John Kennedy believes the return of creative spark Reo Hatate has given Celtic a huge boost ahead of Sunday’s showdown with title rivals Rangers.

The influential Japanese midfielder made his first appearance for the Hoops in three months when he started Sunday’s 3-0 win away to Livingston after being sidelined with a calf problem.

Hatate shone in West Lothian and was heavily involved in the opener – an own goal by Livi’s Jamie Brandon – as Celtic moved a point clear of Gers, who have a game in hand, ahead of Sunday’s mouth-watering top-of-the-table clash at Ibrox.

“He was on it right from the first minute and he has been in training, which is why the gaffer thought to get him in the team quickly,” said assistant manager Kennedy.

“He’s been terrific the last few weeks. He came back in in good condition and worked really hard.

“We had the game last week (a bounce game against St Mirren) to give him some minutes and he was really good, so it was time to unleash him.”

Kennedy feels Hatate can help make the difference for Celtic as they bid to retain the title over the closing seven games of the campaign.

“I think that’s always the case with your best players,” he said. “He’s shown that, in terms of big games and big performances.

“He’s obviously not fully up to speed but I think we could see (against Livingston) that he’s in pretty good condition, and it’s just the confidence he brings to the team as well.

“He plays with that composure. Even on a difficult pitch, you could see how he brings a calmness to the game. He sees the passes which the front players thrive on and he gives us a slightly different dynamic.

“It’s important to have him back. It’s just about getting him through the week now, getting him that extra bit fitter going into next week.”

Celtic have been hindered this season by injuries to a string of key players including Hatate, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Alistair Johnston and captain Callum McGregor. However, with McGregor aiming to return at Ibrox, the Hoops hope to be at full strength for the run-in.

“The squad is taking shape,” said Kennedy. “Cam has another 90 minutes under his belt and with Reo back in we’ve pretty much got a full bill of health.

“We’re in good shape going into the run-in, but for us it’s just about focusing on performance and maintaining that level.

“It’s been a challenge (with the injuries) but that’s part of football. It happens sometimes, and it’s affected our rhythm and our performances sometimes.

“But in the last period we’ve been very good. We’ve given away one or two cheap goals which has kept other teams in games, but our attacking play has been really good.”

Mauricio Pochettino admitted his Chelsea players are relying on Cole Palmer to get them out of trouble during games this season.

The summer signing from Manchester City is top scorer at Stamford Bridge after his two goals against Burnley on Saturday took him to 16 for the campaign.

His impact has been one of the few bright spots in an otherwise tumultuous season for Pochettino and his team, who languish in the bottom half of the Premier League table after failing to overcome the league’s second-bottom side at home despite playing against 10 men for the entirety of the second half.

Palmer scored a first-half penalty to break the deadlock then, after Burnley had levelled via Josh Cullen’s volley, looked to have won it with a finely taken finish into the corner with 12 minutes to play.

But Chelsea were immediately undone by a header from a corner from defender Dara O’Shea as Vincent Kompany’s side rescued an unlikely point and doomed home fans to another frustrating result.

Few players have lived up to Palmer’s example this season, with Saturday’s meek surrender after twice taking the lead a prime case study in a campaign that has gone badly awry.

“He’s a good example for the rest,” said Pochettino.

“From day one he has taken responsibility. When the team struggle to find solutions, they give the ball to him.

“It’s a dream (to have him). He brings very positive things for the team. And for him to have the possibility to play games he didn’t play in the last year for Manchester City.

“Now he has the continuity and consistency, he’s showing the capacity that we thought he could add to the team.”

Chelsea looked to have the game firmly under control when Clarets defender Lorenz Assignon was red carded for fouling Mykhailo Mudryk just before half-time, conceding the penalty from which Palmer scored with an impudent Panenka chip.

But despite peppering the visitors’ goal with 33 shots they failed to stymie Burnley’s threat and never really looking comfortable when out of possession.

That they extended their unbeaten league run to five games, their longest in almost 18 months, was of little consolation to supporters at the final whilst – nor, thinks Pochettino, to Palmer.

“It’s a collective,” he said. “He cannot be happy (after a result like this). He is disappointed.”

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp accepts there will be more nerve-wracking moments to come in the title race but is determined to enjoy it.

After conceding after 90 seconds against Brighton they fought back to win 2-1 with goals from Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah and, after hanging on towards the end, they finished the day top of the table after Manchester City’s goalless draw with Arsenal.

