What the papers say

Tottenham are confident they will keep manager Ange Postecoglou amid interest from Liverpool, the Telegraph reports. Reds boss Jurgen Klopp announced he will step down from the club at the end of the season, with ex-midfielder and current Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso favourite for the position.

The Daily Mail says West Ham have delayed contract negotiations with manager David Moyes as he deals with a seven-game winless streak.

Manchester United are reportedly interested in Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt, the Sun reports, with the 24-year-old said to be unhappy at the German club.

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Bernardo Silva: Manchester City’s 29-year-old midfielder is a target for Paris St Germain with the French club reportedly ready to pay his £51million release clause, Spanish outlet Fijaches says.

Kylian Mbappe: The Athletic reports the French striker, who is available on a free transfer this summer, is not happy with Real Madrid’s latest offer.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s tender offer for 25 per cent of the Class A shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange has been extended until midnight on Friday night.

The offer, which is part of Ratcliffe’s deal to become the minority owner of Manchester United, was originally due to expire at midnight on Tuesday.

It was announced on Christmas Eve that the Ineos chairman had agreed to buy a 25 per cent stake in the Premier League club in a deal that included investing $300million US dollars (€331million) into their infrastructure.

As well as buying Class B shares held by the Glazer family, the announcement confirmed that Ratcliffe would offer to acquire up to 25 per cent of all Class A shares at a price of 33 US dollars (£26) per share.

Ratcliffe has conducted a series of meetings with club staff and associates in recent days.

He has met leaders of the independent Manchester United Supporters’
Trust and spoke with local leaders, including senior representatives of
Trafford Council, and Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham.

He was also among those in attendance at the Munich Air Disaster
memorial last week.

Ratcliffe is reportedly already planning to lead an overhaul of United’s
playing squad, starting with four new players to aid Erik ten Hag’s bid to lead
a belated charge for Europe.

Roy Hodgson struggled to find positives after Chelsea scored twice in stoppage-time to inflict a 3-1 home loss on his Crystal Palace team.

Conor Gallagher, who spent the 2021-22 season on loan with the Eagles, struck twice to complete the comeback, becoming the first Chelsea player to score a 90th-minute winner in the Premier League since he did precisely the same at Selhurst Park in October 2022.

Beleaguered boss Hodgson, whose side are once again mired in an injury crisis and remain just five points clear of the relegation zone, initially found it difficult to discuss the brighter elements of Monday’s contest.

Hodgson said: “I’m not really in the mood if I’m being brutally honest of (highlighting) positives and trying to find things to say that would cheer me up, because I don’t know what could be said that would cheer me up.

“What can I say that will cheer the players up? I could possibly say, well, with the players we’ve got coming back and these guys doing so well, it bodes well for the future with the 14 games we have left.

“But of course we still don’t know when (Michael) Olise, (Eberechi) Eze will be back, so we might be battling through like we’ve done tonight for a few more games before we can look at a team which will threaten the opposition a bit more than we did today.”

As has been par for the Palace course in recent weeks, before kick-off fans raised banners protesting about the direction of their club, with one reading “supporters ignored and taken for granted”.

A lacklustre start from Mauricio Pochettino’s men allowed the hosts to take the lead after 30 minutes through Jefferson Lerma’s screamer, but it was cancelled out less than two minutes after the break by Gallagher, his first of the campaign.

Hodgson did not feel a lengthy delay to sort out a technical issue with the referee’s equipment had an impact on the equaliser, pointing out it had equally affected both sides.

Just as it seemed Hodgson’s side – who rank below only Sheffield United in goals conceded in the last 15 minutes of the second half of Premier League matches – seemed like they would walk away with a point, Gallagher swept Chelsea into the top half of the table.

Hodgson felt his side might have had a chance to level things until, three minutes later, Enzo Fernandez ended any doubt about the outcome.

Pochettino, meanwhile, was pleased to secure all three points ahead of Chelsea’s trip to Manchester City and the Carabao Cup final later this month, but felt there was plenty of room to improve.

He said:  “I think (Gallagher) is a player that shows great commitment to the team, always tries to compensate in every situation, in offensive and defensive situations.

“It is priceless to have a player like him. I’m so happy for him and so happy for the team, it’s a victory, we needed the three points.

“I think if you ask me if I am really happy about the performance, I’m 50/50, because we cannot approach the game and start the game the way that we started.

