Ryan Mason is looking for Tottenham to pick up where they left off in Thursday's 2-2 draw with Manchester United when they visit Liverpool on Sunday.

Mason took over Cristian Stellini's responsibilities as acting head coach this week, with the Italian dismissed following a dismal 6-1 defeat to Newcastle United.

While Mason's second stint as interim boss started poorly as United raced into a 2-0 lead at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a rousing second-half fightback saw Spurs clinch an unlikely draw.

Tottenham's failure to beat United may have killed their slim hopes of Champions League qualification, but Mason wants to see a similar performance at Anfield.

"In football, negativity can spread very quickly, but so can positivity," he said.

"If you create a good feeling and energy, it can accelerate a process. Hopefully we'll continue with what we saw in the second half.

"We were together, we had belief in what we were doing and it's important we continue in this way.

"When you have a result like we did last Sunday, there should be anger. I wanted to see an angry team."

Seventh-placed Liverpool are one point behind Spurs with a game in hand, and the two Premier League giants now appear to be fighting for Europa League football after enduring poor campaigns.

However, the Reds have posted three successive wins ahead of Sunday's game, though boss Jurgen Klopp believes they still have other gears to find.

"I liked big parts of the games, not all of it of course," Klopp said.

"There's always something to improve, and that's fine and that's what we'll try to do now.

"I'm absolutely okay in this moment but it's not like I already trust us so much that I'll say, 'that's it now, we're out of the woods.'

"This season gave us a few lessons I didn't want to learn, but I learned. We have to stay super focused."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Liverpool – Mohamed Salah

Salah has been involved in 11 goals in his last eight home games in all competitions (eight goals, three assists), scoring at least once on each of his last six appearances at Anfield.

The last Liverpool player to score in more consecutive games at Anfield was Luis Suarez, who found the net in eight successive matches there between April 2013 and January 2014.

Tottenham – Son Heung-min

Six of Tottenham's last seven Premier League goals against Liverpool have been scored by either Harry Kane or Son, with the two forwards hitting three goals apiece during that span.

Son's tally of nine Premier League goals this term is a disappointing one given he shared the Golden Boot with Salah last season, but he will hope Thursday's equaliser against United can act as a turning point.

MATCH PREDICTION – LIVERPOOL WIN

Liverpool have lost just one of their last 20 Premier League games against Spurs (W13 D6), with the Reds unbeaten in their last 10 since a 4-1 loss at Wembley Stadium in October 2017.

The omens are not good for Tottenham as they hit the road for the first time since being routed at St James' Park – they have conceded 31 away goals in the Premier League this season, already their most in a single campaign since 2008-09 (35).

Klopp's hosts come into this game having won three successive Premier League matches, despite conceding in each of those contests. Their last four-game winning run in the competition came between November and December last year, when they also conceded in each of their victories.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Liverpool - 55.2 per cent

Tottenham - 20.0 per cent

Draw - 24.8 per cent

Gary O'Neil believes Bournemouth need one final push to secure their Premier League status, with the Cherries closing in on safety ahead of Sunday's meeting with struggling Leeds United.

Bournemouth clinched their third successive away victory on Thursday, beating Southampton 1-0 to leave Saints staring at relegation and take themselves seven points clear of the bottom three.

With the most intense relegation battle in recent memory set to go to the wire, O'Neil is keen to ensure Bournemouth do not rest on their laurels.  

"It's still about avoiding the bottom three," O'Neil said. "I still believe 36 points could be relegated.

"I think maybe the world felt we were fine when we left the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and then you get a performance against West Ham where we let ourselves down, so that's a real good lesson for the boys.

"You think everything is rosy and then you get a kick up the backside.

"Hopefully that prepares us well for what will be a tough ask against Leeds, to go off the back of a huge effort last night, with two days' fewer recovery against a very intense team."

While Bournemouth are closing in on safety, Leeds are growing increasingly desperate amid an alarming drop-off.

