HARRY KANE

All roads now lead to Qatar for Europe’s top soccer nations after they played their final competitive games ahead of the World Cup.

Jack Grealish and Son Heung-min are two of the English Premier League’s most high-profile players and have been facing growing criticism for their failure to score this season.

LONDON — (AP) — It might be time for Liverpool to start worrying about its slow start to the English Premier League. “It’s not the start we wanted,” Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said. Bournemouth came from 2-0 down in the second half to earn a 3-2 away win at Nottingham Forest in a game between promoted sides, while Wolverhampton earned its first victory of the season by beating Southampton 1-0. Newcastle missed a host of chances as it was held at home by Crystal Palace to 0-0. Manchester City played at Aston Villa late, while leader Arsenal was traveling to Manchester United on Sunday.

It might be time for Liverpool to start worrying about its slow start to the English Premier League.

LONDON — (AP) — Harry Kane used to be regarded as a slow starter to Premier League seasons. FIRST POINTS FOR WEST HAMWest Ham recorded its first points and first goal of the league season with a victory at Aston Villa. UNBEATEN MAGPIESAllan Saint-Maximin’s stunning 90th-minute equalizer saw Newcastle snatch a draw at Wolverhampton, salvaging its unbeaten start to the Premier League season. The point does little to raise hopes at Molineux with Wolves still looking for the first league win of the season. SATURDAY'S GAMESLiverpool blew away Bournemouth 9-0 at Anfield on Saturday, equaling the record for the biggest-ever victory in the Premier League.

Harry Kane used to be regarded as a slow starter to Premier League seasons.

Brazil great Ronaldo was a special guest at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday and he was pictured holding up a replica No. It was also Kane's 250th goal for Tottenham. “It’s been a fantastic nine or 10 years in the Premier League," Kane said. FRUSTRATED FOXESThese are already worrying times for Leicester — and not just because Brendan Rodgers' team has yet to record a win after three games. “There have been a few offers in for some players nowhere near the valuation the club would want to sell.

It was a milestone day for Harry Kane in the Premier League.

Playing as the center forward for Brazil at a World Cup is one of the biggest honors in soccer and Gabriel Jesus knows all about it.

Manchester City has agreed to sign Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund.

Liverpool is top of the English Premier League again after drawing with Tottenham 1-1 but Manchester City can go three points clear on Sunday.

Arsenal remained in fourth place after Gabriel's header secured a 2-1 win at West Ham in the Premier League.

Scottie Scheffler can play in the Masters forever now.

It was a Premier League day that could hardly have gone any better for Tottenham.

(AP Photo/Ian Walton) (Ian Walton)With north London rivals Tottenham and Arsenal neck and neck, the fight for Champions League qualification looks like being as hard fought as the title race in the English Premier League. It lifted Spurs above Arsenal into fourth place, the final qualification spot for the Champions League, but only on goal difference. Arsenal has two games in hand, the first being a tricky one at Crystal Palace on Monday. Fourth place might not be the ceiling for Tottenham and Arsenal, who have only the Premier League to focus on. That lifted West Ham into sixth place, above Manchester United, and three points behind Tottenham and Arsenal.

APTOPIX Britain Soccer Premier League Tottenham's Steven Bergwijn, foreground, celebrates with Son Heung-min, after scoring his side's fifth goal during the Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle at Tottenham Hotspur stadium, in London, England, Sunday, April 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Ian Walton) (Ian Walton)With north London rivals Tottenham and Arsenal neck and neck, the fight for Champions League qualification looks like being as hard fought as the title race in the English Premier League. It lifted Spurs above Arsenal into fourth place, the final qualification spot for the Champions League, but only on goal difference. Fourth place might not be the ceiling for Tottenham and Arsenal, who have only the Premier League to focus on. A 2-1 win over relegation-threatened Everton lifted West Ham into sixth place, above Manchester United, and three points behind Tottenham and Arsenal.

