Tottenham defender Japhet Tanganga has been ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on his right knee, the club has confirmed.

Tanganga has not played since January following the injury and will now not return to action until the start of the 2022-23 campaign for the north London outfit.

"Japhet Tanganga has undergone surgery on his right knee and will be out for the remainder of the season," the club confirmed in an official statement.

"The England Under-21 international will undergo a period of recovery and is expected to return to training during the pre-season period."

Everton manager Frank Lampard revealed he broke his hand celebrating his side's remarkable 1-0 win over Newcastle United on Thursday.

A hectic game lasted for 118 minutes due to a second-half delay when a protester attached himself to the Goodison Park goalposts and could not be removed.

Everton, coming into the match outside the Premier League's bottom three only on goal difference, then had to play from the 83rd minute onwards with 10 men.

Allan was initially only booked for hacking down Newcastle substitute Allan Saint-Maximin, but the VAR advised Craig Pawson to revisit his decision, which he did – prompting howls of frustration among home players, staff and fans when the replay was shown on the big screen.

Everton had been on the back foot with 11 men and appeared ready to sit in and settle for a precious point, only for one final chance to present itself.

Seamus Coleman stole the ball from Saint-Maximin and fed Alex Iwobi, who traded passes with Dominic Calvert-Lewin before steering a low shot past Martin Dubravka for the second-latest winning goal since Opta's Premier League records began in 2006-07.

There were scenes of mass celebration both when the ball hit the net and when the final whistle belatedly blew, giving Everton their first win over Newcastle since December 2019 – albeit one that came at a cost for Lampard.

"I've broken my hand in the celebrations for the goal," Lampard told Amazon Prime, revealing a significant bruise. "It's a bit sore, a bit shaky, but I don’t care."

Prior to Thursday's win, Everton had earned only three points in six matches since Lampard's January appointment – more than Norwich City alone over that period. Newcastle's 16 points trailed only Liverpool.

"We were all waiting for this – a night of togetherness and fight and spirit," Lampard explained.

Indeed, rather than take credit for any calls he made in a game that saw Newcastle win the shot count 17-9 and dominate 61.6 per cent of the possession, the Toffees boss attributed the victory to a brilliant atmosphere on Merseyside.

I don't think it's my formations or cleverness that will keep us up," he said. "It's part of the bigger picture, but it's people and the players that will keep us up, and the fans when we get together.

"I thought the start of the game was a bit special. I know I'm new to this, an evening game at Goodison, but you could feel the crowd.

"Maybe they had a couple of pints of Guinness for St Patrick's Day. Fair play, we need that. We need them behind us.

"If we get out of this it's together, the fans and the players played their part."

Cristiano Ronaldo has been heavily linked with an early exit from Manchester United this season.

The Red Devils are out of the Premier League title race and struggling to make the top four.

There is said to be tension surrounding Ronaldo due to Ralf Rangnick's appointment as interim manager.

TOP STORY - RONALDO RE-COMMITS TO MAN UTD

Ronaldo will stay with United next season with interim manager Rangnick set to depart, reports AS.

The 37-year-old forward has committed to United, whom he joined in August on a two-year deal with the option for a third season, as he is confident they will show their ambition by making a major appointment with their new permanent manager.

United were eliminated from the Champions League this week by Atletico Madrid and are struggling to reach next season's edition, sitting fifth in the Premier League.

ROUND-UP

- Jesse Lingard has been offered to Italian clubs Milan and Roma as he prepares to leave United as a free agent, reports Nicolo Schira. West Ham  and Newcastle United are also interested in the 29-year-old England international.

- Benfica have slapped a £67million price tag on striker  Darwin Nunez , who is being pursued by Manchester United , Arsenal , Liverpool and Newcastle ,   according to The Mirror.

- Foot Mercato reports  Arsenal will enter the race to sign Real Madrid winger  Eden Hazard , with Chelsea previously linked to their former player.

- Fichajes claims  Atletico Madrid are considering a move for Athletic Bilbao head coach Marcelino should Diego Simeone opt to leave the Spanish champions.

Everton's Premier League contest against Newcastle United was temporarily halted on Thursday after a protester tied himself to a goalpost.

Wearing a shirt with the slogan "Just Stop Oil" emblazoned on it, the protester cable tied themselves to the post, causing a lengthy delay.

The move failed to garner support from those in attendance, with a steward needing to find pliers in order to detach the cable from the goal frame, before he was eventually carried away by police.