With nine matches to go for the Reds, including games against Manchester United, Tottenham and Aston Villa – sixth, fifth and fourth respectively – there are likely to be more twists and turns but Klopp is keen to make the most of his final season at Anfield.

“We have to get through this (and) we decide if we enjoy it or not, pretty much,” he said.

“It will be tough and yes, it is sometimes nerve-wracking and the heart rate will be at 180 or 200 or whatever from time to time if you watch it or if you play in it.

“But if we all together enjoy this, then we have a chance. If we don’t, we still have a chance, it’s just really much more difficult and that’s why we try to stay positive in all these moments.

“It is a great situation where the boys brought us in, we are there with two other teams fighting for the biggest prize in English football and we will see how it will end up.

“But I decided I will really try hard to enjoy it.”

One thing Klopp will have enjoyed was the performance of Alexis Mac Allister, who was head and shoulders above every other player on the pitch against his former side.

The Argentina international is now conducting things from a more familiar advanced midfield position as opposed to the holding role he was asked to play for much of the first half of the season.

Liverpool are reaping the rewards as it was his threaded pass which teed up Salah for the winner.

“Macca was incredible – absolutely incredible – but when you have that kind of talent, when you have that kind of character, then you should show it,” added Klopp.

“It’s Macca, he can do that – so do it. The boys are good, so show it.

“Yes, I am the biggest fan of these boys but I stopped being surprised if they really perform on the highest level because it is just what I want them to do and then when they do it it’s fine.

“If they cannot do it then I think about why and how we could help, but when they do it I am not as surprised as others maybe.

“I am just happy the more often they can do it.”

Monday’s fixture at Redcar has been called off due to a waterlogged track.

The venue was due to stage a seven-race card but significant rain overnight left clerk of the course Jonjo Sanderson with no option but to abandon.

He said: “The forecast changed yesterday afternoon and while we were expecting rain, it changed from a couple of millimetres to a significant amount overnight.

“We’ve had seven millimetres since 1am and it is still raining now with probably another 7mm forecast.

“It’s just been so wet all winter that it’s taken relatively little rain to push us over.”

Wednesday’s card at Nottingham, which was due to feature the Listed Further Flight Stakes, has also been called off.

Officials inspected the track at 8am on Monday but parts of the course remain unraceable following further overnight rain, with little prospect of sufficient improvement ahead of racing.

Luka Dončić delivered another sensational performance by tallying 47 points and 12 rebounds, and the Dallas Mavericks cruised to a 125-107 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday in a clash of the NBA's hottest teams.

Doncic added seven assists and Kyrie Irving contributed 24 points to the Mavericks' seventh consecutive win, tying a season high. Dallas also set a season best by making 24 3-pointers - with Doncic hitting nine in 16 attempts - while shooting 51.1 per cent from beyond the arc.

Houston entered the in-state matchup riding an 11-game winning streak, the franchise's longest in a single season since 2017-18. The Rockets received 28 points from Jabari Smith Jr. but two of their other core players, Jalen Green and Fred VanVleet, were held to 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Doncic accumulated 32 of his points in the first half on 12-of-18 shooting as the Mavericks built a 36-24 lead after one quarter and never trailed thereafter. The superstar guard closed out the second quarter with a three-point play that capped a 9-2 run which extended Dallas' advantage to 66-45 at half-time.

Houston never got its deficit under 15 points in the second half, and Dallas put the game completely out of reach with an 18-7 spurt that pushed its lead to 111-83 with eight minutes to go.

Thunder hit late shot to edge Knicks, clinch play-off spot

Shai GIlgeous-Alexander's go-ahead basket with 2.6 seconds remaining sent the Oklahoma City Thunder into the play-offs for the first time since 2020 with a thrilling 113-112 win over the New York Knicks. 

After Jalen Brunson's layup with 4.1 seconds left gave the Knicks a 112-111 lead, Gilgeous-Alexander answered by knocking down a contested turnaround jumper on the ensuing possession before Brunson misfired at the buzzer to allow Oklahoma City to secure a spot in this year's post-season.

The victory, the Thunder's seventh in their last nine games, also gave them sole possession of first place in the Western Conference. Oklahoma City entered the game tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves, who were dealt a 109-101 loss by the Chicago Bulls on Sunday, for the top spot. 

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 19 points but wasn't the Thunder's lone star performer. Jalen Williams put up a game-high 33 points with eight rebounds while Josh Giddey compiled a triple-double with 16 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists.