North London rivals Tottenham and Arsenal are neck and neck in the fight for Champions League qualification in the English Premier League.

(AP Photo/Jon Super) (Jon Super)The Premier League title race really is back on. His second — the winning goal — came in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Kane celebrating scoring goals at Etihad Stadium was something City fans thought they'd enjoy seeing this season. By Wednesday, City could find its lead over Liverpool down to just three points. Tottenham completed an improbable double over City, having beaten the champions 1-0 in the opening round, and the London team continues to cause City pain.

The Premier League title race really is back on and it’s all because of Harry Kane.

(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) (Kirsty Wigglesworth)LONDON — (AP) — Once Hakim Ziyech's curling, dipping strike landed in the Tottenham goal, Chelsea never looked back. Chelsea should never have doubted its four-match winless run in the Premier League would end on Sunday. It's now 33 wins for Chelsea against Tottenham in the Premier League era — more than against any other opponent. But for all Kane harangued referee Paul Tierney at halftime, Tottenham crumbling so soon after the break made the win for Chelsea look inevitable. And Man United is only two points ahead in the fourth Champions League place having played two more games than Tottenham.

Hakim Ziyech’s curling, dipping strike and Thiago Silva's header gave Chelsea a 2-0 win over Tottenham to end a four-match winless run in the Premier League.

Tottenham has staged the latest-ever comeback to win a Premier League game.

Arsenal has failed to transfer its improved Premier League form to the FA Cup in losing 1-0 to second-tier Nottingham Forest in the second big shock of the third round.

Liverpool has lost 1-0 to Leicester in a big blow to the team's chances of winning the Premier League title.

Britain Soccer Premier League Manchester City's Raheem Sterling scores his side's fourth goal, during the English Premier League soccer match between Newcastle and Manchester City at St. James' Park, Newcastle, England, Sunday, Dec. 19, 2021. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP) (Owen Humphreys)LONDON — (AP) — Chelsea complained about having to play with a coronavirus-depleted squad in drawing at Wolverhampton. And Manchester City just strolled further in front at the top of the Premier League. CITY RAMPANTAn eighth straight league win for City was started by defender Ciaran Clark allowing Ruben Dias to head in the opener at Newcastle before Joao Cancelo struck powerfully. It was City's 34th league victory in 2021, surpassing the previous calendar year record in England set by Liverpool in 1982.

Chelsea complained about having to play with a coronavirus-depleted squad in drawing 0-0 at Wolverhampton.

Britain Soccer Premier League Manchester United's manager Ralf Rangnick celebrates at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Crystal Palace at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021. Ralf Rangnick is already working his magic at Manchester United. CONTE'S LATEST WINAnother manager who has had a successful start at a Premier League team is Antonio Conte. This season, after 14 matches, he has one goal and one assist — and they came in the same game at Newcastle. KONSA INSPIRES GERRARD'S VILLAThe new-manager bounce is in full force at Aston Villa, too, under Steven Gerrard after a 2-1 win over Leicester.

Ralf Rangnick has started his tenure as Manchester United manager with a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League thanks to a rare goal from Fred at Old Trafford.

Italy will have to go through the playoffs once again in its bid to reach the World Cup.

Italy is facing another detour to get to a World Cup final. The playoffs beckon for the Azzurri — just like four years ago — after stumbling to 0-0 at Northern Ireland on Monday, plunging the recently crowned European champion to a second-place finish behind Switzerland in their qualifying group. Switzerland leapfrogged Italy with a 4-0 win over Bulgaria.

West Ham ended Liverpool’s 25-match unbeaten run in all competitions with a 3-2 victory that dislodged the team from third place in the Premier League.

Britain Soccer Premier League Tottenham's Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg celebrates with Son Heung-min, left, after scoring his side's opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa, at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London, Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021. (AP Photo/Ian Walton (Ian Walton)LONDON — (AP) — Tottenham ended a three-match losing run in the Premier League by beating Aston Villa 2-1 on Sunday. Tottenham had lost its last three league games by an aggregate score of 9-1. Harry Kane, though, remains without a goal for Tottenham in the league this season. The striker squandered a number of good chances and has now gone six league games without a goal for the first time since 2015.

