Diogo Jota struck a stoppage-time winner as Liverpool clinched a dramatic 4-3 win over Tottenham, who had fought back from three goals down in a remarkable contest at Anfield. 

A week on from their 6-1 defeat to Newcastle United, Spurs looked set for more of the same when Curtis Jones, Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah scored within the first 15 minutes.

Unlike on Tyneside, Spurs showed plenty of fight as Harry Kane and Son Heung-min teed up a grandstand finish, before Richarlison's first league goal for the club levelled things up at 3-3 in stoppage time.

However, as Tottenham prepared to celebrate clinching the unlikeliest of draws, Jota latched onto Lucas Moura's error to fire home, sending Anfield into raptures and moving the Reds above their visitors in the Premier League table.

Julian Alvarez insists "every game is a final" for Manchester City after his stunning winner against Fulham sent Pep Guardiola's side to the Premier League summit.

The Argentina forward secured a narrow 2-1 victory at Craven Cottage, sweeping a wonderful 25-yard strike into the top corner ensuring an eighth-straight league win.

City leapfrogged Arsenal to the top of the table – with a game in hand on the Gunners – while they remain well on course for a potential treble, with a Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid and FA Cup final with Manchester United also on the horizon.

And the World Cup winner encouraged his team-mates to keep pushing in pursuit of their aspirations for the campaign.

"It was a very important win for us today," he told BBC Match of the Day. "We need to keep this going.

"We knew it would never be easy coming here because of the pitch, because of how good Fulham are as a team. We were very happy to withstand the pressure and hold out.

"[Top of the table] is where we wanted to be at the start of the season. Everyone's put in really good work, and now we've reached the top, we need to defend it.

"Every game is a final for us and everyone's going to pull together to make that final effort."

Kyle Walker also acknowledged City cannot afford to relent in their charge, but the England defender dismissed treble talk as he is instead focused on the upcoming showdowns with West Ham and Leeds United.

"[Fulham] was always going to be a tough game after the emotions of Wednesday [against Arsenal]," Walker told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"I think the form is so important. It has been good over the recent couple of months, but we have so much football to be played, and this form needs to continue.

"This is what you live for as a footballer – to be competing at the highest level. I'm not even concentrating on the treble. It's just the next game and getting ready to face West Ham. We need to get another three points at the Etihad and then move on to Leeds."

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag singled Victor Lindelof out for praise after another impressive display in Sunday's 1-0 win over Aston Villa.

United have been without Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez over the past few weeks, with the latter set to miss the rest of the season.

Losing both in quick succession seemed a huge blow, but Lindelof and Luke Shaw – who has been moved centrally – have generally done well in their stead.

Lindelof enjoyed arguably one of his best games in a United shirt last weekend against Brighton and Hove Albion as they secured passage to the FA Cup final, and although the Red Devils threw away a lead against Tottenham in midweek, the Sweden international was hardly culpable.

Against in-form Villa at Old Trafford on Sunday, Lindelof routinely seemed to be in the right place at the right time, making a team-high four clearances, including a vital one off the goal-line to deny the visitors a late equaliser.

Clearly, Ten Hag has been impressed, with Lindelof earning chances ahead of maligned club captain Harry Maguire.

"He's playing fantastic," Ten Hag said of Lindelof to BBC Match of the Day.

"Really good games in and out of possession. Today, totally defending in control, but then building up as well, good positioning, good decisions, so we are happy with that.

"The games and life are much easier if you get the second goal earlier or get the second goal. We already have seen we have many players, including Lindelof, who are determined to win the game in attack and defence and that is what you need if you want to be successful."

Victory for United ensured that, even if Liverpool beat Tottenham, Ten Hag's men will end the weekend seven points clear of fifth.

United will also have at least one game in hand on each of the three teams directly below them, meaning a top-four spot is all but theirs with six matches left.

Ten Hag is not taking anything for granted but recognises they are in a good position.

"I'm really happy with the points but also with the performance," Ten Hag continued.

"Really good performance against a Villa side who did not lose in 10 games and scored in every game.

"We were in complete control. It could have been 3-1 or 4-1 [to United], so a really good and impressive performance.

"We have seen character today, we were determined, passionate and we had to win, and we played good football.

"We look from game to game and next we have Brighton, so we need to work hard again. We need to show passion again and not worry about the table.

"We are totally in control [in the race for top four], it's all about us and it's in our hands."

Pep Guardiola saluted the character demonstrated by Manchester City after they went top of the Premier League with a 2-1 win over Fulham.

