Roy Hodgson celebrated Crystal Palace's dominance during their 2-1 victory over Leicester City, after the Eagles posted a 28-plus shot advantage at Selhurst Park.

The veteran boss returned to Palace for a second spell in charge last month following Patrick Vieira's dismissal after a 12-match winless streak in the Premier League.

In his first game back, the 75-year-old saw his side dominate against the Foxes, notching 31 shots to their opponents' three, though it took Jean-Philippe Mateta's injury-time winner to seal three points.

Even with the first-half loss of captain Wilfried Zaha, Palace were uncharacteristically dominant on Hodgson's return.

Indeed, they registered 20 shots during the first half - the most in a Premier League game since Liverpool did so against Leicester in December 2015.

And the former England boss could not hide his delight at such a triumphant return to the dugout.

"That was a fantastic way to win a game, and I'm not just talking about the fact it was a last-minute goal," he told BBC Match of the Day.

"The way the team played throughout the 94 minutes was worthy of a lot of credit. The scoreline certainly didn't flatter us."

Hodgson acknowledged Zaha's loss was a significant blow, though he was unable to put any timeline on a return from what he believes to be a muscle strain.

"I'm certainly concerned," he added. "If we're very lucky, it might not be as long as [we fear]. I just have to wait and trust the physios.

"In the first half, he looked like he was almost going to win the game off his own back. He was almost unplayable at moments. That does have a bit of a psychological influence on everybody."

Mikel Arteta hailed Arsenal's focus as the Premier League leaders restored their eight-point advantage with victory over Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners' lead at the summit was reduced to five points following Manchester City's 4-1 win over Liverpool earlier on Saturday, but Arteta's side matched that result against Leeds to pull clear once more.

Gabriel Jesus scored twice while Ben White and Granit Xhaka were also target for the hosts, who were without Bukayo Saka from the start for the first time in the Premier League this season.

Arteta, who revealed the England forward was benched having suffered with illness on Friday, was delighted with the way his players remained concentrated on the task in hand.

"We had a few things going on with some individuals. It has been a concerning few days because we could not decide until this morning if some players would be available and the line-up," he told BBC.

"After an international break, you do not know if they are in the frame of mind to come back and do the things necessary to win this league. I am really happy with the performance.

"We were aware [of Man City's result] as it is a huge game, and we wanted to watch parts of it. But when we got here, it was just to focus on us and what we can do as a team. They are used to it. We can only control what we can do."

The Gunners boss also praised Jesus, who netted a brace on his first start since returning from injury.

"I am so happy for him after all the work from him and the staff throughout the last five months," Arteta said. "Today, he got rewarded for that. He brings that quality and unpredictability to the squad."

"Everyone is playing so well, it is easy to come back," Jesus added. "The most important thing is that everyone that has come in has played good.

"I want to score every game, but sometimes it can't happen. I am more happy with the three points than the goals. 

"We said before the game not to look at goal difference and focus on the points. But sometimes, you have to try and score more and more, as it might matter at the end of the season."

White also paid tribute to Arsenal for not getting distracted by the Man City scoreline from earlier in the day.

"There's a lot of noise going on outside," the defender told BBC Radio 5 Live. "I don't really know what's right or wrong, I have never been in this position [competing in a title race] before. So, we are just keeping quiet, heads down and working hard."

Liverpool's coach sustained damage following the Reds' 4-1 defeat at Manchester City, who are assisting a police investigation into the incident.

City dispatched Liverpool with little fuss in Saturday's early Premier League encounter.

However, City subsequently confirmed their opponents' team bus had been damaged by an object thrown at it during its return journey.

"We understand an object was thrown towards the coach in a residential area," a City statement read.

"Incidents of this kind are totally unacceptable, and we strongly condemn the actions of the individual(s) responsible.

"We will fully support Greater Manchester Police's investigation into this incident in any way we can."

City also condemned "inappropriate chants" from sections of the home support.

"We regret any offence these chants may have caused and will continue to work with supporter groups and officials from both clubs to eradicate hateful chanting from this fixture," their statement added.

Gabriel Jesus scored twice as Arsenal regained their eight-point lead at the Premier League summit by sweeping aside Leeds United 4-1.

Jesus marked his first start since November with a goal in each half at Emirates Stadium, while Ben White and Granit Xhaka were also on target for Arsenal.