Tottenham ended a three-match losing run in the Premier League by beating Aston Villa 2-1.

Bukayo Saka set up Jesse Lingard's opening goal and then completed England's 4-0 victory over Andorra with a header in a World Cup qualifier.

Britain Soccer Premier League Manchester City's Rodrigo, right, celebrates after scoring his side's fourth goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Arsenal at Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira) (Rui Vieira)MANCHESTER, England — (AP) — Manchester City didn't need Harry Kane or Cristiano Ronaldo to destroy Arsenal. With four different scorers in the 5-0 win on Saturday, maybe the attacking options currently available to Pep Guardiola are enough to defend the Premier League title. Having lost its opening game to Tottenham, City was already playing catch-up. But while City moved onto six points, four of the teams with perfect starts dropped points in their third games on Saturday.

Britain Soccer Premier League Manchester City's Rodrigo, right, celebrates after scoring his side's fourth goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Arsenal at Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira) (Rui Vieira)MANCHESTER, England — (AP) — Manchester City didn't need Harry Kane or Cristiano Ronaldo to destroy Arsenal. With four different scorers in the 5-0 win on Saturday, maybe the attacking options currently available to Pep Guardiola are enough to defend the Premier League title. Or maybe it's just a sign of Arsenal's frailties that City so easily dismantled a side that has now lost all three league games without scoring. Brentford is on five points in its first-ever Premier League season after drawing 1-1 at Aston Villa.

Two goals and an assist from Ferran Torres led Manchester City to a 5-0 victory over 10-man Arsenal.

Italy Soccer Serie A Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo goes for the ball during the Serie A soccer match between Udinese and Juventus, at the Dacia Arena in Udine, Italy, Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021. (Andrea Bressanutti/LaPresse via AP) (Andrea Bressanutti)TURIN, Italy — (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo has told Juventus that he wants to leave, potentially setting up a head-to-head between fierce rivals Manchester United and Manchester City for the signature of the five-time world player of the year. Allegri added that Ronaldo will miss the Serie A match against Empoli on Saturday as a result. But City may have competition for Ronaldo in its neighbor, United, for whom Ronaldo played from 2003-09. ___More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2021 The Associated Press.

Britain Soccer Premier League Chelsea's Romelu Lukaku reacts after scoring his side's first goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Chelsea at the Emirates stadium in London, England, Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Ian Walton) (Ian Walton)Romelu Lukaku and Harry Kane, two of the world's best strikers, were back in action in the Premier League on Sunday after some time away. Both Chelsea and Tottenham have opened the season with two straight victories. Mason Greenwood's second-half goal earned United a point from a 1-1 draw at Southampton. Paul Pogba set up the goal with his fifth assist already this season, having set up four in United's 5-1 win over Leeds on the opening weekend.

Superstar strikers Harry Kane and Romelu Lukaku have been back in action in the Premier League after some time away.

The prospect for Tottenham of life without Harry Kane might not be so terrifying after all.

England lost the Euro 2020 soccer championship final match to Italy on Sunday July 11. (AP Photo/Tony Hicks) (Tony Hicks)LONDON — (AP) — British police said Thursday they have made 11 arrests in connection with the online racial abuse of England soccer players following their team's loss to Italy in the final of the European Championship last month. The unit said that of the 207 criminal social media posts identified, 123 accounts belong to individuals outside the U.K. and their details are being shared with the relevant countries. Roberts said the Football Policing Unit is “seeking engagement” with the players themselves to offer support and to seek their input on the investigation and any subsequent prosecutions. Prince William, the president of the English Football Association, said he was “sickened” by the racism aimed at the England players.

British police have made 11 arrests in connection with the online racial abuse of England soccer players following their team’s loss to Italy in the final of the European Championship last month.