“That is the consistency we need to build. We need to be more consistent, we need to start the game in a different way.

“But I’m very pleased in the end because we have the three points, and now we have to prepare for Manchester City, that is going to be a good test for us, before the final. I think we are going to prepare in a very good way.”

Chelsea finished strongly to win 3-1 at Crystal Palace, with Conor Gallagher punishing his former side at Selhurst Park.

The depleted hosts, who had lost the influential Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi to injury, took the lead via a Jefferson Lerma screamer – his maiden Eagles goal.

Gallagher equalised almost immediately after a delayed start to the second half, firing home his first of the Premier League season in the 47th minute.

Just as it seemed the relegation-threatened hosts were close to securing a valuable point, Gallagher struck in his second on the stroke of normal time, moments before Enzo Fernandez ensured Chelsea would end the evening in the top half of the table.

It was difficult to predict what kind of reception Palace would receive after the 4-1 loss at rivals Brighton, after which some players and fans in the away end exchanged heated words, and the frequent appearance of protest banners in recent weeks.

And though several were raised ahead of kick-off – “supporters ignored and taken for granted”  among them – the overall mood was perhaps less sour than boss Roy Hodgson, who had pleaded with supporters to back his diminished side, might have expected.

His players responded with an encouraging start, despite the visitors enjoying the lion’s share of possession, pouncing on loose balls with promising drives into Chelsea’s final third.

Palace took the lead at the half-hour mark, shortly after Jean-Philippe Mateta had missed a chance to fire the hosts ahead,  when Lerma managed to liberate himself from a quartet of tumbling and battling bodies and patiently took a few paces forward before blasting the ball high into the net from 25 yards out.

Former Eagles loanee Gallagher, who scored the winner in the October 2022 edition of this fixture, fired wide of Dean Henderson’s left post before the break, by which the Blues had completed 420 passes but not registered a shot on target.

The second period got off to a delayed start after referee Michael Oliver experienced technical issues, the stadium singing and laughing along as Bob Marley’s ‘Three Little Birds (Everything’s Gonna Be Alright)’ was pointedly played in the pause.

It proved to be an ironic choice when Gallagher side-footed Malo Gusto’s delivery past Henderson in the 47th minute and the away end immediately began taunting the home support with their own version of the famous reggae refrain, including an emphatic “Chelsea”.

Although a livelier and more disciplined Blues side had emerged for the second half, the hosts were not without their chances. Thiago Silva slid to deny Mateta and Daniel Munoz, in his first home start, tested goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic from a tight angle.

Ben Chilwell cringed after blasting a good chance over the crossbar, close enough to lure Henderson into a leap as Chelsea continued to apply pressure.

With just under 15 minutes remaining in normal time, Matheus Franca forced Petrovic into a good diving save, before Cole Palmer was denied by Henderson soon after.

Palace survived another Chelsea set piece and, with less than 10 minutes to go, were able to crowd substitute Raheem Sterling, nearly set up for a dangerous chance from Palmer’s cross.

Both sides pushed for more and, just as it seemed like Palace had clung on for a vital point, Palmer picked out Gallagher who, in a deja-vu moment for the home support, swept Chelsea into a 90th-minute lead.

Any hope of a late Eagles reply was dashed in added time when Fernandez took his time before firing into the top left corner. Palmer again provided the assist.

Pep Guardiola has told Erling Haaland to focus more on getting his body language right than scoring goals.

The Manchester City manager admitted to being concerned about the prolific Norwegian’s demeanour since his return to action following a two-month lay-off with a foot injury.

Guardiola feels the striker has been preoccupied with adding to his remarkable goal tally and wants him to relax more.

He thinks Saturday’s victory over Everton was a good example, when Haaland had a quiet first half before netting twice late on to secure a 2-0 success.

Guardiola, speaking in Denmark at a press conference to preview Tuesday’s Champions League last-16 clash with FC Copenhagen, said: “Erling is young, playing in the most difficult position on the pitch surrounded by four or five players with minor space.

“In the first half maybe we didn’t have the special delivery players, like Kevin (De Bruyne) for example, who can find him.

“In that moment he has to be positive. When he scored a goal, he reacted but he doesn’t need to score because he helps us for many things.

“He is defined on goals but it is not just scoring a goal. As much it’s how he is clapping, encouraging his mates and the first intense press. This is what we need from Erling.

“But we cannot forget he has been two months out, which is a lot of time for a guy who is so tall.