Javi Gracia's side followed up 5-1 and 6-1 defeats to Crystal Palace and Liverpool by drawing a six-pointer against Leicester City on Tuesday, Patrick Bamford missing a glaring chance for a late winner.

With Leeds one point clear of danger and facing several challenging fixtures, Gracia has attracted fierce criticism from areas of the club's fanbase.

Asked if he was worried about his own future on Friday, Gracia said: "I'm just concerned about the situation of the team.

"When I arrived, we were in a worse position.

"We wanted to get more points but we are focused on trying our best in the five games left, and that starts with Bournemouth."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Bournemouth – Dominic Solanke

Having scored 17 goals in 23 home league games for Bournemouth in the Championship last season, Solanke has netted just once in 14 appearances at the Vitality Stadium this campaign.

However, the former Liverpool and Chelsea striker has 12 goal involvements overall in the Premier League this term (five goals, seven assists) – at least three more than any of his team-mates (Marcus Tavernier has nine).

Leeds United – Jack Harrison

As well as leading the way for chances created (50) and assists (seven) for Leeds in the Premier League this season, Harrison has made more ball carries (309) and carried the ball a greater distance (3,479 metres) than any other player for the Whites in the competition this term.

Meanwhile, only Rodrigo (11) and Luis Sinisterra (five) have bettered Harrison's tally of four league goals for Leeds this campaign. With Gracia's men on the slide, they need the winger to provide some attacking inspiration.

MATCH PREDICTION – DRAW

Leeds have won 10 of their 13 previous league games against Bournemouth (D2 L1), including nine of the last 10. That represents their best win rate against any opponent they have faced at least 10 times in their league history (77 per cent).

However, only Nottingham Forest (six) have won fewer away points than Leeds' nine in the Premier League this season, and the visitors have only kept one clean sheet in their last 18 road trips.

While Bournemouth's need for points is less pressing than that of Leeds following their midweek victory, the Cherries have taken 15 points from their last eight league games (W5 L3), so they will be hopeful of picking up a result to inch them closer to safety.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Bournemouth - 34.7 per cent

Leeds United - 37.1 per cent

Draw - 28.2 per cent

One of the biggest weekends of the Scottish football season takes place with two intriguing Hampden semi-finals.

Inverness and Falkirk meet in the first of the Scottish Cup semi-finals on Saturday before Celtic and Rangers lock horns again 24 hours later.

Here are some of the major talking points ahead of the fixtures.

Celtic will move to within two victories of the treble if they beat Rangers on Sunday and consign their city rivals to a barren season. With a 13-point lead in the Premiership, Celtic can clinch the title at Tynecastle next weekend, and setting up a final against lower-league opposition would leave Ange Postecoglou on the verge of joining Jock Stein, Martin O’Neill, Brendan Rodgers and Neil Lennon as treble-winning Celtic managers. Rangers boss Michael Beale will get some leeway if they end the season without a trophy given he arrived halfway through but he will be under added pressure to start next term well.

The champions have gone five derby games unbeaten, a sequence which has included three victories this season including the Viaplay Cup final. The run started after Rangers beat the Hoops at the same stage of last campaign and the context of this semi-final is very similar, although Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s Light Blues side were well on their way to the Europa League final in 2022.

Stopping Kyogo Furuhashi, or restricting the service to the Japan forward, could be a key factor if Rangers are to turn the tables. The sharp centre-forward has netted 29 times this season and has notched five goals against Rangers this year alone. Rangers’ main goalscorer over the last six seasons, Alfredo Morelos, has only hit three goals in total against Celtic throughout his time in Scotland and is on 12 so far in what looks likely to be his final season at Ibrox.