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced plans to ban anyone guilty of online racist abuse from attending soccer matches after three Black players on England’s national team were targeted.

England coach Gareth Southgate says he's responsible for the choice of penalty takers after a shootout loss to Italy in the European Championship final.

(Andy Rain/Pool Photo via AP) (Andy Rain)The Latest on soccer’s European Championship:___Luke Shaw’s goal for England was the quickest scored in a European Championship final. The previous fastest goal scored in a European Championship final was in 1964 when Chus Pereda scored for Spain 5:17 into the match against the Soviet Union. ___The European Championship final between Italy and England has started at Wembley Stadium in London. ___England has changed its formation to a 3-4-3 and recalled Kieran Trippier for the European Championship final against Italy. ___Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic tried to give a diplomatic answer when asked which team he thinks will win the European Championship final.

Britain England Italy Euro 2020 Soccer England's goalkeeper Jordan Pickford waves to the fans before the Euro 2020 soccer final match between England and Italy at Wembley stadium in London, Sunday, July 11, 2021. ___England has changed its formation to a 3-4-3 and recalled Kieran Trippier for the European Championship final against Italy. ___Italy’s players walked onto the field at Wembley Stadium in street clothes soon after England ahead of the European Championship final. ___Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic tried to give a diplomatic answer when asked which team he thinks will win the European Championship final. ___The England and Italy team buses have arrived at Wembley Stadium about 90 minutes before kickoff in the European Championship final against Italy.

Britain England Italy Euro 2020 Soccer Italy delegation chief Gianluca Vialli gestures while walking on the pitch prior the start of the Euro 2020 soccer championship final match between England and Italy at Wembley Stadium in London, Sunday, July 11, 2021. ___England has changed its formation to a 3-4-3 and recalled Kieran Trippier for the European Championship final against Italy. ___Italy’s players walked onto the field at Wembley Stadium in street clothes soon after England ahead of the European Championship final. ___The England and Italy team buses have arrived at Wembley Stadium about 90 minutes before kickoff in the European Championship final against Italy. ___Thousands of fans have created a party atmosphere outside Wembley Stadium before the European Championship final between England and Italy.

Britain England Italy Euro 2020 Soccer England manager Gareth Southgate and his team prepare to leave the Grove Hotel, Hertfordshire, England, and head to Wembley Stadium for the Euro 2020 soccer championship final match between England and Italy Sunday July 11, 2021. ___Italy’s players walked onto the field at Wembley Stadium in street clothes soon after England ahead of the European Championship final. ___Fans outside Wembley Stadium have tried to get into the stadium through a low barrier for the European Championship final between England and Italy. ___The England and Italy team buses have arrived at Wembley Stadium about 90 minutes before kickoff in the European Championship final against Italy. ___Thousands of fans have created a party atmosphere outside Wembley Stadium before the European Championship final between England and Italy.

Many British people of color have long had an ambivalent relationship with symbols of Englishness and England's national soccer team.

___England and Denmark are heading to extra time with the score level at 1-1 in the European Championship semifinals. ___The European Championship semifinal match between England and Denmark has started at Wembley Stadium. ___Fans have started coming into Wembley Stadium hours before the European Championship semifinal match between England and Denmark. ___Will it be England or will it be Denmark against Italy in the European Championship final? This is the farthest Denmark has gotten at a major soccer tournament since winning the European Championship title in 1992.

Britain England Denmark Euro 2020 Soccer England's Harry Kane, bottom, celebrates with his teammates after scoring his side's second goal during the Euro 2020 soccer semifinal match between England and Denmark at Wembley stadium in London, Wednesday, July 7, 2021. (Laurence Griffiths/Pool Photo via AP) (Laurence Griffiths)LONDON — (AP) — England has broken through its semifinal ceiling at major soccer tournaments. England showed another side by rallying for victory after conceding a goal for the first time at Euro 2020 when Mikkel Damsgaard curled a free kick into the top corner in the 30th. An own-goal by Simon Kjaer in the 39th evened the score, and England dominated the second half against a tiring opponent. ___More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports___Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80Copyright 2021 The Associated Press.