Julian Alvarez's stunning 25-yard strike proved to be the winner at Craven Cottage, where Carlos Vinicius had earlier cancelled out Erling Haaland's penalty.

Though not at their clinical best, the reigning champions displaced Arsenal at the summit of the table for the first time since February – and still have a game in hand on the Gunners, who they beat 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.

Guardiola was pleased with the way his players navigated their way through what developed into a scrappy contest with Marco Silva's side.

"I didn't have any doubt [in my players]," he told BBC's Match of the Day. "The game was so tight until the end, we could not expect anything differently.

"This amount of games is a lot, but we knew that after we beat Arsenal at home, winning these types of games is really important. The players behaved amazingly.

"We responded really well [to Fulham's equaliser]. The momentum was there, we were playing good. It was not easy because they defended really well; inside it was so difficult.

"In general, it was a good performance, knowing the opponent and knowing where we came from."

Guardiola also paid tribute to Haaland, who became the first player since 1931 to score 50 goals during a single season for an English top-flight side.

"Before Winston Churchill was Prime Minister? Wow, sounds a long time ago!" the City boss smiled. "Congratulations to Erling. The best goals to help us achieve what we want still is there."

Erling Haaland scored his 50th goal of the season as Manchester City moved above Arsenal at the top of the Premier League with a hard-fought 2-1 victory at Fulham.

The striker broke the deadlock from the penalty spot inside three minutes at Craven Cottage with his record-equalling 34th strike in the Premier League this campaign.

Carlos Vinicius equalised for Fulham before Julian Alvarez's stunning long-range effort sealed an eighth straight league win for Pep Guardiola's side, who moved a point clear of Mikel Arteta's Gunners with a game in hand to come.

City have now won each of their last 14 encounters with the Cottagers, who suffered their sixth defeat in eight games to remain in 10th.

A penalty had been awarded in each of the sides' five previous meetings and less than 90 seconds had elapsed when Simon Hooper pointed to the spot after Tim Ream tripped Alvarez, Haaland making no mistake from 12 yards.

Fulham equalised in the 15th minute when Harry Wilson neatly cushioned a lofted ball into the penalty area for Vinicius to fire home on the volley.

But after Bernd Leno tipped Jack Grealish's curling shot onto the crossbar, City regained the lead in spectacular fashion on 36 minutes, Alvarez whipping a wonderful 25-yard effort into the top-left corner.

The visitors went close to stretching their advantage as Leno produced marvellous reflex saves to deny Haaland and Alvarez early in the second half.

The hosts struggled to find a route back into a scrappy affair after the break, with City holding on to extend their timely winning streak and take another step towards a third successive title.

Bruno Fernandes scored his first Premier League goal in nearly three months as Manchester United beat Aston Villa 1-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday to take another big step towards securing a top-four finish.

United threw away a two-goal lead in the midweek draw with Spurs that upset their momentum a little, but returned to winning ways against a Villa side who were threatening to enter top-four contention.

One of the Premier League's form teams since Unai Emery's October appointment, Villa went close to an opener first, though United were good value for the lead when Fernandes punished questionable goalkeeping from Emiliano Martinez.

Despite putting Villa under intense pressure for much of the second half, additional goals were not forthcoming for United, who were ultimately indebted to Victor Lindelof's late goal-line clearance as they held on.

United were also fortunate not to concede in the 19th minute when Diogo Dalot nudged Emiliano Buendia's pass into Alex Moreno's path, the Spaniard's powerful drive crucially blocked by David de Gea.

They nearly capitalised on the let-off nine minutes later, Jadon Sancho teeing up Casemiro to hit the crossbar from 16 yards.

But the breakthrough did arrive just before half-time, Fernandes squeezing in from a tight angle when Martinez could only parry Marcus Rashford's initial effort.

While United continued to dominate after half-time, their final pass was generally dreadful, with Sancho and Christian Eriksen making particularly poor decisions at crucial moments in the attacking third.

Villa almost took full advantage, but Lindelof managed to head Douglas Luiz's shot clear from under the bar, with United surviving late pressure.

Kolo Toure believes working under Pep Guardiola was the perfect crash course in management for Vincent Kompany.

Former Manchester City captain Kompany has enjoyed a fine season in charge of Burnley, leading the Clarets straight back to the Premier League and the Championship title.

Kompany, 37, left City in 2019 to become player-manager of Anderlecht.

He joined Burnley last year, and his success at Turf Moor has seen him become one of the most highly coveted young managers, with Tottenham reportedly interested in taking him to north London.