“Back to the dynamic is not easy. He’s a huge competitor who wants to score goals. OK, we know that, so relax.

“If we don’t score today, or if he doesn’t score in 10 minutes, it’s OK. In the process he has to try because the team always wins when they overcome bad moments.”

Guardiola did stress this was a minor problem and he has no doubts about the 23-year-old.

“It looks like I am complaining about Erling but it was in general,” the City boss said. “How many games did Erling play and how many goals? His body language is not a problem.

“If he doesn’t score tomorrow, the day after or next week, it’s not a big issue.

“He’s so strong. It comes from nature. He’s coped perfectly because he’s so strong mentally. He scores one goal and wants a second and a third.

“You see his numbers at his age. In the Champions League not even (Lionel) Messi or Cristiano (Ronaldo) had these numbers at his age.”

City are hoping to silence a raucous atmosphere at Parken to take the initiative after the first leg of their tie against Copenhagen.

The Danes have not played competitively for two months due to their winter break but Guardiola expects a stern challenge from a side that finished above Manchester United and Galatasaray in their group.

He said: “I would say they are starving to compete and hungry and have full energy, fresh in legs and mind.

“I don’t know the rhythm but they have had lots of time to prepare for the game. Hopefully we can be in a good level to compete.

“It’s back to business in the competition but huge respect for the opponents. It was not an easy group and they did really well in all the games.”

Diogo Dalot believes super sub Scott McTominay’s never-say-die approach is the kind of mentality Manchester United need if they are to qualify for the Champions League.

A bumpy, injury-hit start to the season saw pressure mount on manager Erik ten Hag as his side were eliminated from Europe and stumbled on the domestic front.

But there have been signs of improvement since the turn of the year, with United’s unbeaten start to 2024 continuing with a late, hard-fought Premier League win at Villa.

Douglas Luiz deservedly cancelled out Rasmus Hojlund’s opener, only for substitute McTominay to meet Dalot’s excellent cross with a thundering header to make it 2-1, four minutes from time.

“I think every time he comes on the pitch, he has that mentality of trying to score goals and trying to help the team,” United right-back Dalot said.

“We need this type of mentality at this club and I think he is the perfect person to show this season that even coming from the bench, he always has a good impact.”

McTominay’s goal was his seventh in the league this season and fourth as a substitute – a league-high tally from the bench only matched by Brighton striker Joao Pedro.

The bullet header allowed sixth-placed United to reduce the gap to Villa in fifth to five points, with Tottenham a point better off in fourth.

“I think it is a really important win,” Dalot said of the push for Champions League qualification.

“We knew that today was like a final for us; pretty much every game will be for us now if we want to get top four.

“We prepared well and I am very happy with the way we performed and how we fought until the end to get the win.

“It was registered (how important the Villa match was) at the start of the week when we started preparing for the game.

“I think we had a full week of concentration and everybody tuned into what we could expect today.

“It is exactly how we prepared and how we tried to be, but like I said, we fought until the end and we really deserved the three points.”

United did, though, have to ride their luck at times.

Dalot praised goalkeeper Andre Onana for his performance – “he’s been fighting for it”, he said – and went onto highlight the impact of United’s forwards.

“When we start scoring goals, you can see how fresh they are and how motivated they are and we are very happy that they are scoring goals,” the Portugal international said.

“(Hojlund) brings calm and that’s what wins games and gives you more confidence.

“He has adapted to the team really well and we have adapted to him really well. Hopefully, he can score a lot more goals.”

Hojlund’s fifth goal in five Premier League appearances continued a run that started with his winner in 3-2 Boxing Day turnaround against Villa.

Unai Emery’s side came away with nothing from those matches and midfielder Jacob Ramsey bemoaned a lack of killer instinct on Sunday.

“We want to win games and we’ve not been great at home recently but we can take positives from the performance,” he said.

“Manchester United are a big team and we were dominant today. We were just lacking the last ball in the final third.”

What the papers say

Newcastle are considering signing Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly in the summer transfer window in a move to solidify their defence, according to the Daily Mail. The 25-year-old has played 13 games in the Premier League this season and will be a free agent at the end of the season.

Meanwhile, the Daily Mail also says Liverpool are interested in Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo, who could be available for a free transfer in the summer window.

The Sun reports Championship strugglers Sheffield Wednesday could look to sign Orlando City and United States forward Duncan McGuire if they survive relegation this season. The 23-year-old has scored 13 goals in 32 games for Orlando this campaign.