Saturday’s semi-final sees Inverness and Falkirk reunited eight years after meeting at the last stage of the tournament. Ten-man Caley Thistle triumphed that day to take the trophy back to the Highlands for the only time and consign Falkirk to a third final defeat in 18 years. Both sides have experienced relegation since – Caley Thistle are in the Championship and the Bairns in League One – but both are hoping for promotion via the play-offs. It will be a thrilling finale to the season on two fronts for the winners at Hampden.

The introduction of video technology to Scottish football has been far from smooth since October but Celtic and Rangers will at least know what to expect, to a certain extent. Falkirk and Inverness will be experiencing the system for the first time as it is only in use in the Premiership and selected cup ties. Inverness manager Billy Dodds admitted he was “wary” of its impact while Falkirk boss John McGlynn has stressed to his players to play to the whistle and not expect decisions to come instantly.

Sports stars and clubs across the world continue to provide an insight into their lives on social media.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best examples from April 28.

Jesse Marsch loves Ted Lasso.

Wembley Stadium celebrated a big birthday.

Fabian Schar was ‘furious’ with Dan Burn after being denied a superb goal against Everton by VAR, which showed his Newcastle team-mate in an offside position.

Matt Targett was more than happy with the 4-1 result though.

Marcus Rashford urged Manchester United not to lose heart as the season reached a critical stage.

Alejandro Garnacho signed a new deal at Manchester United.

F1 returned after a month-long absence with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Charles Leclerc made it a hat-trick … but only after a tense tie with Max Verstappen early in Q3.

Organisers of the Women’s Six Nations showed off the competition’s new silverware.

The Houston Texans shook up the top of the draft, taking their quarterback of the future at number two and trading up to the very next pick.

The New York Jets made a young fan’s dream come true – earning him a high-profile admirer.

The Everton Fan Advisory Board has called for club chair Bill Kenwright to be replaced, saying it has no confidence in his leadership.

The statement from the group, which was formed in 2021 and is officially recognised by the club, comes a day after the relegation-battling Toffees suffered a 4-1 Premier League home defeat to Newcastle to drop to 19th place, and reflects long-running issues between fans and the board.

The FAB has repeatedly wanted increased communication between the club and supporters during a second consecutive season fighting against the drop, and also one in which Everton has been referred by the Premier League to an independent commission over an alleged breach of financial regulations.

Kenwright angered many fans with a letter to supporters last week in which he defended the board’s actions, a statement seen by many as being tone deaf considering the club’s predicament.

Members of the board have not attended fixtures at Goodison Park since January, when the club said there were concerns for their safety.

Friday’s statement from FAB said: “The chair of any organisation has a core responsibility for leading the board, ensuring its focus on strategic matters and direction, overseeing the company’s business, and setting high governance standards.

“We were therefore hugely disappointed at the chairman’s statement last Friday.

“At a critical time for our club, when we most needed leadership, understanding, accountability and a recognition of the strength of feeling and concern across large parts of the fanbase, we got the absolute opposite.

“The situation as it stands is not sustainable, not befitting of our great club and as Evertonians we do not deserve it. After careful consideration, we are therefore making a call of no confidence in the current chair of Everton Football Club.”

The statement went on to demand that majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri implements broader changes in the boardroom.

“The FAB is also calling on the majority shareholder to urgently take charge of securing stronger expertise, experience and more appropriate leadership for our club and ask that he be ready to explain to fans the action and timetable for making this happen,” it said.

“Finally, we want to acknowledge the work of those doing the day to day work within the club in what must be extremely difficult circumstances, as well as Evertonians who have shown time and time again that they will stop at nothing to support our club.”

Kenwright has been on the Everton board since 1989, acquiring a majority holding in 1999 and becoming chair in 2004. He remained in the post following Moshiri’s purchase of a 49.9 per cent stake in the club in 2016, which he increased to 94 per cent in 2022.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc put a brake on Red Bull’s dominant streak by securing a surprise pole position for Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Formula One bosses have tinkered with the format in Baku by introducing two qualifying sessions.