England has broken through its semifinal ceiling at major soccer tournaments.

Britain England Denmark Euro 2020 Soccer England's Harry Kane, bottom, celebrates with his teammates after scoring his side's second goal during the Euro 2020 soccer semifinal match between England and Denmark at Wembley stadium in London, Wednesday, July 7, 2021. (Laurence Griffiths/Pool Photo via AP) (Laurence Griffiths)The Latest on soccer’s European Championship:___England is headed to the European Championship final after beating Denmark 2-1 in extra time. ___The European Championship semifinal match between England and Denmark has started at Wembley Stadium. ___Fans have started coming into Wembley Stadium hours before the European Championship semifinal match between England and Denmark. ___Will it be England or will it be Denmark against Italy in the European Championship final?

Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand says he cannot understand how a decisive penalty was awarded against his team in the 2-1 loss to England in the European Championship semifinals.

APTOPIX Italy Ukraine England Euro 2020 Soccer England's Harry Kane celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the Euro 2020 soccer championship quarterfinal match between Ukraine and England at the Olympic stadium in Rome, Saturday, July 3, 2021. Harry Kane scored twice and England overwhelmed Ukraine 4-0 Saturday to reach the European Championship semifinals. Harry Maguire and Jordan Henderson also scored as England kept a clean sheet for the fifth straight match. Kane scored on England’s first opportunity in the fourth minute, using one touch to redirect a through ball from Raheem Sterling for his second goal in as many matches. Kane won the Golden Boot with six goals the 2018 World Cup, when England also reached the semifinals.

England has reached the European Championship semifinals by beating Ukraine 4-0.

APTOPIX Britain England Germany Euro 2020 Soccer England's Harry Kane, bottom, is celebrated by teammates after scoring his side's 2nd goal the Euro 2020 soccer championship round of 16 match between England and Germany, at Wembley stadium in London, Tuesday, June 29, 2021. This was a day more reminiscent, albeit with a long way to go in Euro 2020, of the 1966 World Cup final win over them on the same site. It was on penalties that Germany also beat England in the 1990 World Cup semifinals. Then there was the English goal wrongfully disallowed as Germany knocked the English out of the 2010 World Cup. Just like at the 1966 World Cup — and that ended well.

Raheem Sterling’s third goal at the European Championship helped England beat Germany 2-0 and put the team into the quarterfinals.

Hungary Portugal France Euro 2020 Soccer France's Kylian Mbappe runs during warmup before the Euro 2020 soccer championship group F match between Portugal and France at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Wednesday, June 23, 2021. Nor the fact that both strikers are being talked about for transfers to new clubs after the European Championship. Although prolific for their clubs — Mbappé with 27 league goals and Kane with 23 — neither has managed to replicate their domestic scoring output at the European Championship. “Inevitably he’s come through those periods and scored important goals for us and played exceptionally well. WING BACKSWhile some leading strikers are struggling to make an impact, this tournament has been a stage for wing backs to shine.

The group stage of the European Championship is compete.

APTOPIX England Czech Republic Euro 2020 Soccer England's Raheem Sterling, right, scores his team's first goal during the Euro 2020 soccer championship group D match between the Czech Republic and England at Wembley stadium, London, Tuesday, June 22, 2021. (Neil Hall/Pool Photo via AP) (Neil Hall)LONDON — (AP) — At least England now knows it can rely on Raheem Sterling for goals. Sterling scored his second goal at Euro 2020 on Tuesday to secure a 1-0 victory over the Czech Republic at Wembley Stadium. How unlike the 2014 and 2018 World Cups, and Euro 2016, when Sterling was unable to find the net. Kane at least managed his first shot on target of Euro 2020 against the Czechs after failing to do so against Croatia and in the 0-0 draw with Scotland.

Raheem Sterling scored again at the European Championship and England beat the Czech Republic 1-0 to win Group D.