The campaign group Just Stop Oil claimed responsibility for the actions, posting on Twitter: "BREAKING: Just Stop Oil supporter locks on to goalpost during Everton vs Newcastle United game."

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp launched a passionate defence of Trent Alexander-Arnold, telling his critics he will "knock them down".

Goals from Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino secured the Reds a 2-0 win over Arsenal on Wednesday, a result that moved the Reds to within a point of Manchester City at the summit in a tightly contested Premier League title race.

But before the visitors took hold of the game at Emirates Stadium, Alexander-Arnold found himself on the wrong end of several smart Arsenal breaks spearheaded by Gabriel Martinelli.

Klopp, however, remained highly defensive of the right-back's efforts, hailing his capabilities and insisting any player can have difficulties defending against a player with the talents of Martinelli.

"If anyone says Trent can't defend, they should come to me and I'll knock them down," he told Sky Sports. "I cannot hear that anymore, I don't know what the boy has to do.

"Both teams had spells of possession where the other team was patient, closing the centre, didn't want to step out but we had to.

"In the moment where we defended forward like in the second half, the wingers defended the width. apart from the diagonal balls to Martinelli, which Trent defended incredibly.

"Martinelli is such a talented boy, it's really tricky [to defend against him]."

Alexander-Arnold has often figured as a critical flashpoint for pundits and fans away from Merseyside over the past few years, arguably due to the heavy competition for his spot in the England national team setup.

Having been dropped at the start of 2021 by Gareth Southgate, he earned a recall for Euro 2020, only to miss out on the tournament through injury.

Alexander-Arnold is expected to be included when Southgate names his latest squad on Thursday, ahead of the Three Lions' friendlies with Switzerland and the Ivory Coast.

Paris Saint-Germain have reportedly opened talks with Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte, who has a clause to leave Spurs at the end of the season.

Conte's contract with the North London club runs until the end of the 2022-23 season, after replacing Nuno Espirito Santo in November last year.

However, while the specific terms of that contract are unclear, it reportedly allows for a departure pending certain circumstances. 

TOP STORY – PSG TARGET CONTE AS POCH REPLACEMENT

According to Calciomercato, Paris Saint-Germain are set to part ways with Mauricio Pochettino and are already in the process of looking for his replacement.

Their primary target appears to be Antonio Conte  - who is reportedly tempted by the contract - which is forcing Tottenham into action, to persuade him to see out his deal. 

The 52-year-old is not the only candidate according to the report, with Massimiliano Allegri and Zinedine Zidane also among the potential hires.

Tottenham accounted for Brighton and Hove Albion on Wednesday, but earlier last week, Conte said he would discuss his future with Spurs at the end of the season. 

- Per reports from Kicker, Robert Lewandowski is yet to extend his contract at Bayern Munich, despite Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic's public claims the club wants him to stay. With the Polish striker entering the final 18 months of his current deal, agent Pini Zahavi is looking to secure his future at Sabenerstrasse.

- According to Globo, Edinson Cavani's potential move to Botafogo has fallen through due to the Uruguayan striker's wage demands. Battling injury, Cavani's playing time at Manchester United has failed to see continuity under Ralf Rangnick.

- Nicolo Schira is reporting Milan are getting closer to signing Divock Origi from Liverpool, in order to bolster their stocks up front. Origi's representatives and Milan have met and are looking to progress discussions.

- The Mirror is reporting Lord Sebastian Coe is joining a consortium for the potential takeover of Chelsea, after Roman Abramovich's assets were frozen by the United Kingdom government.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has hit out at the Premier League's fixturing ahead of a busy period of catch-up games for the Gunners.

The Gunners suffered a dent in their top-four hopes on Wednesday after going down 2-0 at home to second-placed Liverpool.

The Spanish boss was sarcastic in his response when asked about Arsenal's upcoming logjam of fixtures that includes a fast turnaround to play Aston Villa in the league at lunchtime on Saturday, before facing Chelsea and Manchester United in quick succession next month (April 20 and 23).

“Thank you so much to the Premier League for doing that," Arteta told reporters.

"And they’ve done it again when we have to play Chelsea and Manchester United. So if they want to give them any advantage, I say to them today: ‘Thank you so much for doing that’.”

He added: “No [the Premier League wouldn't change the schedule]. It is always it’s BT, it’s Sky, it is this, it’s that. But the one that is affected is Arsenal and the only thing that I care [about] and we care [about] is Arsenal. And for Arsenal it is not fair.”

