Liverpool’s title run looked to have taken a big hit when Mo Salah started to experience a major dip in form and the alarm bells started ringing around Anfield as Pep’s Man City crept closer and closer to overtaking the Reds at the top of the league.

Thankfully for Jurgen Klopp, Sadio Mane took over the duties to score goals and has been nothing short of phenomenal for Liverpool.

The timing of Mane’s run of form couldn’t have come at a more crucial time for Liverpool with his goals helping the Reds to maintain their position at the summit of England.

Following his goal scoring exploits against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, the forward was on target again during the 2-1 win over Fulham last Sunday.

His rich rein of form hasn’t gone unnoticed with some reports out there suggesting that Zinedine Zidane has earmarked the 26-year-old as one of his priority signings for the summer.

Notably it was Mane who scored for the Reds against Real Madrid in Kiev last year and if he can maintain his current run of form, it won’t be long before other big guns around Europe coming knocking on Liverpool’s door for his signature.

The former Saints striker will now be hoping to help his national side as well when Senegal takes on Madagascar in the qualifiers for the Africa Nations cup on Saturday.

While his run of form has already pleased Reds supporters, the striker has given them yet another reason to sign his praises while on international duty.

While walking up to fans during training, Mane just couldn’t resist taking a dig at rivals Manchester United when he spotted a Senegalese United fan holding up a banner asking his international teammate Kalidou Koulibaly to sign for the Red Devils.

A video of the incident has surfaced which shows the striker shaking his head in clear disapproval and then shows a thumbs down towards the poster.

The show of allegiance from Mane seems to have gone down pretty well with Reds fans judging by reactions to the clip on Twitter.

Steven Gerrard’s Rangers side suffered another setback in their efforts to reduce the gap at the top of the table with arch-rivals Celtic as they were held by Kilmarnock here at the Ibrox stadium.

The Gers were looking to build up momentum before their all-important clash with the league leaders but a 29th-minute strike from Conor McAleny put them behind in the first half.

It was the talismanic Colombian Alfredo Morelos who helped them get back into the game after he swiftly turned away from his marker to put the ball in the Killies net.

The home side kept pushing for a late winner but it never came thanks to lack of composer in front of the goal.

And during this gruelling competition, Morelos got involved in another off the ball incident which attracted a lot of media attention.

In a viral footage, Morelos and Broadfoot appeared to be engaged in a war of words before the Colombian decided to walk away.

The Killies defender followed him and appeared to stomp the Colombian on his achilles.

Morelos reacted instantly and seemed to fling his hand towards the Englishman.

The match referee, having possibly missing to spot the incident, decided to let it slide and did not punish any of the players involved with marching orders.

But it did not go well with pundit Barry Ferguson who demanded the Colombian to exercise more restraint and avoid escalation at any cost.

And according to the replies to the twee above, it seems the majority of the Rangers fans do not agree with their former player and many of them pointed out that it was Morelos who is at the receiving end of physical abuses in most of the games.

What’s your thought about this incident? Let us know in the comments below.

Barcelona and Lionel Messi show no signs of slowing down and extended their lead at the top of La Liga to 10 points with a commanding 4-1 win over Real Betis.

The Catalan club looks almost unstoppable now as they march towards another league title while their fellow title rivals are struggling to get points on the board.

While the footballing world is rarely surprised by this point when reading about Messi’s goal-scoring exploits, the little magician still finds ways to create an aura of amazement around his every move.

In the win over Betis, Messi produced another magical performance which was nothing short of the stuff portrayed in fairy tale movies.

Grabbing a hat-trick is one thing but to get it in a way that leaves everyone watching dumbfounded is on an entirely different level and that’s what makes the Argentine standout from other world class players out there.

Betis had got the better of this Barcelona side earlier in the season, and a staunch determination to avenge that loss was clearly visible in the players as soon as the match started.

Messi set the tone early with an inch perfect free-kick from 20 yards out before tip-toeing Suarez’ pass for a second, minutes before the half time whistle.

The Uruguayan added a third not long after the restart and with the fixture done and dusted, it was widely expected that Messi would grab his third at some point before the game ended.

But even his most devoted fans couldn’t have foreseen what came next as the 5-time Ballon d’Or winner once again reminded the world why he is regarded as the G.O.A.T in football.

While Messi had already beaten him twice before, the last thing Pau Lopez would have expecting was for Messi to try for the audacious chip during a late Barca attack.