Britain England Scotland Euro 2020 Soccer England's Harry Kane, right, shakes hands with his coach Gareth Southgate as he leaves the pitch during the Euro 2020 soccer championship group D match between England and Scotland, at Wembley stadium, in London, Friday, June 18, 2021. (Facundo Arrizabalaga/Pool via AP) (Facundo Arrizabalaga)LONDON — (AP) — No goals from Harry Kane at Euro 2020. No plans for England coach Gareth Southgate to drop his star striker. But Kane is keeping his place in the side for the Group D finale against the Czech Republic at Wembley Stadium. “He is fundamental not only to the goals he scores, but the buildup play and everything else he brings," Southgate said Sunday.

Harry Kane will be keeping his place in the team for England’s final group match against the Czech Republic at the European Championship.

APTOPIX Britain England Scotland Euro 2020 Soccer England's Harry Kane heads the ball during the Euro 2020 soccer championship group D match between England and Scotland at Wembley stadium in London, Friday, June 18, 2021. (Carl Recine /Pool Photo via AP) (Carl Recine)LONDON — (AP) — Not even with the Premier League’s top scorer could England find a way past Scotland. On his good days, Kane is one of the game’s ultimate goal threats for both Tottenham and England. But the sluggish striker never came close to scoring in the 0-0 draw between the two teams Friday at the European Championship. ___More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2021 The Associated Press.

England and Scotland played to a 0-0 draw at the European Championship.

(Laurence Griffiths, Pool via AP) (Laurence Griffiths)The Latest on soccer’s European Championship:___A soccer fan has been taken to a London hospital in serious condition after falling from the stands at Wembley Stadium during England’s 1-0 victory over Croatia at the European Championship. ___England midfielder Jude Bellingham has become the youngest player to appear at a European Championship. ___Raheem Sterling scored his first tournament goal to give England a 1-0 victory over Croatia at the European Championship. Boesen led the work in giving Eriksen CPR after he collapsed during Denmark’s European Championship game against Finland on Saturday. But England will be playing at home this time at Wembley Stadium in London.

Liverpool and Chelsea secured the final two Champions League qualification spots on the last day of the Premier League season as Leicester missed out in the three-way fight for a top-four finish.

Soccer Ipswich Ed Sheeran FILE - In this Friday, Feb. 23, 2018 file photo, singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran arrives for the screening of the film 'Songwriter' during the 68th edition of the International Film Festival Berlin, Berlinale, in Berlin, Germany. Sheeran is the new shirt sponsor for third-division English soccer club Ipswich, it was announced Thursday, May 6, 2021. The “Shape of You” singer signed a one-year deal to sponsor the men’s and women’s shirts next season. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, file) (Markus Schreiber)IPSWICH, England — (AP) — English singer Ed Sheeran is the new shirt sponsor for third-division soccer club Ipswich. England captain Harry Kane is the shirt sponsor of fourth-division club Leyton Orient, his former club.

English singer Ed Sheeran is the new shirt sponsor for third-division soccer club Ipswich.

Tottenham has fired Jose Mourinho after only 17 months in charge and just as he was preparing to coach the club in the League Cup final.

Defending leads used to be a forte of Jose Mourinho but not anymore.

(AP Photo/Hektor Pustina)World Cup qualifying in Europe took a quirky turn when the goalposts were removed before a match between Switzerland and Lithuania because they were deemed the incorrect size. Like Spain, France started its qualification campaign with an unexpected draw at home but also got back on track in its second game, easing to a 2-0 win at Kazakhstan. Meanwhile, Denmark became the latest European team to use the World Cup qualifiers to direct attention to workers’ rights in 2022 host Qatar. ITALY FLYINGItaly's back-to-back wins to open World Cup qualifying come after a perfect 10 wins in qualifying for Euro 2020. RECORD WINDenmark earned its biggest win in a World Cup or European Championship qualifier.