Kompany's ex-City team-mate Toure, who endured a difficult, short spell as Wigan Athletic boss earlier in the 2022-23 campaign, always felt the Belgian would go onto big things in management.

"You could feel that [he would be a manager]," Toure told Stats Perform.

"Vincent has everything. He has the manager skill. I could see it already as a player. Even when he wasn't captain you could see he had a great relationship with players.

"A great relationship with the fans, a great relationship with the media, and a great relationship with the owners.

"He's always been somebody who is very intelligent, somebody who can connect with people very easily and speaks both languages really, really well. And he prepared himself very well."

Kompany played under Guardiola for three years of his 11-season stint at City, and Toure believes the Spaniard was the perfect teacher to learn from.

"I think for me what is the best thing that happened to him is to be able to play and be managed by Pep Guardiola because he learned from Pep, and Pep is an unbelievable manager," Toure said.

"What he's been learning under him is incredibly great in that's what he's showing really there. Of course, he has a little bit of detail that is putting on the way he wants this team to play. But when you look at his team, he is taking that from Pep Guardiola, definitely."

Toure's first foray into management was not quite as successful as Toure's endeavours; he lasted just 59 days in charge of Wigan.

He failed to win any of his nine games and left Wigan with the club sat bottom of the Championship. They were relegated on Saturday.

Toure, though, is keen to carry on in coaching.

"I would say that it was a great learning moment for me because, during my career as a player, I never experienced fighting for relegation. When the opportunity came, I took it because, for me, it was a great opportunity to start my managerial career," he explained.

"I wanted to challenge myself because you cannot wait for the perfect moment to get the perfect job. I wanted to do that job. I found players who are top guys, and I was my mission was to change the style of play and keep the team up.

"Unfortunately, it didn't work really because defensively we conceded so many goals, and attacking-wise we were dangerous, and we created chances but we never scored them.

"I learned, and you have to be honest, you try things with the level of players with the pressure that the players had, it wasn't easy for them. Next time I have another opportunity, I make sure to assess the situation even better, and just try to help the team win games by taking some of the pressure out of the players."

"I'm definitely looking for a job now," Toure added. "I'm more hungry than ever. I'm looking forward. I'm looking to get a new job. My passion for the game is there to push players to really win games and be the best that they can be."

James Maddison knows Leicester City's meeting with Everton could be a defining moment in the battle to avoid relegation from the Premier League, describing the six-pointer as "massive".

Leicester and Everton are both in the relegation zone ahead of Monday's clash at the King Power Stadium, separated by just one point as they desperately scrap for survival.

The Foxes have experienced something of an upturn since Dean Smith took charge, beating Wolves and rescuing a 1-1 draw against fellow strugglers Leeds United in their last two games.

With just five matches remaining for the Foxes to save their season, Maddison hopes Smith's impact will prove decisive.

"It's definitely given us a lift," Maddison said of Smith's arrival. "When you have a new manager, it's a new voice, new messages and so everyone's on it.

"There has been a real uplift in confidence and belief and hopefully that will leave us in good stead so we can produce another positive performance and result against Everton.

"We're all fighting and battling for Premier League safety. We all know their manager and what type of characteristics he has, he'll be looking for a reaction and getting them going. 

"Make no mistake about it, this is a massive game – there's no point in dressing it up as anything else."

Everton are growing desperate following Thursday's dismal 4-1 defeat against Newcastle United, with the Toffees still to face Brighton and Hove Albion and Manchester City in a difficult run-in. 

Though the Toffees are winless in six games, Sean Dyche still believes in their survival prospects – though he accepts they need to improve quickly.

"I think we can do it," he said. "It is about us. 

"We have to correct the mistakes we have made in the last few weeks. We can all talk the talk, but it is about walking the walk."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Leicester City – Jamie Vardy

Vardy ended his 20-game Premier League goal drought last time out, netting a crucial equaliser against Leicester's fellow relegation candidates Leeds.

Having scored six goals in his first nine league games against Everton, Vardy has failed to net in his last four against them. If he can end that run on Monday, it could prove crucial in their battle to survive.

Everton – Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Everton are winless in their last 12 Premier League away games (D5 L7), failing to score on nine separate occasions during that run.

Having endured another injury-hit campaign, Calvert-Lewin last found the net in a Premier League fixture against Crystal Palace in October. Dyche's men need him to find form in the coming weeks.

MATCH PREDICTION – LEICESTER CITY WIN

Having won on their last two Premier League trips to Leicester, Everton are looking to post three successive away wins against the Foxes for the first time in their history.