Friday’s result decides the order for Sunday’s Grand Prix, while a second shorter qualifying session on Saturday determines the grid for a 17-lap dash – the first of six sprint events this season – later in the day.

The sport’s chiefs hope the revamp will enliven the weekend, and Leclerc’s qualifying triumph for Sunday’s main event marks the first non-Red Bull pole of the season.

Max Verstappen, who has won two of the opening three rounds to establish a 15-point championship lead, will line up alongside Leclerc, with Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez – the only other man to stand on the top step of the podium in 2023 – third.

Lewis Hamilton qualified fifth, a second back from Leclerc. Mercedes team-mate George Russell was eliminated in Q2 and will start 11th on Sunday.

By his own admission, Leclerc’s start to the season has been a “disaster”. He broke down in Bahrain, and then finished only seventh in Saudi Arabia following an engine penalty. Last time out in Australia he failed to complete a single lap after a collision with Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll.

He then arrived on the Caspian Sea amid a report in Italy that he is already plotting his Ferrari exit with a move to Mercedes as Hamilton’s replacement.

But after claiming his third pole in a row on Baku’s streets, the 25-year-old deliberately pointed to the Prancing Horse on his Ferrari overalls.

“The whole team needed this result,” he said. “It is part of our job, for any team in Formula One, to deal with rumours and pressure.

“But it is obviously sometimes a bit more difficult to perform under those circumstances.

“I did not expect it. We came into the weekend thinking it would be a great result if we are in front of the Aston Martins and the Mercedes, and we find ourself on pole.

“We know we are behind on race pace but our job is to maximise the points for later in the season if we are then strong enough to go and get the wins.”

Over at Mercedes, Hamilton might have finished second in Melbourne, but the seven-time world champion was off the pace here.

Hamilton snuck through to Q3, finishing just 0.004 sec ahead of the knocked-out Russell, and then never threatened to challenge the Ferraris and Red Bulls.

“We are trying as hard as we can,” said the 38-year-old. “It’s just getting into a rhythm is not easy on this track.

“We can’t make changes to the car overnight. This is the pace we have. It’s not the position we want as a team. We exist to win. But everyone has that winning mindset.

“We haven’t had an upgrade this weekend but we’re working towards one which will hopefully put us a bit closer to the battle.”

Leclerc’s team-mate Carlos Sainz will start fourth, two spots ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, with Lando Norris seventh for McLaren.

Q1 was delayed by 28 minutes after Nyck de Vries and Pierre Gasly both crashed out.

De Vries went in too hot on his brakes at the third corner, missing the apex and slamming into the wall. Out came the red flag, and a 17-minute barrier repair job followed as De Vries’ written-off AlphaTauri was winched away.

The running had restarted for less than two minutes before the red flags were deployed for a second time. Turn 3 claimed another victim as Gasly thudded into the wall and came to a halt.

“I couldn’t stop the car,” said the Frenchman, who missed the majority of practice when his Alpine caught fire. The two men will start Sunday’s 51-lap Grand Prix from the back of the pack.

British driver Abbi Pulling has laid down an emphatic marker after securing two pole positions on the inaugural weekend of the all-female F1 Academy series at Austria’s Red Bull Ring.

The new single-seater championship features a 15-woman grid from 10 countries competing for five professional teams over seven rounds, each with three races – the second in a semi-reverse grid format.

Lincolnshire’s Pulling, 20, racing for Rodin Carlin, topped both of Friday’s qualifying sessions. The Alpine academy driver was also a standout in W Series, where she finished fourth in her first full season.

While it is easy to draw comparisons between W Series – on hiatus since financial difficulties forced organisers to curtail the 2022 season – and the F1 Academy, Pulling’s fellow W Series alumna Bianca Bustamante, 18, marked several significant differences.

All of the teams with F1 Academy entries – which also include Campos Racing, PREMA, MP Motorsport and ART Grand Prix – have well-established experience elsewhere in F2 and F3, desired destinations for Academy drivers.