Brunson paced New York with 30 points and Miles McBride added 19 in the second straight frustrating defeat for the Knicks, who lost in overtime at San Antonio on Friday.

New York appeared on the way to victory after holding an 85-75 lead after three quarters, but the Thunder opened the fourth on a 13-3 run to tie the game at 88-88 on back-to-back 3-pointers from Giddey and Kenrich Williams.

Giddey scored seven straight points later on to give Oklahoma City a 102-95 advantage with five minutes left, but the Knicks responded with a 9-2 spurt capped by Brunson's 3-pointer that knotted the score at 104-104 heading into the final three minutes.

Nuggets blow out Cavaliers to keep pace in West

The Thunder's lead atop the West is at a half-game over the Denver Nuggets, who came through with a 130-101 rout of the Cleveland Cavaliers behind a dominant 26-point, 18-rebound, 16-assist effort from Nikola Jokić.

Jokic notched his 22nd triple-double of the season to help the defending NBA champions lock up a play-off spot, and the Nuggets also got a season-high 22 points from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to help halt a two-game losing streak.

Down by four points midway through the second quarter, Denver outscored Cleveland by a 24-11 margin over the remainder of the first half to take a 65-56 lead into the break. 

The Nuggets then shot 62.5 per cent from the field in the third quarter to extend the margin, with Jokic amassing 10 points, five rebounds and five assists while hitting 5 of 7 field goal attempts for the period.

Denver opened the second half on a 15-2 run to build a commanding 80–58 advantage four minutes into the third quarter, and maintained a lead of at least 17 points the rest of the way.

Evan Mobley finished with 23 points on 9-of-10 shooting to lead the slumping Cavaliers, who have now lost eight of 12. Jarrett Allen added 19 points for Cleveland, but All-Star Donovan Mitchell had just 13 while missing nine of 12 field-goal attempts in his second game back from a broken nose that sidelined him six consecutive contests. 

Dakota Joshua scored two goals, including the game-winner with 2:13 left to play, as the Vancouver Canucks bounced back with Sunday's 3-2 victory over the downtrodden Anaheim Ducks.

Arturs Silovs made 20 saves to win his first NHL start in over a year and help Vancouver halt a two-game losing streak as well as extend its lead atop the Pacific Division. The Canucks now own a four-point advantage over the second-place Edmonton Oilers.

The Ducks rallied from a 2-0 deficit on third-period goals from Olen Zellweger and Mason McTavish before ultimately being dealt a fifth consecutive loss and 12th in 13 games.

Silovs, whose last NHL appearance came on March 6, 2023, stopped all 17 shots he faced through the first two periods as the Canucks built a 2-0 lead on a pair of power-play goals. Brock Boeser had the first 11:26 into the first period and Joshua backhanded a close-range shot past Anaheim goaltender Lukas Dostal midway through the second.

The Ducks then came to life early in the third, as Zellweger and McTavish scored 1:11 apart to even the game less than five minutes into the period. Zellweger's goal was the first of his NHL career.

The score remained 2-2 until Joshua knocked in a behind-the-net pass from Conor Garland with under 2 1/2 minutes left.

Dostal finished with 27 saves for Anaheim.

John Kennedy feels cool-headed Celtic are getting back to their attacking best in time for next weekend's title showdown with Rangers after they returned to the top of the cinch Premiership with a 3-0 away win over Livingston.

The Hoops were frustrated in a goalless first half, but an own goal from Livi's Jamie Brandon early in the second broke the hosts' resistance before further goals from Paulo Bernardo and Matt O'Riley helped Brendan Rodgers' side climb a point above Gers, who have a game in hand.

“It was very good,” said assistant boss Kennedy, carrying out media duties as manager Brendan Rodgers served a one-match touchline ban.

“As everyone knows, coming here, especially on a day like today when the sun is out and drying the pitch up, it can be difficult.

“But the boys were very good, very professional. We didn't give Livingston very much at all in terms of territory or getting into our box, which is always important here.

“And in our attacking play, we stuck at it. In the first half we could have scored. We got into some great areas and maybe the final ball wasn't there or things got blocked.

“But we showed that calmness, which is important at this time of year. It's easy to get dragged into panic mode and think that you need to go chasing a win, but we stayed with our performance, stayed with doing the same things. 

“We were relentless and eventually it breaks for you. That's what happened and we came out convincing winners.”

Celtic have now scored 20 goals in their last six matches.