However, a run of 12 Premier League away games without a win has done nothing to alleviate the Toffees' relegation fears. Since beating Brighton in August 2021, they have won just two of their 33 away league matches (D10 L21).

Leicester boss Smith, meanwhile, has won four and lost none of his six previous Premier League meetings with Everton, winning three of his four at home against the Toffees.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY 

Leicester City - 52.1 per cent

Everton - 21.4 per cent

Draw - 26.5 per cent

Harry Kane's future continues to be a hot topic of debate, with a number of heavyweight clubs lining up to sign the prolific striker should he indicate he wants to leave Tottenham.

Following strong links with the likes of Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United, the England international is also now reportedly on Chelsea's list of targets.

The Blues have struggled for goals this term, despite a huge outlay on attacking talent over the past two transfer windows, and need to address that issue ahead of next season.

With Kane's contract due to expire at the end of next season, Tottenham's hand may be forced somewhat should a huge bid come in when the window reopens for business.

TOP STORY – POCHETTINO HOPING TO REUNITE WITH KANE

Not only are Chelsea on the lookout for new recruits – while also offloading plenty of deadwood from their squad – they are searching for a new permanent head coach.

Mauricio Pochettino is thought to be the frontrunner to take over, and the Daily Mail suggests the former Tottenham coach is hoping to work with Kane again at Stamford Bridge.

Spurs would be reluctant to sell to a fellow Premier League side, especially fierce rivals Chelsea, but it is claimed Kane would jump at the chance to reunite with Pochettino.

ROUND-UP

– Brighton and Hove Albion have a club-record £30million deal in place with Watford to sign forward Joao Pedro, while Liverpool midfielder James Milner is another target, according to The Athletic. 

– Marca suggests Real Madrid are ready to hold talks with the representatives of in-demand Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham over the next week. Liverpool recently pulled out of the race for the England international.

– Juventus could turn to Marseille coach Igor Tudor should they choose to sack Massimiliano Allegri, Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport claims. Tudor previously spent time at Juve as both a player and assistant coach.

– L'Equipe reports striker Jonathan David is likely to leave Lille at the end of the season and could be on his way to the Premier League. Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham are said to be interested.

Liverpool and Tottenham face off on Sunday in a pivotal game for both teams' slim Champions League aspirations.

Jurgen Klopp's man have endured a hugely underwhelming campaign after narrowly missing out on the Premier League title last season, and sit seven points adrift of the top four having played a game more than fourth-placed Manchester United.

Tottenham, under the interim charge of Ryan Mason after Cristian Stellini was sacked following the 6-1 humiliation at Newcastle United, responded to that drubbing by recovering from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Erik ten Hag's side.

But Spurs are six adrift of United having played two games more, and defeat at Anfield may well be the final nail in the coffin as far as their top-four hopes are concerned.

And the omens are firmly against Tottenham.

A kind fixture for Klopp

Indeed, Liverpool have dominated recent meetings between these two sides. The Reds have lost just one of their last 20 Premier League games against Spurs (W13 D6), and are unbeaten in 10 since a 4-1 loss at Wembley in October 2017.

Anfield has been far from a happy hunting ground for Spurs, who have won just two of their last 35 away league games against Liverpool (D10 L23), winning 2-1 in August 1993 and 2-0 in May 2011.

On top of that, Tottenham are winless in five Premier League away games, losing as many games in this run (3) as they had in their previous 16 on the road beforehand (W8 D5). It's their longest run without an away league win since a run of 12 between February and November 2019.

The 31 away league goals Tottenham have conceded this season are their most in a single campaign since 2008-09 (35), while the only two clean sheets they have kept outside London this term came in victories at Nottingham Forest (2-0) and Brighton and Hove Albion (1-0). Liverpool should be very confident of breaching the Tottenham goal.

Leaky Liverpool

Liverpool have concern in defence themselves. Klopp's side have conceded four goals in their last two Premier League home games (2-2 v Arsenal, 3-2 v Nottingham Forest), as many as they had in their previous nine at Anfield. The Reds have not conceded at least two goals in three consecutive home league games since September 2012.

Alisson has failed to keep a clean sheet in Liverpool's last three Premier League games, but they have won all of those games.

Liverpool have form for prevailing this season despite consistently shipping goals. They haven't won four games in a row since November and December and conceded in each of those games.

Goals appear to be a given in this one, and the primary threats are easy to identify.