That is massive for PREMA’s Bustamante, who explained: “One of the greatest things about it is you get to work with such professional teams. And I think that makes the most difference.

“I’ve only started to work with PREMA for about two to three months and I’ve learned so much.

“This opportunity would have never come about if it weren’t for the Academy. To be able to work with such a professional team, to learn with the best drivers and to get the track time.

“It makes the most difference, because now we learn all the good habits. We learn what it’s like to be at the top of the sport and competing with the best teams, the best drivers, overall the best bits.”

F1 Academy’s triple-race weekends also allow for considerably more track time which was a long-standing request from W Series drivers who competed in just one per round.

The Academy season’s venues include grand prix tracks like the Netherlands’ Zandvoort and Italy’s Monza, designed to prepare drivers for career next steps.

The team element also differs in facilitating more consistent relationships with engineers and other key personnel, while W Series rotated engineers of varying experience as part of its own development mission.

Bustamante said: “To have that consistency right from the beginning in your junior years is one of the most important things.”

Organisers of the development-focused competition hope it will provide a critical stepping-stone between karting and other junior categories to F1 feeder series like F3, with the long-term goal of one day seeing a woman back in F1.

Pulling and Philippines-born Bustamante are among the many female drivers who have faced considerable challenges funding their careers, an issue F1 hopes to mitigate by subsidising each car – a T421 Chassis developed specifically for the Academy – with 150,000 euros (£131,600).

Drivers are expected to cover the same amount, while teams provide the rest of the budget.

The series faced early criticism after it was revealed races would not be broadcast live, but instead delivered later in the form of highlights packages, complemented by what organisers promised would be extensive live content on social media.

But the PA news agency understands there are ambitions for future live broadcasts, with the Academy set to join select F1 grands prix as part of next season’s support series.

Having the weight of the increasingly-recognisable F1 brand behind the new all-female venture is also an unprecedented step for the sport, one the drivers feel is significant.

“It makes a huge difference,” added Bustamante. “To have F1’s support means a big change to the sport. We went from not having many female drivers to having our own series.

“F1 has given us that exposure. They’ve allowed us to have a platform where we can expose our vision, our aspirations, and to have a voice.”

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz dug in to avoid a shock loss against Emil Ruusuvuori and reach the third round of the Madrid Open.

The young Spaniard thrilled his home fans last year by defeating Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal on his way to the title, establishing himself as not just the future but the present of men’s tennis.

He was in brilliant form last week as he successfully defended his Barcelona Open title but looked on the way out early in Madrid before turning the match around to win 2-6 6-4 6-2.

Errors flowed from the Alcaraz racket during the first set against powerful Finn Ruusuvuori, ranked 41.

Normally so composed, the 19-year-old threw his racket in frustration early in the second set but the turning point came in a long sixth game where he saved five break points before eventually holding.

He broke the Ruusuvuori serve in the next game and did not look back, going on to dominate the deciding set and move through to a clash with Grigor Dimitrov, who defeated Gregoire Barrere.

Casper Ruud’s troubles continued, though, the third seed suffering another early defeat, this time losing 6-3 6-4 to Italian qualifier Matteo Arnaldi.

Fifth seed Andrey Rublev edged out Stan Wawrinka 7-5 6-4 while fellow Russian Karen Khachanov was a 6-3 3-6 6-3 winner against Thiago Monteiro.

Meanwhile, Andy Murray has reacted to the disappointment of his defeat by Andrea Vassavori on Thursday by taking a wild card into next week’s Challenger tournament in Aix-en-Provence.

Pep Guardiola has warned the Premier League title race is not over and has reminded his Manchester City players what happened last time they beat Arsenal.

City overpowered the leaders 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday to put themselves firmly in the driving seat as they chase a fifth league crown in six years.