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Nico Williams: Arsenal and Chelsea are interested in signing Spain’s 21-year-old Athletic Bilbao winger, according to Caught Offside.

Trent Alexander-Arnold: Football Insider reports Liverpool are on the verge of locking down the defender on a new, long-term deal.

Nathan Ake recognises Manchester City are now in a powerful position thanks to the return to form and fitness of Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne.

City have won their last 10 matches in all competitions and are gathering a momentum that could be ominous for their rivals as they bid to repeat their glorious treble of last year.

Their current run started without the influence of the talismanic pairing of De Bruyne and Haaland as both nursed injuries.

Yet both are now back in business, as seen in Saturday’s hard-fought 2-0 win over Everton in which Haaland scored both and De Bruyne created one, and City are looking tough to stop.

Defender Ake said: “We know how good both of them are and when Kevin came on, straight away he looked for Erling. They looked for each other.

“It’s massive that they’re both fit, both ready to go and it’s good to see that we’re doing well.

“It’s just a lift to see everyone back – we haven’t had that for a while – especially the players who can make differences in tight games like this. It’s massive for us.”

De Bruyne missed most of the first half of the season following hamstring surgery but has been eased back into action over the past month.

Ake is surprised how well the Belgian playmaker has hit the ground running.

The Dutchman said: “If you’re out for five or six months normally it takes you a little bit of time but straight away he’s been ready to go, from the first moment.

“I think everyone expected to have to give him a bit of time but he’s been training really well in the gym, he’s worked really hard. You could see on the pitch straight away he was ready.”

Haaland broke the deadlock in a tight game against Everton with a ruthless finish when a rebound fell his way in the 70th minute. He then wrapped up the win after being played in by De Bruyne five minutes from time.

They were his first goals since November having spent two months on the sidelines with a foot problem.

Ake said: “He’s so quick, he’s fast, he’s strong. Out of nothing he can score and in those spaces one versus one it’s very difficult to stop him.”

Manager Pep Guardiola feels De Bruyne and Haaland add an extra layer to a side that was already impressing him.

He said: “These guys have special qualities. They have ability in final third to create something that is not in the statistics, not in the books, in genius managers. To have them for 90 minutes or even 30 or 45 minutes, it is better.

“That is not going to undermine what all their mates have done. We have a team with huge personalities in difficult moments. Otherwise we would not be here again and again.”

Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino repeated his call for patience as his inexperienced squad look to find their feet in the Premier League.

The Argentinian takes his side to Crystal Palace on Monday evening searching for a win which would lift the Blues into the top half of the table.

Hopes that the players might finally be ready to live up to the expectation raised by having a £1billion first-team squad were ignited by last Wednesday’s 3-1 victory at Aston Villa in their FA Cup fourth-round replay.

But in the league there has been little cause for optimism, with the most recent outing – last weekend’s 4-2 home defeat to Wolves, which saw angry supporters turn on Pochettino and his team – representing the low point so far of a turbulent campaign.

A win at Selhurst Park against Roy Hodgson’s men would be just their 10th of the season in 24 league games.

Pochettino said his team – on average the youngest in the top flight – will require more time than they have yet been given following the arrival of 12 new faces last summer.

“I’m not picking the team because they are young,” he said. “I don’t want to be the coach that picks the youngest team in England.

“We are a young team. We have a good balance. We have Thiago Silva who is 39, we have Raheem Sterling (29), we have (Christopher) Nkunku (26), and (Axel) Disasi (25). The problem is not that they are young. The problem is that the team is young.

“We had (many) players that arrived new at the beginning of the season. You need to build a team. Always I talk about the team, it’s not about if you have 20 or 19-year-olds. We need to be consistent like a team.

“At the moment we have maybe not so good (balance), because we would be in another position.”

The defeat to Wolves brought the first signs of Chelsea fans’ patience with the former Tottenham manager being tested.

There was audible discontent aimed at Pochettino directly, while players were also booed and supporters sang the name of former owner Roman Abramovich.

The 51-year-old is not the only one under scrutiny, with Palace manager Hodgson also in the spotlight as his side sink down the table with just two wins in their last 12 games, but Pochettino has backed the 76-year-old to handle the pressure.

“It’s part of the game, it’s football,” the Blues boss said. “He has the experience to manage every situation. It’ll be good to see him, for sure we’re going to share a nice time together.