Although Manchester City applied the pressure with their 4-1 victory over Liverpool earlier on Saturday, Mikel Arteta's side did not relent as they comfortably secured a seventh straight league win.

Rasmus Kristensen's goal gave Leeds hope before Xhaka rendered it a mere consolation for the visitors, who are only outside of the relegation zone on goal difference.

Leeds gave the league leaders a scare inside the opening minute when Kristensen drew a smart reflex save from Aaron Ramsdale.

Ramsdale was needed again after Jesus headed over at the other end, denying Crysencio Summerville following a neat one-two with Marc Roca, while he also kept Jack Harrison out from a tight angle.

But after weathering the storm, Arsenal drew first blood 10 minutes before the break with Jesus calmly rolling home from the penalty spot after he was felled by Luke Ayling.

The hosts doubled their lead within two minutes of the restart. White – an ever-present during Leeds' Championship title-winning season three years ago – arrived at the far post to turn in Gabriel Martinelli's delicious cross.

Jesus grabbed his second goal eight minutes later, the Brazil forward prodding home after combining superbly with Leandro Trossard.

Leeds pulled one back in the 76th minute when Kristensen's shot deflected in via Oleksandr Zinchenko, but Xhaka headed in Martin Odeegard's excellent delivery to ensure Arsenal had the final word.

All-Star infielder Jake Cronenworth has agreed to a seven-year extension worth $80million with the San Diego Padres, according to multiple reports.

Cronenworth's new contract is scheduled to begin in 2024 and serves as a reward for his impressive consistency for the Padres.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the deal buys out five free agent seasons and marks the biggest ever for a 29-year-old with under four years of service in the majors.

Cronenworth did not make his MLB debut until 26 but has emerged as a key contributor for San Diego.

Last season, he had a batting average of .239, an on-base percentage of .332 and a slugging percentage of .390, hitting 17 home runs and 88 RBI as he was named to the NL All-Star team for the second successive campaign.

The Padres have made an 0-2 start to the season following successive defeats to the Colorado Rockies.

Jurgen Klopp said his Liverpool team likely would not have beaten Manchester City even if they had been reduced to 10 men.

City were fortunate that Rodri escaped a second yellow card in the first half after a cynical foul on Cody Gakpo, before Pep Guardiola's side went on to thrash the visitors 4-1 to record their fourth league win in a row.

Mohamed Salah had given Liverpool an early lead before goals from Julian Alvarez, Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and Jack Grealish emphatically turned things around.

Klopp, though, does not feel Rodri escaping a red card was too much of a pivotal moment. 

"Could [Rodri] have got a second yellow? Yes, probably, but he will not get it now," Klopp said at a post-match press conference.

"I'm not sure we would have won today against 10 men, to be honest."

Liverpool toiled at the Etihad Stadium, particularly after falling behind in the first minute of the second half, only having four shots to City's 17 overall and having less than 25 per cent possession in the second half.

"I think around four performances we were OK," Klopp suggested.

"The two midfielders, [Jordan Henderson] and [Fabinho] worked a lot, tried to close gaps, Cody especially in possession, and [Alisson] of course, then that's obviously very difficult, if you want to get something from here then you have to have 11... 14-15 players have to be on top of their game.

"After being 3-1 down, it's anyway difficult to come back here... we had one opportunity for 3-2 with Robbo down the left side... but apart from that City could do what they want because the spaces were too big, so we were rather lucky they only scored one more."

Liverpool have already lost five league games in 2023, one more than in the entirety of 2022, and face Chelsea away and Arsenal at home in their next two outings as they look to get their top-four hopes back on track.

Jurgen Klopp vented his frustrations at Liverpool's capitulation against Manchester City, suggesting there was "nothing good" about their performance.

The Reds struck first at the Etihad Stadium through Mohamed Salah but subsequently fell to a 4-1 defeat against Pep Guardiola's champions in the Premier League.

Despite the absence of leading goalscorer Erling Haaland through injury, the hosts dismantled their visitors in ruthless fashion, with a trio of second-half goals doing the damage.

The nature of Liverpool's concessions after the break left their manager fuming at their display, ruing their inability to shut down their opponents throughout a crucial encounter.

"We just had to follow as they did whatever they wanted," he told BT Sport. "We were lucky they were not in a greedy mood. There is nothing good to say about this game.