The treble-chasing champions are now just two points behind the Gunners with two games in hand and can move top with victory at Fulham on Sunday.

Yet Guardiola remembers well how his side were held to a 1-1 draw by struggling Nottingham Forest just days after winning at the Emirates Stadium in February and does not want a repeat.

The City manager said: “People start to say they have the feeling it’s over, but it’s not over. It will be over when it’s over, and it’s not over.

“We have seven games and in every single game we’ll play for special things for our opponents and ourselves. We have to play our game.

“At the Emirates we won, everyone was happy and saying we had caught Arsenal, but we went to Nottingham Forest and we drew. We played a fantastic game but it was a draw.

“Now we’ve won and we go to Fulham, a special stadium with an incredibly organised team. If we do our job we’ll be closer but nothing is for granted.

“I know it is not 20 games left, but seven games are seven games. It is still a lot of games.”

Arsenal’s challenge has faltered during a miserable April, with their midweek loss at City coming after three successive draws.

Guardiola, however, feels City’s advantage is a slender one and expects Mikel Arteta’s side to bounce back.

He said: “I know Mikel perfectly and the players know that they will not give up.

“If we were 10 points in front I’d say it was almost over but the reality today is we’re two points behind. If the championship finished today they are champions.

“Always I say what happened to them in the last games – three draws, one defeat – can happen to us.

“Impossible? No, it can be possible. You can lose games and drop points in one week.

“We have to be aware of that. If we are it will be easier for us not to drop points.”

After seven successive Premier League wins City – who are also bidding to win the Champions League and FA Cup – appear to be timing their charge perfectly.

“We have good momentum,” Guardiola said. “The feeling is good but we have to prove it again.

“If we don’t get a result at Fulham we will be in the same position as before Arsenal. We have to try to avoid that as much as possible.”

Defender Nathan Ake will miss the game at Craven Cottage as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury but his lay-off should not be a long one.

Guardiola said: “He’s much better, he seems good. The symptoms are good. Still he is not training with the team but I think he won’t be (much) longer.”

Thomas Tuchel admitted Bayern Munich have reached the point where "nothing is easy" as he demanded his faltering team show a reaction to losing top spot in the Bundesliga.

Tuchel was undecided about whether to tune in for Borussia Dortmund's clash with Bochum on Friday, knowing a Dortmund win would lift them four points clear of Bayern.

This weekend sees Bayern have to wait until Sunday for their turn, as they host Hertha Berlin. After that, both they and Dortmund will have four rounds of games remaining.

The clock is ticking, and Bayern's 10-in-a-row title run is under serious threat following a damaging 3-1 defeat to Mainz last weekend.

Head coach Tuchel has injuries to contend with too. Centre-back Dayot Upamecano will miss the Hertha game due to a thigh strain and faces a fortnight on the sidelines, with striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and wing-back Alphonso Davies also set to be absent.

"I don't even know if I'm watching Dortmund," Tuchel said. "For us, the starting position is clear: we no longer have it in our own hands, and now we have to get 15 points.

"We have to improve. It's not too late to show a reaction. We need them right away on Sunday. More than ever, it's all about us. We have to deliver and then hope that's enough."

Hertha, who sit bottom of the Bundesliga, recently brought in Pal Dardai to replace coach Sandro Schwarz, and for that reason, Tuchel described the strugglers as an "unpredictable" prospect.

"That's why we have one more reason to focus completely on ourselves. Nothing is easy for us at the moment," Tuchel said. "The situation is crystal clear. We have to deliver."

Former Chelsea, Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain boss Tuchel has experienced a turbulent start to his Bayern reign, since being appointed on March 25, overseeing exits from the DFB-Pokal and Champions League.

Should Bayern also fail to land the league title that has been their preserve for the last decade, it would compound this season's woes.

A draw against Hoffenheim in mid-April was another damaging result, and Bayern cannot afford to fluff their lines this weekend.