“We are not interested to talk about things that happen around us.”

Erik ten Hag praised Scott McTominay as an example for others after the super sub sealed Manchester United’s belief-boosting win at fellow Champions League hopefuls Aston Villa.

Sunday’s clash between fifth and sixth at Villa Park began with Rasmus Hojlund – the winner when these sides met on Boxing Day – scoring in his fifth straight Premier League match.

United lost their way after that 17th-minute opener in a bright start and Villa eventually secured a deserved second-half leveller through Douglas Luiz.

But the Red Devils dug deep and McTominay made it 2-1 in the 86th minute after meeting Diogo Dalot’s cross with a powerful header – his fourth Premier League goal this season from the bench.

“This season, last season as well (McTominay made an impact), so I think he’s an example for many other players nowadays,” Ten Hag said of a player whose overall top-flight goal tally this term is seven this term.

“There are not many players who can come from the bench and bring this energy. He’s ready for every minute, always contributing to the team. Football is a team sport and we forget that often.

“But Scott is the example, always giving the spirit, in the week when he is training, doing the right things, working on himself, gives max.

“He’s ready for one minute, he’s ready for 90 minutes, he’s always ready. I think it’s great to have such a player.”

United rode their luck for large parts and Ten Hag appeared to indicate that Luiz’s shimmy goalscoring celebration fuelled his side in a win that breathes new life into their Champions League hunt.

The Red Devils are now five points behind Villa in fifth, and six adrift of fourth-placed Tottenham.

“I think we can beat any opponent away or home,” the Dutchman said after winning a first Premier League away game to a top-eight side since taking charge.

“But sometimes away we have to believe it more because then we could have won in Arsenal, where actually we deserved to win.

“We could have won in Liverpool and it’s about belief and I think this team today believed they could win this game and that’s why I think, in the end, you win the game.”

Asked about the impact of this result on the race for Champions League football, Ten Hag said: “We have to catch up.

“We are firstly in February, many games to play, but we are returning. But, still, a long way to go and we have to improve our game.

“But, of course, we are pleased that we get a series of wins.”

This was the first time this season that United have managed to win four consecutive matches in all competitions, while the remain unbeaten in 2024.

As for Villa, boss Unai Emery felt hard done by after his side slipped to a third straight home defeat in league and cup.

“I want to tell you I am very proud of our work,” the Spaniard said. “I’m very proud as everything we planned before we more or less were doing on the pitch.

“We were focused on a very good opportunity to make a big gap to them, but of course no win (for us).

“We know how difficult this match was. Manchester United in the moment  they are now and the last matches they won being confident.

“But we had control of the game, we created more chances than them, we deserved it more than them, we conceded less chances than them.

“They were clinical today, their goalkeeper was fantastic and we weren’t clinical.

“We played, maybe along with the match against Manchester City here, the best match here this season.

“Even from when we arrived here today, I think it was one of the best matches we’ve played but the result was not good and we have to accept it.”

Super sub Scott McTominay’s thundering header secured Manchester United a late, hard-fought 2-1 victory away to fellow Champions League hopefuls Aston Villa.

This felt like a match that the sixth-placed Red Devils could ill afford to lose given Unai Emery’s men were a place higher in the standings and able to extend an eight-point cushion to an eye-watering 11.

In-form Rasmus Hojlund broke Villa hearts on Boxing Day and got United off to a dream start when scoring in a fifth straight Premier League match, but the hosts responded brilliantly and deserved Douglas Luiz’s second-half leveller.

The match was on a knife-edge from that point and McTominay made another key contribution, scoring his fourth goal off the bench four minutes from time to seal the points at Villa Park.

Emery may well be wondering how his side ended Sunday’s match without so much as a point as Erik ten Hag celebrates his first Premier League away win in charge against a side in the top nine.

Furthermore, this was the first time this season that United have managed to win four straight matches in all competitions.

Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal are gaining momentum in the title race after they roared to a 6-0 win at West Ham.

The Gunners backed up last week’s big triumph over Liverpool with another statement victory, their biggest away win in the Premier League.

Their title bid hit the buffers in this fixture last season when they blew a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 but there was no chance of a repeat after William Saliba headed them in front and West Ham promptly collapsed.

Declan Rice grabbed a pair of assists against his former club while Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Magalhaes and Leandro Trossard were also on target, all before half-time.