Arsenal are currently fourth on the table with 51 points from 27 games, while United are fifth on 50 points but having played two more games.

Arteta insisted his players would be ready for Saturday's test against the Villans despite the turnaround as they seek to put ground on United in the race for the top four.

"Yes, 100 percent, don’t worry the players will be there on Saturday with the energy," he said.

"They will sleep, eat well, but thank you so much to the Premier League for putting the fixtures like this, it’s very, very helpful."

On the Liverpool loss, Arteta said the difference was being clinical in attack, with both sides having nine shots each and the Reds edging possession 52-48 percent.

Martin Odegaard fluffed a golden opportunity after a Liverpool turnover in defence, while the Reds capitalised on their chances with goals from Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino.

"It was the difference today. I don’t think there was any other difference apart from that," Arteta said.

"I think we have closed that gap a lot, but it wasn’t enough because when we went through that door and they went through that door, they scored two goals.

"I’m not happy with the goals that we conceded, but it’s part of the game and when you have those chances you have to take them to get something out of it."

Jurgen Klopp hailed Liverpool's 2-0 win at Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday as "really special" as his team moved to within a point of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.

A tight contest was decided by second half goals from Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino as the Reds won their ninth league game in a row.

Mikel Arteta's team arguably shaded the first half and came close to taking the lead just before Jota's opener but Martin Odegaard's effort with the goal at his mercy was somehow kept out by a diving Alisson.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Klopp was delighted with the three points and praised the way his side ground out the win. 

"It's really special," he said. "Coming here in our situation, and their situation, and not having a brilliant first half and then turning the game in the right direction is pretty special.

"You have to be on your toes because they are a proper threat."

Since the turn of the year, Liverpool have won more points than any other Premier League team (28 – W9 D1 L0), and are the only side yet to suffer a league defeat in 2022. In fact, Liverpool have avoided defeat in their opening 10 league games of a calendar year for the first time since 2015.

The title race is now finely poised with just one point separating City and Liverpool, with nine games to go each and the two set to face each other in April, but Klopp insists all his team can do is continue to win games.

"We have had a good period," he added. "We are one point behind but the only thing we can do is win football games. No game is easy in this incredible league and we have to keep going.

"The only thing I'm really interested in is how we can prepare for the next game, how we can get through this. It's so difficult – I think it's game number 13 since we met Arsenal in the Carabao Cup. For them, it's seven – that's six more games for us. We don't complain about it, we wanted it like this. Let's see how it goes.

"In 10 years, do you think somebody will say you should be proud [of finishing second by one point]? Probably not. We know we have a special group here and we're trying to squeeze everything we can out of the situation."

Andrew Robertson – who registered his 50th assist in 211 games for Liverpool when he set up Firmino's goal – believes City are still in a better position, but insists it will be a "sprint to the finish line."

When asked if Liverpool are the team with momentum, the Scotland captain told Sky Sports: "Yeah, but they've got an extra point than us (laughing).

"Look, they're a point better off. A fantastic team, one of the best in the world and they'll obviously try and have a strong finish. That's us done with the Premier League until after the international break [for] both teams, and then it's a sprint to the finish line."

Robertson has provided 10+ assists in three of his last four seasons in the Premier League, while since the start of the 2018-19 campaign, only team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold (43) has provided more assists in the competition than him (40).

"We're in the race," he continued. "A lot of people maybe didn't think we were going to be [in] January but we're definitely in the race and we just need to focus on what we're doing and picking up as many points as possible."

Jamie Carragher believes Liverpool can go on and take the Premier League title from Manchester City, following their 2-0 win over Arsenal on Wednesday.

The Reds moved to within one point of City after goals from Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino claimed the three points from the Emirates Stadium.

Since a 2-2 draw with Chelsea in January, Jurgen Klopp's side has reeled off nine straight league victories, setting their match at City in April up as a potential title decider.

With that game in mind, Carragher believes the Premier League title is up for grabs, saying while working as a pundit for Sky Sports: "It's 50-50, because of the situation, the game is at the Etihad.

"This is the first time I've ever felt Liverpool can win the league at any time this season. I've always said City, before a ball was kicked.

"That Chelsea game, 2-2, when Liverpool after that game found themselves 11 points behind Manchester City – and Graeme [Souness] in the studio said Liverpool were still in this race – I thought it was well done."

Since Liverpool's draw with Chelsea, City have only lost one league game in their past eight – a 3-2 defeat to Tottenham in February, though a 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace on Monday allowed the Reds to make up further ground.

