fourth-placed Arsenal, who host relegation-threatened Leeds United on Sunday, on 63 from 34. Tottenham have 62 from 35.

"Of course the taste of the game is bad," Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta said. "We are conceding too many goals in the last couple of games which is putting us in a difficult position in the race for the Champions League."

Brentford are ending their maiden Premier League season on a high as they crushed Southampton 3-0 to virtually guarantee survival, barring an unlikely sequence of results.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Reverses Course and Criticises UK-Mauritius Chagos Islands Agreement
Elizabeth Hurley Tells UK Court of ‘Brutal’ Invasion of Privacy in Phone Hacking Case
UK Bond Yields Climb as Report Fuels Speculation Over Andy Burnham’s Return to Parliament
Trump’s Board of Peace: Breakthrough Diplomacy or a Hostile Takeover of Global Order?
Trump’s Board of Peace: Breakthrough Diplomacy or a Hostile Takeover of Global Order?
The Greenland Gambit: Economic Genius or Political Farce?
The Greenland Gambit: Economic Genius or Political Farce?
The Greenland Gambit: Economic Genius or Political Farce?
Will AI Finally Make Blue-Collar Workers Rich—or Is This Just Elite Tech Spin?
Prince William to Make Official Visit to Saudi Arabia in February
Prince Harry Breaks Down in London Court, Says UK Tabloids Have Made Meghan Markle’s Life ‘Absolute Misery’
Malin + Goetz UK Business Enters Administration, All Stores Close
EU and UK Reject Trump’s Greenland-Linked Tariff Threats and Pledge Unified Response
UK Deepfake Crackdown Puts Intense Pressure on Musk’s Grok AI After Surge in Non-Consensual Explicit Images
Prince Harry Becomes Emotional in London Court, Invokes Memory of Princess Diana in Testimony Against UK Tabloids
UK Inflation Rises Unexpectedly but Interest Rate Cuts Still Seen as Likely
AI vs Work: The Battle Over Who Controls the Future of Labor
Buying an Ally’s Territory: Strategic Genius or Geopolitical Breakdown?
AI Everywhere: Power, Money, War, and the Race to Control the Future
Trump vs the World Order: Disruption Genius or Global Arsonist?
Trump vs the World Order: Disruption Genius or Global Arsonist?
Trump vs the World Order: Disruption Genius or Global Arsonist?
Trump vs the World Order: Disruption Genius or Global Arsonist?
Arctic Power Grab: Security Chessboard or Climate Crime Scene?
Starmer Steps Back from Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ Amid Strained US–UK Relations
Prince Harry’s Lawyer Tells UK Court Daily Mail Was Complicit in Unlawful Privacy Invasions
UK Government Approves China’s ‘Mega Embassy’ in London Amid Debate Over Security and Diplomacy
Trump Cites UK’s Chagos Islands Sovereignty Shift as Justification for Pursuing Greenland Acquisition
UK Government Weighs Australia-Style Social Media Ban for Under-Sixteens Amid Rising Concern Over Online Harm
Trump Aides Say U.S. Has Discussed Offering Asylum to British Jews Amid Growing Antisemitism Concerns
UK Seeks Diplomatic De-escalation with Trump Over Greenland Tariff Threat
Prince Harry Returns to London as High Court Trial Begins Over Alleged Illegal Tabloid Snooping
High-Speed Train Collision in Southern Spain Kills at Least Twenty-One and Injures Scores
Meghan Markle May Return to the U.K. This Summer as Security Review Advances
Trump’s Greenland Tariff Threat Sparks EU Response and Risks Deep Transatlantic Rift
Prince Harry’s High Court Battle With Daily Mail Publisher Begins in London
Trump’s Tariff Escalation Presents Complex Challenges for the UK Economy
UK Prime Minister Starmer Rebukes Trump’s Greenland Tariff Strategy as Transatlantic Tensions Rise
Prince Harry’s Last Press Case in UK Court Signals Potential Turning Point in Media and Royal Relations
OpenAI to Begin Advertising in ChatGPT in Strategic Shift to New Revenue Model
GDP Growth Remains the Most Telling Barometer of Britain’s Economic Health
Prince William and Kate Middleton Stay Away as Prince Harry Visits London Amid Lingering Rift
Britain Braces for Colder Weather and Snow Risk as Temperatures Set to Plunge
Mass Protests Erupt as UK Nears Decision on China’s ‘Mega Embassy’ in London
Prince Harry to Return to UK to Testify in High-Profile Media Trial Against Associated Newspapers
Keir Starmer Rejects Trump’s Greenland Tariff Threat as ‘Completely Wrong’
Trump to hit Europe with 10% tariffs until Greenland deal is agreed
Prince Harry Returns to UK High Court as Final Privacy Trial Against Daily Mail Publisher Begins
Britain Confronts a Billion-Pound Wind Energy Paradox Amid Grid Constraints
The graduate 'jobpocalypse': Entry-level jobs are not shrinking. They are disappearing.
×