"This is a game we have to use, and make clear which things cannot happen [going forward]. We cannot not have challenges in key areas, or be that open.

"I stand here and have to explain it, but I cannot explain it. I cannot change it now, I can [only] report what I saw. We will talk about it tomorrow [but] these things happened too often."

Having gone into the interval all square following Julian Alvarez's equaliser, Kevin De Bruyne's finish less than a minute into the second half set the tone for Liverpool's collapse.

Further goals for Ilkay Gundogan and Jack Grealish meant the Reds missed the chance to close the five-point gap to fifth-place Newcastle, who have a game in hand on them too.

Klopp was at a loss for their complete reversal, telling BBC Match of the Day: "The first half was one we've seen a few times. We played calm, composed and caused them problems.

"But coming out after half-time and conceding two quick goals broke everything down. How we conceded is difficult to accept. [It is] absolutely not acceptable to be honest."

"City [were] completely in control after that. We were open and they could do whatever they wanted. That they only scored one more goal, it could've been different and that's really bad news for us."

Pep Guardiola hailed Manchester City's 4-1 Premier League victory against Liverpool as one of the best in his time at the club. 

City thrashed Liverpool on Saturday to, at least temporarily, close the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal to five points.

Having gone down to an early Mohamed Salah finish, City – shorn of Erling Haaland – levelled before half-time when Julian Alvarez converted Jack Grealish's cross to complete a flowing move. 

City completed the comeback in emphatic style with a commanding second-half performance – goals from Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and Grealish wrapping up a memorable day at the Etihad Stadium and leaving Guardiola to revel in his side's performance. 

"From minute one to minute 93, it was a perfect performance," Guardiola told BT Sport.  

"Even when we conceded the goal we were playing really well. Of course, there is always a threat they have especially on the transition, but we played really good – one of the best performances in my seven years.

"Even after the goal, we continued with our idea that we had because players know that we weren't playing badly. We stayed in control and continued to keep playing and had a little word at half-time about our process. 

"Of course and we were lucky to score the second goal but the game was always stable through 93 minutes."

City’s win was headlined by a superb display by Grealish, who scored one and set up another. 

"This season is the Jack we knew could help us," Guardiola said of Grealish.

"He tracked back at 1-0 to help us when Salah had the chance to lay off but with the ball, he and Riyad [Mahrez] were exceptional. I can't name one better than the other - they were all exceptional."

An injury to Haaland meant City's top goalscorer was forced to watch from the stands with Alvarez deputising superbly in his absence.

"Not just the goal but the play with the second and the third. With the ball, he is so clever and an exceptional player," Guardiola said. 

"I think the club made an incredible signing for the price. He's playing in the World Cup champions for Argentina alongside Messi for a reason because he has something."

Jack Grealish revealed he overcame illness to play a starring role in Manchester City's victory over Liverpool.

Pep Guardiola's side maintained the pressure on Premier League leaders Arsenal, reducing the deficit to five points after coming from behind to run out 4-1 winners at the Etihad Stadium.

Grealish assisted Julian Alvarez for the hosts' first goal - cancelling out Mohamed Salah's opener - before getting on the scoresheet himself to seal the victory 16 minutes from time.

The England international's contribution to clinching another important three points was all the more impressive considering he did not feel at his best. 

"We knew it was going to be a tough game playing against Liverpool," he told BT Sport. "The first game after the international break is always difficult, so we wanted to start it right – this last period of the season.

"Liverpool are so dangerous with the players they have up front, so we went 1-0 down. Then you don't fear the worst, but think it's going to be a tough game to get back into. We responded brilliantly and thought we were excellent, especially in the second half.

"We had a chat between ourselves and with the manager [at half-time], and he said we have to stay in the game. I thought we were good [in the] first half apart from the goal. I was in the toilet at half-time, I felt sick all morning but fine now, I feel buzzing."

Grealish continued his resurgence having now been directly involved in eight Premier League goals since the World Cup (scored three, assisted five), and he feels that normal service has been resumed with his side looking to hunt down Arsenal.

"I love it - I love playing, training," he continued. "When it's going well, there's nothing better. I feel back to my normal self, feel fit and back to confidence - scoring and getting the assist.

"Arsenal are a great team, it's in their hands, so we've just got to keep doing what we can to chase them down."