Given the quality of the two contenders, Carragher believes the title race is more down to Liverpool’s ability to apply pressure with their current form, than a dip from City.

"Man City aren’t in bad form or losing lots of games or dropping lots of points. Because these teams are so good now, just drawing a game feels like a loss," he added.

"We are watching two of the best teams we have ever seen in the Premier League and a draw is a defeat now. A draw now feels like the end of the world because you’re just expecting these teams to just win.

"I just feel like the signing of [Luis] Diaz, not just as an individual but what he's done to Liverpool. What Liverpool brought off the bench [against Arsenal] is much better than the year they won the Champions League [2018-19] and the year they won the league [2019-20]."

Harry Kane becoming the leading Premier League scorer of away goals has been hailed an “outstanding achievement” by Tottenham boss Antonio Conte.

The England captain surpassed Wayne Rooney by netting for the 95th time away from home in the English top-flight during Spurs’ 2-0 victory over Brighton and Hove Albion.

After Cristian Romero gave the visitors the lead at the Amex Stadium, Kane sealed the point onto Rodrigo Bentancur’s throughball before slotting past Robert Sanchez.

Despite enduring a slow start to the campaign, the striker took his goal tally to 22 across all competitions, and Conte heaped praise on the 28-year-old.

"It is an outstanding achievement for him, but we are talking about a world-class striker," the head coach said. 

"I am pleased for Harry to score in this way because at the start of the season, he struggled a bit and didn't score a lot and now he knows very well with this team, he has great opportunities to score in every game.

"To have a striker like him makes us stronger but at the same time, his feeling now is positive because he knows he will have chances."

Victory at the Amex moved Tottenham to within three points of fourth-placed Arsenal with 10 games remaining.

And Conte was thrilled by the efforts of his players, who recorded a first away win over Brighton since September 2018.

"I am very pleased for a good performance and because we got three points," the Italian continued.

"It is the final part of the season, and it is vital to get three points. We want to stay very close to the top to see what will happen at the end of the season.

"In my opinion, we are playing very well and improving a lot with the ball and also tonight, we also showed solidity defensively."

Kane added: "I was really pleased to get the goal and help the team win the match. Milestones are great especially away from home. 

"It is always tough, so to know you can do it year-on-year against tough opposition is nice, but it is all about the team and working hard. 

"We got ahead in the game, and then I think we controlled it. Overall, it was a really good night away from home.

"We played good football; we just have to keep winning games."

Liverpool moved just one point behind Manchester City in the Premier League title race after beating Arsenal 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.

Second half goals from Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino were enough to seal victory for Jurgen Klopp's men, who avoided some scares before taking control just before the hour.

Mohamed Salah started the game on the bench after picking up a slight foot injury in Saturday's 2-0 win at Brighton and Hove Albion, with Sadio Mane, Luis Diaz and Jota making up the Reds' forward line.

Mikel Arteta will be unhappy with the result but his side remain in fourth place, a point ahead of Manchester United with two games still in hand, while Liverpool are now breathing down City's neck at the top.

Virgil van Dijk had Aaron Ramsdale working early as he headed a Trent Alexander-Arnold corner towards goal, but the Arsenal goalkeeper was able to palm it away.

The Gunners had the better of the first half without really creating any chances, though Gabriel Martinelli in particular was troubling Liverpool down the hosts' left side.

Sadio Mane had the ball in the net early in the second half though it was ruled out for offside, before sloppy play from Thiago gave Martin Odegaard the chance to score, but Alisson made a fantastic save to deny the Norwegian.

Thiago made up for that mistake shortly after with a tremendous throughball for Jota, whose left-foot shot squirmed past Ramsdale at his near post to give the visitors a 54th-minute lead.

Klopp decided to make two changes immediately after with Jota and Luis Diaz coming off for Salah and Firmino, and it was the latter who doubled the lead just after the hour mark, with the Brazilian flicking an Andy Robertson cross into the net from close range.

What does it mean? Imperious Liverpool giving us a title race

If we're honest, most people thought it was over. Man City were 14 points clear at the top just a few weeks ago, albeit Liverpool had two games in hand at the time.

Now, after 29 games each, the Reds sit just a point behind Pep Guardiola's side, and will go top for at least a brief period if they avoid defeat to Watford at Anfield in their next league game.

Liverpool have now won their last nine Premier League games, scoring 23 goals and conceding just two in this run. Away from home, the Reds have only failed to win five of their 15 league trips this season (D3 L2).