A game to savour for Salah

Tottenham will not be relishing facing Mohamed Salah again. Since he joined Liverpool in 2017, no player has scored more Premier League goals against Tottenham than the Egyptian (7). The Liverpool talisman netted both goals in Liverpool's 2-1 win over Spurs in the reverse fixture this season.

Salah has been involved in 11 goals in his last eight home games in all competitions (8 goals, 3 assists), scoring at least once in each of his last six. Not since Luis Suarez scored in eight successive home games between April 2013 and January 2014 has a Liverpool player found the net in more consecutive games at Anfield.

At the other end, Liverpool will obviously be focused on stopping Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, though that is easier said than done.

Six of Tottenham's last seven Premier League goals against Liverpool have been scored by either Kane (3) or Son (3). Kane has scored eight times against Liverpool in the competition, with only Andrew Cole netting more against the Reds (11).

But Kane goals do not automatically mean victory for Tottenham on the road. He has scored in each of his last three Premier League away games, with Spurs failing to win all three (D2 L1). The last player to score in four consecutive away appearances in the division but not win any of them was Steven Fletcher between April and September 2012.

If a statement win was what Manchester City were after against Arsenal on Wednesday, then they got it.

City thrashed the Premier League leaders 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium to close the gap to the Gunners to two points, and Pep Guardiola's side still have two games in hand.

The reigning champions play again on Sunday, with a trip to Fulham on the cards. Arsenal, meanwhile, are next in action on Tuesday, when they host struggling Chelsea, who have lost every game under interim boss Frank Lampard.

At the other end of the table, Leicester City face Everton in a relegation six-pointer. In the race for Europe, Tottenham travel to Liverpool.

Fulham v Manchester City

City have won their last 13 meetings with Fulham in all competitions, only winning more consecutively against Watford (15 – 2013-2022) and West Brom (14 – 2012-2018) in their history.

Erling Haaland has scored 33 Premier League goals for Manchester City this season, a record in a 38-game season. He is one away from equalling the overall record for a single season, set by Andrew Cole in 1993-94 and matched by Alan Shearer in 1994-95 (34 goals) in 42-game campaigns. This will be his 30th appearance in the competition, with his 33 goals already more than 21 teams managed in total in their first 30 Premier League games.

Pep Guardiola has won 25 of his 38 Premier League away games against London sides, the highest win rate of any visiting manager to take charge of at least 10 such games (66 per cent). All eight of his defeats in the capital have come against either Tottenham (five) or Chelsea (three).

Best bet – City to avoid defeat: Fulham are winless in their last 15 Premier League meetings with City (D3 L12) since a 3-1 away win in April 2009. They have lost the last 10 in a row by an aggregate score of 28-4.

Long shot – Fulham to keep a clean sheet: Fulham have kept just one clean sheet in their 29 Premier League games against City, a goalless draw in March 2004. 

Opta prediction: City, as expected, are made big favourites (64.8 per cent). The draw is rated at 21.9 per cent, while Fulham are given a 13.3 per cent chance of victory.

Liverpool v Tottenham

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

Tottenham are winless in five Premier League away games, losing as many games in this run (three) as they had in their previous 16 on the road beforehand (W8 D5). It is their longest run without an away league win since a run of 12 between February and November 2019.

Liverpool have won their last three Premier League matches, despite conceding in each match. The last time they won four games in a row was in November and December earlier this season, also conceding in all four victories.

Best bet – Mohamed Salah to score or assist: Salah has been involved in 11 goals in his last eight home games in all competitions (eight goals, three assists), scoring at least once in each of his last six. Since he joined Liverpool in 2017, no player has scored more Premier League goals against Tottenham than the Egyptian (seven).

Long shot – Liverpool under 1.5 goals: Tottenham have conceded 31 away goals in the Premier League this season, already their most in a single campaign since 2008-09 (35). They have only kept two league clean sheets outside of London this season, doing so in victories at Nottingham Forest (2-0) and Brighton and Hove Albion (1-0).

Opta prediction: The supercomputer hands Liverpool a 55.2 per cent probability of winning this one, while Spurs are given just a 20.0 per cent shot. The draw has a 24.8 per cent likelihood.

Leicester City v Everton

Following their 2-0 win at Goodison Park in November, Leicester are looking to complete a Premier League double over Everton for just the second time, previously doing so in their 2015-16 title winning campaign.

Everton have won their last two Premier League away games against Leicester – they have never won on three consecutive visits to the Foxes in their league history.