"We are very honest with each other, very critical," Tuchel said. "The team know my opinion on the Mainz game.

"In sport there is always the opportunity to make amends. In the last two games we lost points after taking the lead. That's very atypical for us.

"Honesty and openness is the best form of interaction. We've shown that we can do it. It's more the consistency that we lack."

Harry Kane heard Manchester United fans chanting his name but insists his full attention is on securing a lofty Premier League finish for Tottenham.

Striker Kane was captain in the absence of injured goalkeeper Hugo Lloris as Tottenham fought back from 2-0 down for a 2-2 draw with United on Thursday.

The result came in the wake of senior Spurs players meeting on Monday with chairman Daniel Levy to discuss the team's faltering campaign, which came to a head with Sunday's 6-1 pasting at Newcastle United.

Not long after that meeting, interim head coach Cristian Stellini was ousted from his role and the popular Ryan Mason was given a chance to lead the team.

When Spurs put in a rocky first-half display against United, going behind to goals from Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford, the picture for the north London hosts looked increasingly gloomy.

It would have hurt Tottenham supporters to hear United fans chanting "Harry Kane, we'll see you in June", amid recent transfer speculation, but the man himself shrugged that off.

"I heard what they were saying, but I'm just focused on this team and trying to finish strongly," Kane said.

The 29-year-old England skipper has a year remaining on his Tottenham contract, and the coming close season may be the club's best chance to earn a handsome transfer fee if their record scorer decides the exit door really does beckon.

Levy will have Kane's future high on his list of priorities, but for the moment the priority of everyone from the chairman down is on finishing the season strongly.

The Newcastle result pointed to Spurs being in disarray, but Mason's players showed a greater spark against Erik ten Hag's United, and Kane felt the discussions with Levy have proven worthwhile.

"I think it was important [for Levy] to understand where the players' heads were at in that moment," Kane said. "It was an honest conversation of where everyone is at and what we need to try to do to give us the best possible chance to finish the season with something.

"We're still fighting for fourth place, but if it's not fourth, we'll try to finish fifth or sixth – as high up as we can. In this league, it's so competitive, you can easily end up eighth or ninth if you're not careful."

Kane said he was "glad we reacted like that" against United, ahead of a trip to face Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.

Spurs sit fifth in the Premier League, but their grip on that position is tenuous. In-form Aston Villa are on the same points mark in sixth place, while Liverpool are a point back with a game in hand and Brighton and Hove Albion sit five points behind but have three games in hand.

Marco Silva will not dwell on the twin threats of Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne when Fulham take on Manchester City on Sunday – because he believes Pep Guardiola’s team are dangerous all over the pitch.

City’s midweek victory over Arsenal made them clear favourites to retain the Premier League title and they could yet add FA Cup and Champions League crowns as well.

Fulham have seen their hopes of qualifying for Europe almost certainly ended by a poor run but will want to finish the season strongly.

Haaland needs only one more goal to hit a half=-century for the season for City, but Silva told a press conference: “We have to try to stop the Man City team.

“Of course we understand your question, so many goals that (Haaland) already scored. He is their top target man for them to finish all the moments that they create. They have so many ways to create for him and that is difficult to stop.

“And it’s not just Haaland, because if it’s not Haaland there will be another one. Last game that they played, they were winning clearly and Haaland just scored in the last minutes of the game.

“You mention a player who in this position is one of the best, if not the best, in this country – that is De Bruyne. He is one of the most important players for them, but you cannot put your focus on just one player.

“We prefer to look in a different way, to look in a collective way. They are strong, one of the best teams in the world, if not the best and clearly the best team in this competition.”

Fulham’s main goal threat, Aleksandr Mitrovic, remains suspended while Willian is a major doubt after sustaining a hamstring problem in the warm-up ahead of Tuesday’s loss to Aston Villa.

Silva is hopeful, though, that Harry Wilson will be available after he left the pitch early feeling unwell.