With key players like Alistair Johnston, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Reo Hatate all now back in the mix after injury lay-offs, as well as the possibility of captain Callum McGregor returning at Ibrox on Sunday, Kennedy says the Hoops will be heading across Glasgow in confident mood.

“The injuries have hampered us, but the squad are looking good. You see it in training, you sense it in training, the numbers are starting to come back up, the quality's starting to come back in and the standard starts to raise,” said Kennedy.

“Outwith the Hearts game, when we went down to 10 men very early, we'd scored 17 goals in four games and we've scored another three today, so in that respect it's very pleasing.

“Obviously we want to stay on top of our defensive game and not slacken off and, if we do that, we get performances like that where we dominate games and give nothing away. That's always the objective, to have that level of performance.''

Livingston remain 10 points adrift at the foot of the table and boss David Martindale was frustrated at the way his team let things slip away after the break.

“Probably a game of two halves,” he said. “First half, I thought our discipline, our structure, our application was very good and we limited them to very little.

“That was the game plan obviously, albeit I would've liked to have carried a bit more of a threat than we did.

“Then you go out second half and to lose the goal we lost was probably the story of the season, if I'm being honest. Some bad decision-making.”

Jannik Sinner won his third title of the season as he finally became the Miami Open champion.

The Italian, who claimed the Australian Open in January and followed it up with victory in Rotterdam, put in a scintillating display to beat Grigor Dimitrov 6-3 6-1 in Florida.

His success sees the 22-year-old become the new world number two and avenges defeats in the final here in 2021 and 2023.

It also means his semi-final loss to Carlos Alcaraz in Indian Wells a fortnight ago remains the only time he has been beaten so far this year.

"It has been a very special week for me, I have faced different kinds of situations on the court and different opponents," he told Sky Sports.

"But I guess I managed the situation well.

"I am very happy to be number two in the world, it is just a number, for me most important is trying to execute my gameplan and I managed to do this."

Dimitrov, who is enjoying a resurgence and ousted Alcaraz in the semi-final here, had the first opportunity to gain the upper hand against Sinner and things might have been different had the Bulgarian not gone wide on an early break point.

That allowed Sinner to take control and he broke in the next game to open up a lead before missing more break points to go 5-2 up.

His domination continued, though, as he only let Dimitrov win one more game in the match.

The Italian took the first set with a stunning backhand down the line and then was in total control of the second set as his opponent barely got on the board.

Sinner closed it out to claim a second Masters 1000 title.

Paris Saint-Germain equalled the Ligue 1 record for the most consecutive away games without defeat as they beat Marseille 2-0.

They equalled Lyon's record of 21 set between March 2005 and April 2006 thanks to second-half goals from Vitinha and Goncalo Ramos in a sodden Provence. 

It was an impressive way to join Lyon in the record books as they had to play almost an hour of Le Classique with 10 men following Lucas Beraldo's first-half dismissal.

Victory sees their lead at the top of the table restored to 12 points as another title is just a matter of weeks away.

Defeat for Marseille does little to help their European qualification ambitions and a route into next year's Champions League looks like hanging on them winning the Europa League.

The tone for an action-packed match was set in just the fourth minute when Fabian Ruiz missed a golden chance to open the scoring as he blazed over from close range after Marseille goalkeeper Pau Lopez palmed a cross out into his path.

The hosts then had a dominant spell as PSG defender Danilo was inches away from scoring an own goal as he got a clearance from a cross all wrong and then Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang shot straight at Gianluigi Donnarumma.

The Italy goalkeeper was a spectator soon after as Marseille came even closer when Jordan Veretout kissed the post with a fierce drive from distance.

But the visitors regained the upper hand and Ousmane Dembele almost scored a contender for goal of the season on the half-hour.

He picked the ball up near the halfway line then embarked on a mazy run that beat three defenders to advance into the area, but got his finish all wrong and dragged his shot wide.

The game swung in the 37th minute as PSG were reduced to 10 men, though it was a controversial decision.

Beraldo, who had already been booked, fouled Aubameyang on the near touchline on the halfway line.

The former Arsenal striker would have been clear and after intervention from VAR, it was ruled that he had been denied a goalscoring opportunity and Beraldo was shown a straight red card.

But PSG made light of their numerical disadvantage after the break and went ahead in the 53rd minute with a fine counter-attacking goal.

Vitinha burst forward and fed Dembele, who returned the ball for the Portuguese to control and sweep home.

Marseille thought they levelled five minutes later when Veretout slammed home, but Luis Henrique was stood in an offside position and obscuring Donnarumma's view.

