VIRGIL VAN DIJK

Manchester City and Liverpool left it late to secure victories in the Premier League.

It must be getting harder and harder for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta to deny his team is a genuine title challenger in the Premier League this season.

Croatia and the Netherlands finished warming up for the World Cup in style by winning their last Nations League games to qualify for the Final Four tournament next year.

Iñaki Williams is belatedly getting his chance to play at a World Cup thanks to his African roots.

Manchester United delivered a performance of intensity and spirit against a backdrop of protests against the club’s ownership to beat fierce rival Liverpool 2-1 and finally claim its first points in the Premier League this season.

Seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi was omitted from the 30-man list of nominees for the prestigious award.

The World Cup in Qatar takes place from Nov. 20-Dec. 18.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is in Lisbon this week for a Champions League quarterfinal match against Benfica and he has happy memories of the place.

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

Kylian Mbappe’s four goals in an 8-0 rout of Kazakhstan ensured defending champion France reached next year’s World Cup along with victorious Belgium.

Christian Eriksen was named player of the match in Denmark’s 1-0 loss to Finland at the European Championship.

Everton's Richarlison, second left celebrates with teammates after scoring the opening goal of the game during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Everton at Anfield in Liverpool, England, Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021. The worst form for Liverpool at home in the league since 1923 after a fourth straight loss. Even worse for Liverpool was losing yet another center back option as Jordan Henderson was forced off injured in the first half. Pickford dived at the feet of striker Mohamed Salah as Liverpool turned up the pressure without really laying siege to the Everton goal. While Southampton ended a six-game losing run in the league, the point stopped Chelsea recording a sixth straight win in all competitions.

Liverpool's manager Jurgen Klopp reacts during the English Premier League match between West Ham and Liverpool at the the London Stadium in London, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021. (John Walton/Pool via AP)LONDON – Liverpool looks set to address its injury crisis in central defense by making a low-key signing from England’s second division on the final day of the January transfer window. AdHenderson played alongside youngster Nathaniel Phillips in the 3-1 win at West Ham on Sunday, for the 12th different center-back partnership in 21 Premier League games this season. In a turbulent title defence, Liverpool are third in the league, four points behind first-place Manchester City, after playing one more game. Compare that to 2018, when teams splashed out a total of 420 million pounds ($575 million) in January and even last year, when 230 million pounds ($315 million) was spent in the winter window.

West Bromwich Albion's manager Sam Allardyce shouts during an English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and West Bromwich Albion at the Anfield stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday Dec. 27, 2020. (Clive Brunskill/Pool via AP)A trip to Anfield has become the most daunting match in English soccer. Unless, that is, you are Sam Allardyce. Go back to April 2017 and it was Allardyce who led Crystal Palace to a 2-1 win over Liverpool at Anfield. Indeed, Allardyce is unbeaten in each of his last four league games at Anfield.

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.

(AP Photo/Francisco Seco)ROME – Three years after an embarrassing failure to qualify for the World Cup, Italy is back in contention with the best in Europe. England, meanwhile, is already out of contention for the Nations League finals with one round of matches still to play. In all, more than 20 Italy players were unavailable due to the virus and injury. Jorginho converted a penalty for Italy midway through the first half after Andrea Belotti was brought down inside the area. WINNING WALESWales is the only unbeaten team in League B following a 1-0 win over Ireland, courtesy of David Brooks’ second-half header.

(AP Photo/Martin Meissner)With one point from its opening two games, Real Madrid is facing another fight to preserve its proud record of qualifying for the knockout stage in all of its seasons in the Champions League. Heading into the 87th minute against Borussia Mönchengladbach, Madrid was losing 2-0 and on course for four straight losses in the Champions League for the first time. Madrid is in bigger trouble, though, in its 25th campaign in the Champions League, in which the team has never been eliminated in the group stage. Defending champion Bayern Munich is having no such trouble, with a 2-1 victory at Lokomotiv Moscow extending its winning run in the Champions League to 13 games. However, Jota scored in the 55th for a historic goal for Liverpool and substitute Mohamed Salah converted a stoppage-time penalty.

Early in what proved to be a painful Merseyside derby for Liverpool, Van Dijk was the subject of a reckless lunge by Jordan Pickford that saw the Everton goalkeeper clatter into the extended right leg of the Netherlands defender. Van Dijk roared in agony and, tellingly, stayed down. There was no official word from Liverpool on the potential length of his absence, but Van Dijk reportedly left hospital on crutches in the evening. Van Dijk might have been marking Keane and Calvert-Lewin for both of those Everton chances. For Southampton’s second goal, Kurt Zouma underhit a back pass before goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga made two errors in a matter of seconds to allow Che Adams to score.

Leeds United's head coach Marcelo Bielsa calls out to his players during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Leeds United, at the Anfield stadium, in Liverpool, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020. (Phil Noble, Pool via AP)

Leeds United's head coach Marcelo Bielsa calls out to his players during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Leeds United, at the Anfield stadium, in Liverpool, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020. Bielsa’s first English Premier League game as a manager was barely a half-hour old and already there’d been five goals, countless chances and furious, end-to-end drama. Back in the top division after a 16-year absence, Leeds is certainly going to be a fun watch under the Argentine coaching great this season. “It was eventful,” Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk said with a smile, summing up a chaotic match. It was much more straightforward for Arsenal against another promoted team as the Premier League started a month later than scheduled due to the pandemic that is still preventing fans from attending games.

Liverpool won its first league title since 1990, clinching Thursday, June, 25, 2020. Players sprayed beer and bubbly all the same when Liverpool clinched its 19th league title but first since 1990 two years before the Premier League launched. There can be no disappointment in winning the Premier League! Henry wrote in an email to The Associated Press. Liverpool won its 18th league title in 1990, two years before the Premier League launched and helped transform soccer into the global business it would become. Henry and Werner embraced the turnaround, if unable to physically hug each other and the players.

Everton's Seamus Coleman, left, challenges Liverpool's Sadio Mane during the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Liverpool at Goodison Park in Liverpool, England, Sunday, June 21, 2020. Liverpool can become champions with a win if Burnley does not lose at second-place defending champion Manchester City on Monday. Liverpool lost to Watford in the penultimate Premier League match before the unexpected break in the league. Well try to improve every time.That has been the message since the week before the football shutdown in March when Liverpool was also knocked out of the Champions League and FA Cup. A 3-0 win over 10-man Sheffield United lifted Newcastle 11 points clear of the relegation zone with eight games remaining.