Even after coming from behind to beat Tottenham 2-1, Arsenal is in 10th place and 10 points from the top four. The more significant results on Sunday in the Champions League chase were victories for Manchester United and Leicester, which both pulled further clear. Leicester remains a point behind United after routing Sheffield United 5-0. DERBY JOYAlexandre Lacazette captained Arsenal with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang out of the starting lineup following a breach of pre-match protocols. AdIHEANACHO HAT TRICKIt was a miserable start to life without Chris Wilder for last-place Sheffield United, although Leicester had to wait until six minutes before halftime to find a breakthrough.

(Matthew Childs/Pool via AP)LONDON – Gareth Bale turned back time for Tottenham, while Chelsea and Manchester United seemed happy just to play out time. Chelsea kept its unbeaten record under manager Thomas Tuchel in a 0-0 draw with Man United as both teams appeared reluctant to risk losing one point in the hope of getting three. However, Mourinho warned that Bale would still have to rest for some upcoming games to manage his form and fitness. He had scored six goals and assisted three more in his team's previous 10 league games. The draw left Scott Parker's team unbeaten in five league games, with only one goal conceded during that time, but still 18th and three points adrift of safety.

Tottenham's Gareth Bale warms up during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and West Bromwich Albion at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021. “I don’t think it is an obvious injury,” Mourinho said, adding that he was “surprised” by the latest fitness status of a fragile player who it’s increasingly clear he cannot rely on. And, frustratingly, another likely lay-off for the Wales international whose second spell at Tottenham just cannot get going. With Tottenham playing City in the league on Saturday, it looks like Bale won’t be at Etihad Stadium again. AdBale’s one league goal since his return remains the headed winner against Brighton on Nov. 1, a moment many thought would kickstart his second spell at Tottenham.

Liverpool's goalkeeper Alisson stands on the pitch during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Manchester City at Anfield Stadium, Liverpool, England, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021. Leicester moved three points ahead of Liverpool in third after drawing 0-0 with Wolverhampton. AdOn a freezing day across England, Klopp could only figure that the icy conditions were to blame for a blundering performance by goalkeeper Alisson Becker that proved so costly. It was only 35 days earlier that a 3-1 win at Chelsea took City to fifth, four points behind then-leader Liverpool with a game in hand. Jorginho’s 58th-minute penalty clinched the win over the last-place team after Timo Werner was brought down by goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.

Alexandre Lacazette scored twice in a 4-0 rout of West Bromwich Albion that took Arsenal up to 11th place. Tottenham is six points better off in third place after Son scored and got an assist in a 3-0 victory over Leeds. SON-KANE COMBOSon and Harry Kane equaled the Premier League record for most goal combinations in a season, leveling Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton’s tally of 13 from 1994-95. With all stadiums denied fans due to pandemic restrictions, the South Korean could only celebrate his 100th goal with teammates. “We could have scored more goals," Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho said.

Liverpool's manager Jurgen Klopp gestures during the English Premier League soccer match between Fulham and Liverpool, at Craven Cottage stadium, London, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020. They weren’t alone, in what has proved a tough weekend for the Premier League’s likely title candidates. Liverpool ends the weekend in second place after 12 games, tied on 25 points with Tottenham. The pair meet at Anfield on Wednesday in the headline fixture in a midweek round of games in the Premier League where rotation might be heavy across the division. Only Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton, with 13, have combined for more goals in a single top-flight season than Kane and Son.

Liverpool fans applaud during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield Stadium, Liverpool, England, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020. (Peter Powell/Pool via AP)LONDON – Fans of Premier League title challengers Liverpool and Tottenham had waited since March to watch their teams win from the stands. Spurs supporters — a maximum of 2,000 under coronavirus restrictions, and no away fans — were treated to a 2-0 win over fierce north London rival Arsenal. It was the first Tottenham home game since fans were allowed back in stadiums in England. Liverpool responded with a 4-0 win over Wolverhampton to stay level with league leader Tottenham on points.