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LIVERPOOL, England -- There are many reasons for Liverpool supporters to feel optimistic about their team's chances of ending a 29-year wait for a league title this season, but the goals conceded column is probably the most important of them all. Having completed a 5-1 destruction of Arsenal at Anfield to move nine points clear at the top of the Premier League, three days after hitting four goals past Newcastle, the strength of Jurgen Klopp's team is clearly its ability to score at will against almost any opponent. The same, though, could be said of Brendan Rodgers' side back in 2013-14, with Luis Suarez the focal point of an attacking force that scored 101 goals in 38 league games. The problem then was that Liverpool were not quite as impressive at the other end; the main reason they finished runners-up to Manchester City in the title race was because they conceded 50 times. In the final reckoning, Rodgers' men were not defensively strong enough to win the title, and t...

When their relationship reached breaking point in September it felt inevitable that only one from Paul Pogba and Jose Mourinho would survive long-term at Manchester United and the biggest surprise was just how rapidly the manager was ejected in the weeks that followed. As for Pogba, he may never be the player whom United hoped they were signing, one that could be transformative for a whole generation rather than just the occasional game, but the unshakeable confidence of the man who cost £89million endures nonetheless. Sometimes that can translate into the anonymous, careless performances that infuriate managers and other times, as with this occasion, he can deliver two goals and finish the day dancing in front of the Stretford End. Pogba was not United’s best player against Huddersfield, but when the moment demanded he buried two second half goals with the self-belief that seems impervious to the criticism that has followed in the wake of Mourinho’s departure. It was a little taste of...

O le Gunnar Solskjaer begins with a win. And a fine win at that. Rashford, Herrera, Martial and Lingard (2) all on the scoresheet as Man Utd hit Cardiff City for five. It's not even about how many goals were scored, it was the manner of the performance and the confidence. Yes, Cardiff were not the toughest of opponents but it was like the shackles were off for those United players.  Question is though, where were they under Mourinho?

J amie Vardy pounced to give Leicester and under-fire manager Claude Puel a valuable and worthy 1-0 win at Chelsea. Eden Hazard hit the crossbar in the first half and Vardy punished Chelsea's profligacy six minutes into the second half to ease the pressure on Puel with Leicester's first win at Stamford Bridge in 18 years. Maurizio Sarri's Blues, for whom Marcos Alonso hit a post in stoppage time, have now lost three of their last six Premier League games and  desperately need a goalscorer to ease the burden on Hazard . The Foxes had won just two of their nine games since the October 27 helicopter crash which resulted in the death of five people, including chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha. A run of two wins in 12 games had led to speculation Puel's position was in jeopardy, but a first win at Chelsea since September 2000 should ease the pressure. Vardy admitted the Frenchman's patient style did not suit him ahead of the contest, but his strike showed the value of ha...

R oy Hodgson never looked like being the man to bring the league title back to Anfield. Should Liverpool become champions for the first time since 1990, however, they may owe a debt of gratitude to their least popular manager of modern times. Liverpool take a four-point lead into Christmas after Hodgson’s Crystal Palace produced arguably the most unexpected result of the season to date. A side with a solitary point in their previous six away games ended the country’s only 100 per cent home league record. Manchester City were defeated and seemingly dumbfounded. Palace, who had not even scored a league goal at the Etihad Stadium since 2005, mustered three in 18 minutes. Andros Townsend’s thunderbolt was the shot that reshaped the title race. City delivered an unusually ragged display to get an uncharacteristic result as, for the first time in 23 months, they lost a league game to anyone outside the ‘big six’. While their supporters spent the early exchanges chorusing ‘bring back Mourinho...

It took one swipe of his left leg for Mesut Ozil to simultaneously take out six Burnley defenders and have his legion of loyal followers reaching for their social media accounts. No player splits opinion quite like Ozil, but the man whose perspective really counts, Arsenal manager Unai Emery, is doing a pretty good job of figuring out the German. Having left Ozil out of his squad for ‘tactical reasons’ for the highly-charged Carabao Cup quarter-final against Tottenham Hotspur, Emery felt this was the perfect day for Arsenal’s highest-earner. Not only did Emery bring Ozil back into his team, but he also handed the 30-year-old the captain’s armband – just as he had done against Leicester City in October. Ozil scored and assisted against the Foxes and the pass in the build-up to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s opener that set Arsenal on their way to this victory over Burnley demonstrated his value against opposition that like to sit back. Sead Kolasinac’s run had not been spotted by any of th...

Liverpool have edged ahead of Manchester City in what is turning into an enthralling Premier League title fight ahead of their clash at the Etihad Stadium on January 3.  Jurgen Klopp said that Liverpool 'are still Rocky Balboa, not Ivan Drago' in the summer, but they have traded punches well enough so far.  Although Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal still hope to have their say, the two favourites are well ahead on points as we approach the halfway point of the season. Will Pep Guardiola retain the title he won so emphatically in April, or can Klopp deliver Liverpool's first championship in 29 years? Sportsmail  takes a look at how the two rivals are shaping up. MANCHESTER CITY It's hard to fault City's quality in any area. One look at their bench tells you just how much strength in depth Guardiola has at his disposal.  He can select from an awesome array of world-class players in just about every position.  Perhaps one area where City are lacking at the mome...

Off-field drama has blighted an otherwise bright campaign for the Barcelona star Barcelona full-back Jordi Alba insisted the La Liga leaders are happy with Ousmane Dembele, but admitted the forward has areas for improvement off the pitch.   Dembele, 21, has endured disciplinary issues this season, but showcased his talent with a stunning individual goal against Tottenham  in the Champions League on Tuesday. Despite that performance however, Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde conceded Dembele wasn't off the hook just yet after showing up two hours late to training. Alba and his team-mates seemingly have no problem with the France international however, although the Spaniard revealed Dembele's off-field behavior could use some work. "He is an important player for us," he said on Thursday. "He's young, but in the dressing room we've never had any issues. At the end of the day he is playing well. "Things can improve off the pitch but we are happ...