Saka scored his second midway through the second half and Rice rubbed salt in the wounds with a long-range sixth.

“We are maintaining and building some momentum now,” said Gunners boss Arteta.

“Performances have been strong as well as results in recent weeks. We need to maintain that because other teams are doing that as well. We are not the only ones.”

It was a chastening afternoon for West Ham and manager David Moyes pulled no punches after his heaviest defeat in charge.

“It was a really poor day for us, very difficult to explain really,” he said.

“Arsenal played extremely well, give them credit, but it’s difficult to explain how we played so poorly.

“We’re normally a lot stronger, we didn’t show that today. I’m disappointed with the way we fell apart when the game hadn’t looked as if it was going to be as big as that.

“I don’t think since I’ve come back to the club my team’s defended that way, ever. We were weak today, we didn’t do our jobs well enough, we didn’t fight to contain it harder.

“I’ve had teams here which maybe haven’t had the same quality that we have now but we would have made sure we didn’t put in a performance like that, that’s for sure.”

When West Ham beat Arsenal and Manchester United in December, there was talk of a Champions League challenge.

They have lost to both in the past eight days, shipping nine goals in the process, and are still without a win in 2024.

Alarm bells might not be ringing for Moyes just yet, but the sight of hundreds of West Ham fans leaving at half-time told a sorry tale and the Scot cannot keep dining out on last season’s Europa Conference League success forever.

“To be a football supporter, and especially at this club – I came back twice to keep them out of relegation – there’s always going to be bad times,” he added.

“It was only a few months ago we were having probably the best time West Ham have ever had.

“Probably the last three years have been as good a time as West Ham have had. Sixth, seventh in the league, a semi-final in Europe, a final.

“I still think this club has grown and undoubtedly we’ve had a terrible day today. I totally understand them leaving but at football clubs you’re going to have bad days. I certainly wouldn’t forget the good ones.”

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk insists they will “enjoy the ride” of challenging Manchester City in the Premier League title race.

Pep Guardiola’s side briefly went top of the table for the first time since November with their lunchtime win over Everton before a 3-1 victory over Burnley restored the Reds’ two-point lead.

The game against the Clarets was not without its difficulties and a record crowd of 59,896 endured some testing moments before second-half goals from Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez eased the pressure.

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Van Dijk accepts there will be a degree of nervousness attached to their bid to prevent City winning an unprecedented fourth title in a row just because of the sustained consistency of their rivals’ results come this time of year but he believes Liverpool, who are still fighting on four fronts, are well placed.

“I think everyone would love to be in this situation that you are on the top and fighting for the pinnacle which is winning the Premier League,” he said.

“It’s very difficult to stay calm. In the first half when Burnley became a couple of times dangerous you felt the crowd get a bit nervous but that is how a human being is.

“We need the fans, we need all the players, we need everyone to be ready in order to find a way to win the game.

“We will have setbacks, we will have moments of difficulty but we have to deal with that. Let’s just enjoy the ride.

“We are in a situation that I think last year around this time you would never, well maybe not never, have believed where we are today.

“We can only influence what we are doing. That’s the only thing.”

After suffering only their second defeat at Arsenal the previous weekend, Liverpool – missing goalkeeper Alisson Becker and Joe Gomez through illness, Ibrahima Konate through suspension and Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szobozslai through injury, a list which was added to by Trent Alexander-Arnold’s half-time withdrawal with a recurrence of a knee problem – struggled to find any rhythm.

Even when they took the lead on the half-hour mark when Diogo Jota nodded in from close range after Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford misjudged an Alexander-Arnold corner, they were still not in control and Dara O’Brien’s powerful header could have posed a problem but Diaz’s goal seven minutes after the break allowed them to settle more.

Alexander-Arnold’s replacement Harvey Elliott provided both the assists and, despite earlier in the season admitting he did not want to be a ‘super sub’, his contributions off the bench have arguably been more influential than his displays when starting.

“It’s very important for these guys that when they have their moments, Harvey in this case, they grab them with both hands. We need them,” added Van Dijk.

“Even if you start on the bench, you have to be ready to make an impact. This was a great example of that again.

“He (Elliott) would love to be playing week in, week out, but playing at the highest level you also have to be patient and don’t be frustrated that you don’t play as sometimes it is part of the business.”

A 17th defeat of the season left Burnley still seven points from safety but manager Vincent Kompany was remaining positive.