Dean Smith has won four and lost none of his six Premier League meetings with Everton, winning three of his four at home against the Toffees. Only Antonio Conte (seven) has faced Everton more without ever losing to them as a manager in the competition.

Best bet – Leicester to concede: Despite Everton's woeful form in front of goal this season, they should be confident of getting on the scoresheet, given Leicester have conceded in each of their last 18 Premier League games, their joint-longest run without a clean sheet in the competition. 

Long shot – Everton to win: Everton are winless in their last 12 Premier League away games (D5 L7). Since beating Brighton 2-0 in August 2021, they have won just two of their last 33 away league games (D10 L21).

Opta prediction: Everton won this fixture last season, but Opta does not give them much chance of repeating that feat on Monday. Their chances of victory are rated at only 21.8 per cent, while the draw is 26.3 per cent, making Leicester (51.9 per cent) the clear favourites.

Arsenal v Chelsea

Arsenal have won four of their last five Premier League games against Chelsea (L1), as many as they had in their previous 23 against the Blues (D6 L13).

The Gunners are looking to win three consecutive Premier League games against Chelsea for the first time since February 2004. Indeed, they could achieve their second league double in three seasons against the Blues, having done so just once in the previous 20 campaigns beforehand (2003-04).

Chelsea have lost all five matches in all competitions since Lampard's return to the club, their worst losing run since a six-game run in October and November 1993. The Blues have lost 19 games in total this season, last losing 20 in a single campaign in 1987-88.

Best bet – Bukayo Saka 2+ shots on target: Saka has been directly involved in 16 goals in his 16 Premier League home games this season (nine goals, seven assists). He has both scored and assisted a goal in three different games at Emirates Stadium in the competition this term.

Long shot – Arsenal to fail to score: Only Southampton have kept fewer home clean sheets than Arsenal (three) in the Premier League this season. However, the Gunners have only failed to score in one of their 16 at the Emirates so far this term (0-0 vs Newcastle United in January).

Opta prediction: Arsenal have had a wobble that might prove costly in the title race but will be determined to bounce back. Opta makes them the favourites (43.5 per cent), with Chelsea at 28.2 per cent. The draw is rated at 28.3 per cent.

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

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.

Kolo Toure sees no reason why Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe cannot take up the mantle of football's great rivalry.

Haaland scored his 49th goal of the season as Manchester City thrashed Arsenal 4-1 on Wednesday, while Mbappe is enjoying another stellar campaign at Paris Saint-Germain, as well as having won the Golden Boot at the Qatar World Cup.

Mbappe's 34 goals across all competitions this term is bettered only by Haaland's extraordinary tally when it comes to players from Europe's top five leagues.

With Mbappe's club-mate Lionel Messi reaching the twilight of his career and Cristiano Ronaldo having left Europe for Saudi Arabia, former City and Arsenal defender Toure has no doubt the France star, 24, and Haaland, 22, will be the players battling it out at the pinnacle of the game.

"Absolutely, absolutely. They are both incredibly great players," Toure told Stats Perform.

"Young, hungry players with big qualities, playing for top clubs. You can see that the rivalry is coming, you can feel that, because they're both goal scorers.

"They have different qualities obviously. There is one who really is a good scorer and there is one who – yeah he can score goals, but at the same time, he can provide, he can dribble.

"It's going to be really interesting to see both of them fighting, because they are the next generation, definitely."

Haaland, who supplied two assists for Kevin De Bruyne against Arsenal, lacked his usual clinical edge in the game, seeing several attempts saved by Aaron Ramsdale before he ultimately got his goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

That took Haaland onto 33 league goals for the season, a new record for a 38-game Premier League campaign and one away from the competition's best-ever tally of 34 (held by Alan Shearer and Andy Cole).

"He is a very dominant striker," Toure said of the Norway international.

"But, one thing I have to say is he chose the right thing for him, because he's a goal scorer and he needs to play for a team that provides him the ball.

"When you have De Bruyne, you have [Bernardo] Silva, you have [Ilkay] Gundogan, you have Jack Grealish, unbelievable players around him providing the ball, the quality they're showing to support him is incredibly great.

"That's so clever from the boy, he made the right choice.

"He got to the right team. We're going to do the work for him to just finish, because he's a finisher.

"His control, the way he handled the ball to bring the team up when Arsenal were pressing them, it was unbelievable. I saw a player who can get the ball from the feet, take the ball, dribble past two, three, three players and have a shot.

"That shows the quality he has and there's big room for him to just keep improving. He is in the right team, he has the right manager and he will keep improving definitely. But, what he has shown is unbelievable."