Dietmar Hamann represented both Manchester City and Liverpool, Saturday's opponents, in his playing days. Now, working on German television, he is a dedicated contrarian.

The former midfielder's comments have irked Jurgen Klopp previously, while this week he was taking aim at Germany head coach Hansi Flick.

But when Erling Haaland was the subject of his criticism back in January, it was not Hamann's wildest take.

As City's superstar striker struggled in their derby defeat to Manchester United, Hamann posted on Twitter: "Man City was a better team without Haaland, even if he scores 40 goals this season."

It is easy to dismiss such a claim out of hand now, but there was at least debate at that stage in the season.

Almost three months on, that 40-goal mark has been passed in all competitions – Haaland is the only player in Europe's top five leagues to do so this term – and that conversation has quietly faded away.

If Hamann – or anyone else – was determined to revisit the discussion, however, Julian Alvarez's performance in a 4-1 win over Liverpool could be cited as evidence.

History-maker Haaland

Along with the sheer number of goals, Haaland's case until now has perhaps been helped by the increasing distance to the City of last season, a team without a traditional striker who won the Premier League title – something the class of 2022-23 may well not do.

Haaland has acknowledged he was signed to deliver glory in the Champions League, rather than merely another league success, but he has dominated domestically nonetheless.

In the Premier League, he has 28 goals, earning 20 points and making up 42 per cent of City's total prior to this weekend. All three numbers are club records.

So, news of Haaland failing to recover from a groin injury in time to feature on Saturday would have provided Liverpool some encouragement.

But as Pep Guardiola pointed out on the eve if the game: "In the past we also scored a lot of goals. Since we were here, and with Roberto Mancini and [Manuel] Pellegrini, always Man City was a team that scored a lot of goals in the season – with different players, different strikers."

And Alvarez has joined that group, a World Cup-winning striker eager to seize his opportunity in only his seventh league start of the season.

City's complete package

Alvarez might be considered a hybrid of Haaland and those who went before, as he illustrated against Liverpool.

The Argentina forward was on hand to equalise from close range when a flowing City move ended with Jack Grealish's low cross into the sort of position Haaland would usually occupy.

Another Alvarez shot led to the third goal, working space for an attempt that was deflected only as far as a grateful Ilkay Gundogan.

Alvarez had three shots, all from inside the box, worth a combined 0.82 expected goals. That could easily be a Haaland performance, the City number nine averaging 3.8 shots per 90, including 3.6 inside the box, worth 0.86 xG.

Yet the 23-year-old did more besides that, too. Only five of Alvarez's 32 touches were taken inside the box, his 15.6 per cent differing significantly from the 28.3 per cent of Haaland's touches that come inside the opposition's area.

As a result, Alvarez was far more involved in the build-up play than Haaland generally has been. He created two chances – Haaland averages 0.9 per 90 – but most importantly played a gorgeous pass out to Riyad Mahrez early in the second half, leading to Kevin De Bruyne's vital second goal.

Haaland surely would have hurt Liverpool, with Mahrez and Grealish piling forward on either side, but he would have done well to impact City's all-round performance as much as Alvarez did.

Liverpool lax at the back

Alvarez, Mahrez and Grealish undoubtedly benefited from another dismal defensive performance from Liverpool away from home.

"For one game, absolutely, they can beat everyone," Guardiola said of the Reds on Friday, and the data did not disagree. In a below-par campaign, they entered April having earned the most points in matches between this season's top six.

But they had still lost to Manchester United and Arsenal away from home, with their defeat of 10-man Newcastle United at St James' Park in February their sole success on the road in 2023.

Liverpool have lost at Brentford, Brighton and Hove Albion, Wolves and Bournemouth since the start of January, conceding 10 goals across those four matches.

A 4-1 defeat at City perhaps saw Liverpool get off lightly, as Klopp told BT Sport: "We were lucky they were not in the most greedy mood."

Mahrez and Grealish repeatedly exposed Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold; Robertson's failure to make a tackle on De Bruyne in the build-up to Alvarez's goal left Klopp with his head in his hands.

That can happen against City, but it can also happen against Chelsea and Arsenal – Liverpool's next two opponents.

Klopp's men must respond to have any hope of qualifying for the Champions League next season. Perhaps, in a one-off game against the Gunners, they could yet do City a favour.