“There’s enough in our performances that can get us results and we aren’t debating the performances, it’s more just the moments and putting them together,” he said.

“We can’t feel sorry for ourselves, if we perform, we can get the results.”

Bukayo Saka scored twice and Declan Rice found the net against his old club as Arsenal flexed their muscles in the title race with a thumping 6-0 win at West Ham.

The Gunners’ title bid hit the buffers in this fixture last season when they blew a two-goal lead to draw 2-2.

There was no chance of a repeat after William Saliba headed them in front and West Ham promptly collapsed.

Rice grabbed a pair of assists on his return to his former manor while Saka, Gabriel Magalhaes and Leandro Trossard were also on target, all before half-time.

Saka scored his second midway through the second half and Rice rubbed salt in the wounds with a long-range sixth.

When West Ham beat Arsenal and Manchester United in December, there was talk of a Champions League challenge in these parts.

They have lost to both in the past eight days, shipping nine goals in the process, and are still without a win in 2024.

Alarm bells might not be ringing for manager David Moyes just yet, but the sight of hundreds of West Ham fans leaving at half-time told a sorry tale.

The opening goal arrived after 32 minutes when Rice, getting plenty of stick from the home fans, swung in a corner.

Saliba outjumped Edson Alvarez at the far post and, with Ben White blocking goalkeeper Alphonse Areola, planted a free header into the net.

Saka hit the second from the penalty spot after he burst clear and was brought down by Areola.

After a lengthy VAR check for offside, the spot-kick was confirmed and Saka confidently sent Areola the wrong way.

Four minutes later Rice came up with assist number two, swinging in a free-kick which Gabriel, on his 150th Gunners appearance, headed home in front of a lumbering Kurt Zouma.

And in first-half stoppage time Arsenal struck again, Martin Odegaard feeding Trossard to curl home number four.

It was Arsenal’s 8,000th league goal, and they were already well on the way to 9,000 by full-time.

Number 8,001 arrived in the 62nd minute when Saka cut inside Nayef Aguerd and lashed his shot past Areola.

Then came Rice’s big moment, the former Hammers skipper curling in from 25 yards after Trossard and Odegaard left the ball to each other, before performing the obligatory non-celebration in front of Arsenal’s elated fans.

Rice got a standing ovation from the home crowd when he left the field moments later, probably because those supporters had little else to clap on a painful day for the east Londoners and a bumper afternoon for Arsenal.

Erling Haaland was pleased to get back on the scoresheet as Manchester City’s momentum continued to gather with a hard-fought 2-0 win over Everton.

The prolific Norwegian scored his first goals since returning to action from a foot injury as his late double finally saw off the resilient Toffees at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

It was the champions’ 10th victory in succession in all competitions and briefly took them back to the top of the table prior to rivals Liverpool’s defeat of Burnley later in the day.

With Haaland back in tandem with Kevin De Bruyne, who has also returned from his own lengthy lay-off, last season’s treble winners are in a strong position as they approach the decisive phase of the campaign.

“It’s a fantastic feeling,” said Haaland, whose first 19 goals of the season came before he was sidelined in early December.

“It’s fantastic to be back and it’s also good to keep on winning. That’s important and we have to keep going.

“We have already been on quite a good run. It is a good thing to start to click now. That’s never bad. It’s in the next few months when you win things, so we keep going.”

City found it tough to break down the stubborn Merseysiders, who are caught up in another relegation battle after their 10-point deduction earlier in the season.

The breakthrough came soon after manager Pep Guardiola introduced the lively De Bruyne and Kyle Walker off the bench, and it was Haaland who delivered the blow as Everton struggled to clear a 70th-minute corner.

De Bruyne then played in Haaland to secure the result five minutes from time.

“Back to normal finally,” said Haaland. “It’s good to be back to normal.

“We knew how the game was going to be and they were going to make it difficult for us.

“But we knew if we trusted ourselves it was going to be really difficult for (Everton). That’s what we did and in the end it was fantastic to win.”

Everton remain in the bottom three despite having won enough points to have been in a comfortable mid-table position.

Defender James Tarkowski insists the players are not downbeat about the situation.

“There’s no drop-off here,” he said. “We’re ready to go again. Don’t worry about us. We’re ready to go no matter what.

“It’s been a good season for us. I’m not disappointed. We’re going well. We’ve got a few lads coming back soon, so the squad’s looking strong and ready to play.

“I felt we played really well and then just a couple of minor details cost us.”