But Messi is Messi and pulling off pieces of skills that other players can’t even grasp yet alone execute, is how the Argentine has built his reputation.

The goal left the whole Benito Villamarin Stadium stunned with cries of “Messi Messi” reverberating around every corner as everyone capable of standing stood on their feet to applauded the extraordinary performance.

Even the players on the pitch were left in awe after the goal went in and can be seen looking around in disbelief as Messi reels away in celebration. Check it out below –

Their reaction is a testament of his footballing ability and the fact that no matter how long or wherever he plays, the little magician can still finds ways to take your breath away.

The 2-0 defeat at Goodison Park was Chelsea’s 7th loss of the season in the Premier League. This was their chance to go above Manchester United and Arsenal on the table, having had one game in hand on both the teams. Even though there are 8 more matches to be played chances of finishing in the top 4 seem bleak. Chelsea has become a team that can keep the ball but cannot do much with it. The system has now become boring and fans demand results.

Back in 2015, in Mourinho’s last tenure fans were angry and shocked looking at how the team was performing. In 2017 the fans were just disappointed and were confused as to how the defending champions were performing so badly. But now losses don’t seem to surprise the fans at all. They just want to get past this poor season and hope for a fresh start. There are multiple reasons which make this season the most forgettable one for the fans.

• Absence of Abramovich in London

Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003 and it didn’t take time for him to make a massive impact on both, the club and the league.  He flushed in money helping Chelsea to buy world class players. He is also to be credited for the decisions he took while hiring managers such as Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, and Antonio Conte. Under his ownership the club has won 5 league titles, 5 FA cup titles, 2 community shields, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Champions League. He has always pressed his managers to perform well and when they failed to give results, he has not thought twice before replacing them.

But his current visa issues have caused a massive reduction in his involvement with the club. A regular face in every match, Abramovich is forced out of his own fortress. He’s had to put a hold on the new stadium as well. Chelsea surely is missing his authoritative figure.

• Directors lack genuine football pedigree 

Marina Granovskaia and Eugene Tenenbaum, the directors at Chelsea, have been with Abramovich since 2003. Both used to work for him before he took over the club. Granovskaia, one of the strongest women in football, is responsible for the Nike sponsorship deal. Even though they have been in the club for a long time, there’s no secret that both of them have no connection with football whatsoever. They are Chelsea’s key transfer negotiators and have often been criticized by the managers for not buying players they had asked for. They may know what’s best for business, but fail to understand what’s best for the club’s performance.

• Predictable nature of Sarri Ball

Maurizio Sarri did wonders in his time at Napoli. He replaced fellow Italian manager Antonio Conte in the summer of 2018. Sarri completely changed the style of play and brought an effective change in the system, going unbeaten for 12 games in the league. But the other teams cracked down his tactics. Sarri has since looked out of his depth. We see the same old routine and the same substitutions have irritated the fans. Sarri has been quite rigid and has time and again blamed the players rather than changing the system. Blocking Jorginho seems like the only thing oppositions need to do in order to defeat Chelsea.

• The absence of a leader in the dressing room 

Nobody in the dressing room seems to have taken up the responsibility for the team’s poor run in the Premier League. Cesar Azpillicueta took over the armband from Cahil after Sarri’s arrival. The Spaniard has never looked like he has been in control of things. He is not vocal enough and lacks the traits of a good leader. Gary Cahill has sidelined himself after being denied a regular start in the league and might soon leave the club as well. Chelsea needs someone to lead from the front, motivate the team and push them when they are down. A positive change in the leadership role is certainly required.

• Madrid-bound star player

Eden Hazard looks like he is in the form of his life. Despite the team’s poor performance, Hazard has managed to shine and with 13 goals and 11 assists is arguably the best player in the Premier League this season.

He also has been open about his dream to play for Spanish giants Real Madrid, and with Zidane, back in charge, the dream is likely to be fulfilled this summer.

• Wasted Youth

Chelsea has always been criticized for not giving proper opportunities to their academy players. This season has been no different. Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ruban Loftus Cheek and Ethan Ampadu are just a few names of many who have impressed the masses but have not been given enough game time. Bayern has come knocking on the door for Hudson-Odoi multiple times, but Sarri still doesn’t get the clue. The 18-year-old made it through to the English national team despite having played little domestic football. Chelsea already regrets losing the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Mohamed Salah due to less play time given. It won’t be long enough before they regret not playing their current young stars as well.