Aubameyang had a couple of chances to earn a point before Ramos killed the game in the final 10 minutes.

The Portuguese forward, a second-half substitute for Kylian Mbappe, converted another stunning breakaway after good work from Marco Asensio.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola called Liverpool the favourites to win the Premier League after his side were held to a goalless home draw by title rivals Arsenal.

After Liverpool came from behind to beat Brighton 2-1 earlier in the day, Jurgen Klopp’s side top the table by two points from the Gunners with City in third, three points from the summit.

Guardiola’s three-time reigning champions have made a habit of putting together long winning runs late in the season to overhaul rivals in the race to finish top, but the Catalan conceded this year’s title race was not in their hands.

“Always who is first is favourite,” Guardiola said when asked if Liverpool were “clear favourites” to win the league.

“The second favourite is Arsenal and we are third…It’s not in our hands. All we can do is think of Aston Villa (at home on Wednesday). Always when we were top of the league, we were favourites. It was in our hands. Now it’s not. It’s simple.”

City and Arsenal both fought hard at the Etihad but produced a match of few chances that will not live long in the memory, with Guardiola’s men failing to score at home for the first time in 58 matches across all competitions.

Last April Arsenal lost 4-1 at the Etihad in the midst of a run which proved pivotal as City overhauled Mikel Arteta’s side on their way to the treble.

There was no repeat as Arsenal’s eight-game losing streak at the Etihad came to an end, and this felt like a more important result for the Gunners.

“I think the context and the way we arrived here 11 months ago was different, but the difficulty remains the same,” Arsenal boss Arteta said.

“They are the best team in the world, in my opinion, by far. They have the best manager in the world by far. To catch up and try to better than them is the challenge ahead of us…

“I don’t know (if the draw is good for the title race). You want to win the game. You prepare to win it. If you cannot win it, make sure you draw it. We did that.

“Eleven months ago we were here and the story was very different. You have to make steps as a team and today we’ve done that. We still have many more to come…

“(It says) that we are improving and competing better and understand how you have to play these games but there is another step to make to win the championship. You have to come here and win.”

Arsenal kept their structure, defending deep and denying City players any space in and around the box.

Asked how to break down such a low block, Guardiola joked: “Kill someone”.

“I recognise my team, the proposals and how we pressed high,” he said. “We’ve played against a low block sometimes and Arsenal are exceptional. Well managed and the players are really good.

“You have to knock on the door of another manager and see if he can do it. As a team we’re still there. We could have more in some aspects but I’m satisfied. I told the team don’t be sad. You give credit to Arsenal for the things they do.”

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has no worries about Mohamed Salah’s misfires in front of goal because he keeps coming up with important moments when they need them most after his second-half winner against Brighton returned the Reds to the top of the Premier League.

Luis Diaz’s volley just before the half-hour allowed the hosts to recover from Brighton striker Danny Welbeck’s opener inside 90 seconds, but the Reds needed a clear head and a clinical touch from their Egypt international to secure a 2-1 victory.

Salah had 12 attempts on goal, his most in a Premier League match and the most on record by a Liverpool player in the competition.

It was also the most by any player in the top flight since Zlatan Ibrahimovic against Burnley more than seven years ago.

Despite the failures, when the excellent Alexis Mac Allister picked him out in the penalty area in the 65th minute, the Egyptian remained composed to deliver what could be an important goal in the title race.

“Imagine Mo would have finished off all the situations in his career? That would be crazy, so it is absolutely fine,” said Klopp.

“We need him to try. Mo, like the others, was a bit in a rush to finish off situations and didn’t do like they can do it.

“But then being that calm in the decisive moment with the biggest chance we had from the best football we played, then that makes a real goalscorer so we are happy with everything.

“Darwin (Nunez) opened up so many spaces, Lucho (Diaz) was incredible, they were all really good today.

“Their centre-halves were outstanding and it was just a really good game today, against an opponent you know it will be the hardest work.

“To defend them needs the highest intensity in English football and we did well.

“It was, from my point of view, the best performance against Roberto’s Brighton. More possession, better possession, a really good rhythm in the game.”

Brighton head coach Roberto De Zerbi is second favourite with the bookmakers to succeed the departing Klopp at the end of the season and, as far as auditions go, this was a decent effort.

Speculation about the Italian intensified after he revealed in the build-up that contract negotiations were currently on hold, but he insists that does not affect his future.

