England Roundup: Brighton thrashes Liverpool to further Reds' slump in EPL

BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION 3, LIVERPOOL 0

Liverpool’s hopes of Champions League qualification took a blow after it was thrashed at Brighton 3-0 on Saturday.

Solly March scored twice to inflict another setback on Liverpool’s stuttering season, which has seen the Merseyside team lose six times in the English Premier League.

Substitute Danny Welbeck added a third in a win that left Jurgen Klopp’s team seven points adrift of the top four in eighth place.

The 2020 champions have dropped 26 points this season, with just 18 games gone.

Brighton moved above Liverpool into seventh after its first home win over the Reds since 1961.

Brighton had a penalty award overturned by VAR before halftime after replays showed March was offside before being brought down by Alisson.

Brighton's frustrations were alleviated by a rapid start to the second period as March scored in the 46th.

He doubled the advantage seven minutes later with a finish into the right corner from just inside the 18-yard box.

Welbeck sealed Brighton’s deserved victory nine minutes from time.

NOTTINGHAM FOREST 2, LEICESTER CITY 0

NOTTINGHAM, England (AP) — Brennan Johnson scored twice as Nottingham Forest boosted its chance of English Premier League survival by beating Leicester 2-0 on Saturday.

The result moved Forest above its East Midlands rival and five points clear of the relegation zone.

Leicester suffered a fourth straight loss in the league, while Forest has lost just one of its last six league games.

Johnson opened the scoring in the 56th minute when rounding Leicester goalkeeper Danny Ward and rolling the ball into an empty net. The flag went up for offside, but VAR overturned the decision.

Forest made the game safe in the 84th after Johnson got an assist from Morgan Gibbs-White.

The win marked a turnaround since the reverse fixture in October that saw Leicester win 4-0 in a game Forest manager Steve Cooper called the worst of his managerial career.

SOUTHAMPTON 2, EVERTON 1

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — James Ward-Prowse scored twice to help Southampton beat Everton 2-1 on Saturday in an English Premier League match overshadowed by security threats against Everton's board of directors.

Ward-Prowse struck a free kick over the wall past a frozen Jordan Pickford in the 78th minute after evening the score just after halftime at Goodison Park.

Amadou Onana gave Everton a 1-0 lead in the 39th when he headed down a corner kick past goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu.

With the win, Southampton was tied on points (15) with West Ham and Everton but remained in last place on goal difference. Everton was second from the bottom.

Thousands of Everton fans planned to remain in the stands in a sit-in protest against the club's board.

Everton manager Frank Lampard was given a vote of confidence this week from ownership but the loss will only pile more pressure on the Chelsea great as he approaches one year on the job.

Everton's winless streak stretched to nine games in all competitions.

It was Southampton's first win at Goodison Park since 1997.

MANCHESTER UNITED 2, MANCHESTER CITY 1

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Marcus Rashford struck the winner as Manchester United came from behind to beat Manchester City 2-1 in the Premier League on Saturday.

United issued a statement of its title intent with victory in the 189th Manchester derby to move within a point of the reigning champions.

Substitute Jack Grealish had put City ahead in the second half, but goals from Bruno Fernandes and Rashford secured the win for Eric ten Hag's team at Old Trafford.

It was Rashford's 16th goal of the season and his eighth in his last seven games.

The win sends United up to third place. It's the team's ninth straight victory in all competitions.

United ended a three-game losing streak to City that included a 6-3 rout in October. United, however, has been much-improved since then, moving into the top four.

This was the sternest test of its resurgence under Ten Hag, even with City coming off a surprise 2-0 loss to Southampton in the English League Cup on Wednesday.

United had the better chances in the first half, with Rashford having one shot cleared off the line by Manuel Akanji after rounding Ederson and then seeing another effort smothered by the City goalkeeper.

City took control after the break and Grealish opened the scoring in the 60th minute, just three minutes after coming on when he headed in Kevin de Bruyne's cross.

United evened the score against the run of play when Fernandes struck in the 78th minute.

The goal was initially ruled out by the referee's assistant because Rashford was in an offside position. However, that decision was overruled by VAR after it was confirmed the United forward did not touch the ball before Fernandes struck.

Rashford then hit the winner from close range just four minutes later when he converted substitute Alejandro Garnacho's cross.

WOLVERHAMPTON 1, WEST HAM UNITED 0

WOLVERHAMPTON, England (AP) — Daniel Podence's goal secured a 1-0 win for Wolverhampton Wanderers against fellow relegation struggler West Ham on Saturday.

West Ham dropped into the bottom three of the English Premier League, while Wolves climbed out of the drop zone.

Both sides went into the match at Molineux out of form, but it was the host who sealed a vital win courtesy of Podence's strike.

West Ham had won just one of its last nine league games and taken a single point from its previous six.

Wolves had just one victory in eight before this game but sealed all three points with a goal three minutes into the second half.

West Ham was caught upfield as Wolves broke at pace. On the edge of the box, Podence fired a low drive home for his third goal in five games.

West Ham has scored only six goals away from home in the league. It never looked like adding to that total.

Ruben Neves was close to adding to the Wolves' lead, but his long-range strike hit the crossbar.