Jota the slotter downs Gunners again

Some players have better records against some teams than others. Robbie Fowler had a great record against Arsenal, Roberto Firmino has a very good record against Arsenal, and Diogo Jota has an outstanding record against *checks notes*… Arsenal.

The Portugal international has scored six goals in last five appearances against the north London side in all competitions. Indeed, only Jamie Vardy (five) has netted as many goals at the Emirates Stadium as a visitor than Jota.

Arsenal's woeful Reds record continues

The hosts were more than a match for Liverpool in the first half, but just could not find that extra bit of quality to ensure the score matched their efforts, similarly to how they lost to Man City at home earlier in the season having played well.

Arsenal have now won just one of their last 19 meetings with Liverpool in all competitions (D8 L10), beating them 2-1 at home in July 2020 after Klopp's men had already been crowned champions.

What's next?

Arsenal travel to Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday while it's FA Cup quarter-final action for Liverpool as they head to Nottingham Forest – who knocked the Gunners out in the third round – on Sunday.

Tottenham boosted their Premier League top-four hopes with a 2-0 victory over Brighton and Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium.

Goals from Cristian Romero and Harry Kane moved Antonio Conte's side to within three points of fourth-placed Arsenal – although that margin will increase should the Gunners avoid defeat against Liverpool later on Wednesday.

Romero opened his Tottenham account in the 37th minute when he diverted Dejan Kulusevski's effort past Robert Sanchez.

Kane doubled the visitors' lead and sealed the points 12 minutes after the break; becoming the Premier League's all-time leading away scorer as he netted his 95th such goal from 139 appearances.

Aiming to end a run of five successive defeats, Brighton almost gifted their opponents the lead inside five minutes.

After taking a heavy touch way outside his penalty area, Sanchez's attempted clearance was charged down by Kane. Despite having an empty goal to aim at, the England captain could only drag wide from a tight angle.

The visitors enjoyed over 56 per cent of the possession during the first half and eventually made their superiority tell eight minutes before the break.

Following a patient build-up, the well-placed Romero deflected Kulusevski's low first-time shot beyond Sanchez for his maiden Tottenham goal.

Kulusevski was presented with a tremendous opportunity to double the lead as he capitalised on Shane Duffy's loose header soon after, but Sanchez was quickly out to deny the Juventus loanee.

Tottenham did get their second goal following a quickfire counter in the 57th minute. Rodrigo Bentancur's throughball released Kane, who neatly slotted home.

Sanchez prevented Sergio Reguilon from increasing the advantage, but the visitors held on to claim a first win at the Amex Stadium since September 2018.

Harry Kane has broken the record for most Premier League goals scored away from home after netting in Tottenham's clash at Brighton and Hove Albion on Wednesday.

The 28-year-old put Spurs 2-0 up at the Amex Stadium, and in the process moved to 95 goals from 139 away appearances, and ahead of Wayne Rooney's 94 in the competition.

Kane surpassed the former Manchester United and Everton striker's benchmark despite having played in 104 fewer such games in the competition.

The next four from the England captain in the ranking - Rooney, Alan Shearer, Frank Lampard and Andrew Cole - all made over 200 appearances in the EPL.

With the goal, Kane also moved to 12 goals in the Premier League and 22 in all competitions for the year.

Mohamed Salah was named on the substitutes' bench for Liverpool's trip to Arsenal on Wednesday. 

The Egyptian sustained a foot injury in the 2-0 win at Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday, having already scored a penalty at the Amex Stadium. 

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp was confident the Premier League's top scorer would be fit for the game at Emirates Stadium, labelling him a "tough cookie", but Salah was only deemed fit for the bench. 

Klopp made two changes from the team that won at Brighton, with Thiago Alcantara and Diogo Jota replacing Naby Keita and Salah. 

Salah leads the league's scoring charts with 20 goals, comfortably ahead of Jota, Sadio Mane and Cristiano Ronaldo (12). 

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta named the same XI that won 2-0 against Leicester City on Sunday as he looked to do his former club Manchester City a favour. 

Liverpool would move just one point behind City with a win on Wednesday after the Premier League leaders drew 0-0 at Crystal Palace on Monday. 

The Gunners would further cement their place in the top four with a win, sitting a point ahead of Manchester United but with three games in hand. 

Liverpool have won their last two away games against Arsenal in all competitions, as many as they had in their previous 24 visits to the Emirates/Highbury combined (D10 L12). The Reds have never won three in a row away against the north London side in their history.