“I have another two years of contract. To work next season at Brighton I don’t need to extend another year or two years,” he said.

“I can stay and work in Brighton with or without the extension. Nothing has changed.

“At the moment we finished the discussion about the contract, but not because I have decided yet to leave. No, no. My focus is on Brighton this season, the next season.

“But before starting next season I would like to listen to the plan of the team. I think it is a serious thing.”

Despite the defeat, De Zerbi felt his side did as much as they could at Anfield.

“We played against a great team. I think we played well. We played a good game, we conceded too many shots,” he added.

“I think we had the chance to score in the second half, especially in the last 15 minutes, but by then we have to be proud of the performance because playing without seven injured, very important players and competing how we did was great.

“We are sorry for the result, but we showed our best today and we couldn’t do any more.”

Title rivals Manchester City and Arsenal played out a hard-fought but largely forgettable goalless draw as Liverpool ended the weekend top of the Premier League.

After Jurgen Klopp’s men came back to beat Brighton earlier on Sunday, attention turned to the Etihad Stadium for the final league meeting between any of the three teams vying for glory.

But the high-profile clash fell well short of the pre-match hype as Pep Guardiola’s men were held by former City coach Mikel Arteta and his well-drilled Arsenal side in a cagey 0-0 draw – the first time in 76 Premier League games that last season’s treble winners have been involved in a goalless stalemate.

Whether this proves an important point for either side or a missed opportunity remains to be seen, with Liverpool now at the summit on 67 points ahead of Arsenal on 65 and City on 64.

There is sure to be plenty of twists and turns over final nine matches, but Sunday’s Etihad Stadium encounter was devoid of any such excitement.

Gabriel Jesus had Arsenal’s best opportunities in a drab first half dominated by the home side for most part without creating opportunities.

Referee Anthony Taylor gave little in terms of cards during a game that limped towards a draw, ending the Gunners’ eight-game losing streak in all competitions at the Etihad.

Guardiola made two changes to his starting line-up as Kevin De Bruyne and Nathan Ake came in for Jeremy Doku and the injured Kyle Walker, with Arsenal’s only alteration seeing Jesus replace Leandro Trossard.

The former City forward had the first meaningful chance of a tense afternoon, meeting Ben White’s cross from the right with a touch and strike narrowly wide. Arteta slapped his thighs in frustration.

But City were camped in the visitors’ half before and after that seventh-minute warning shot, albeit their patient probing and possession failed to translate into clear-cut chances.

Ake had the hosts’ only first-half attempt on target – a close-range shouldered effort straight at David Raya from a corner – and was forced off with an apparent calf injury in the 26th minute.

Rico Lewis replaced him shortly after Kai Havertz stretched to meet the ball in a challenge with Stefan Ortega and City’s subsequent defensive rejig was nearly punished by the Gunners five minutes later.

Good play down the right ended with a deep cross to Jakub Kiwior, who dropped the ball back for Jesus to jink into space and hit a low shot across the face of Ortega’s goal.

City responded with a few half-chances but were unable to seriously test an Arsenal side fortunate to go into half-time without a single booking to their name.

Mateo Kovacic bent a 20-yard effort wide within two minutes of the restart as Arsenal began to become as incensed with the lack of yellow cards and fouls as the hosts.

Arteta’s gesticulations in the technical area were mocked by City fans, who held their breath when Bukayo Saka got behind to slide a low ball across the face of goal that just evaded Jesus at the far post.

Manuel Akanji had smartly disrupted the forward’s move otherwise it could have been the opener.

Tempers were rising around the ground and there were ironic cheers in the 67th minute when Jesus received the first booking of the day after throwing the ball away.

But the former City man received applause from some of the home support when he was taken off among a swathe of changes made by both managers.

Arsenal star Saka was another replaced, walking off gingerly shortly after being caught out, but not punished, by De Bruyne.

Raya was booked for time-wasting as Taylor went to his pocket for just the second time, before both sides wasted chances to win it.

First Erling Haaland just failed to get his toe on a ball in the box, then substitute Trossard got behind to test Ortega when he needed a cleaner shot or a pass to Gabriel Martinelli.

Haaland received treatment late on and saw penalty hopes ignored, with the five minutes of stoppage time coming to nothing.

Prior to the match, Liverpool had come from behind to defeat Brighton 2-1 at Anfield. Danny Welbeck gave the visitors a shock lead after two minutes, but Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah both scored to ensure the Reds emerged triumphant.