Jurgen Klopp’s unbeaten side looked set to drop a precious two points in their dogged pursuit of City but they benefited from a bizarre error from Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to win 1-0 and continue their Anfield hex over their city rivals.

Unai Emery’s Arsenal are now 19 matches unbeaten in all competitions after their thrilling 4-2 victory against Tottenham at the Emirates lifted them to fourth, above fierce rivals Spurs on goal difference.

Chelsea recovered from the disappointment of losing their first match of the Premier League season to Spurs last week to beat Fulham 2-0 and climb to third in the table.

Liverpool started the Merseyside derby determined to salvage some pride after their midweek defeat to Paris Saint-Germain left their Champions League hopes in the balance.

There were chances for both teams in an entertaining encounter but the match appeared to be heading for a goalless stalemate as the seconds ticked away.

But then out of nowhere, England’s Pickford made a terrible error.

He misjudged a looping, miskicked shot from Virgil Van Dijk, appearing to push the ball upwards before it bounced on top of the bar and into the path of substitute Divock Origi.

The Belgium forward had the simple task of heading into the empty net to spark scenes of ecstasy at Anfield, with Klopp racing onto the pitch to celebrate.

Pickford apologised for his blunder but gave a different version of events.

“The ball spun and as I tried to flick it over, my hand hit the bar,” he said. “I think it is the Everton luck when we come to Anfield.”

Klopp apologised on TV for his celebrations and also explained he had said sorry to his opposite number Marco Silva after the win, which closes the gap to City to just two points.

“What can I say about it? I didn’t want to run,” said Klopp. “It was not in my plan. I didn’t want to run to Ali (goalkeeper Alisson), I couldn’t stop obviously. Not cool, but it happened.”

Silva disputed Klopp’s version of events, however. “He didn’t apologise to me,” he said. “To be honest, I didn’t see so I don’t know what he did and how he did it.”

– Arsenal guts –

Earlier, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s penalty gave Arsenal an early lead in the north London derby before Eric Dier’s header and a Harry Kane spot-kick handed Tottenham the lead at half-time at the Emirates Stadium.

But Aubameyang’s superb long-range equaliser sparked a second half surge from the Gunners. Alexandre Lacazette came off the bench to put Arsenal ahead and Lucas Torreira sealed the points with his first goal for the club.

Capping a miserable day for Jan Vertonghen, the Tottenham defender was sent off in the closing stages after earlier giving away Arsenal’s penalty.

“It is a very big match for our confidence. Now we have to continue our process,” Emery said. “It is a very big victory. We give this to our supporters because it’s a very special match against Tottenham.”

Emery has injected life into an Arsenal side that had stagnated in the final years of Arsene Wenger’s reign but losses to Manchester City and Chelsea and a draw with Liverpool had raised questions about the team’s ability to compete with their biggest rivals.

In the first match of the day, a nervy Chelsea scored early through Pedro and late through Ruben Loftus-Cheek to see off London neighbours Fulham.

Sarri said he could see tension in his players at Stamford Bridge, even though last week’s defeat at Spurs was their first loss in the league this season.

On Saturday, Manchester United dropped points in a 2-2 draw against struggling Southampton and are now eight points off fourth place, still with a negative goal difference.

Jose Mourinho’s United host Arsenal on Wednesday knowing they cannot afford to lose as their chances of qualifying for next season’s Champions League look increasingly remote.

City beat Bournemouth 3-1 to move to record their 12th win in 14 matches, with 38 points in the bag already and a goal difference of +37.

The Germans were the most dangerous team in the second pot of seeds having been relegated from the top tier of the Nations League, in part due to a 3-0 defeat to the Dutch in October.

Germany open their campaign by travelling to the Netherlands on March 24 before hosting their neighbours on September 6.

Northern Ireland, Estonia and Belarus are the sides tasked with causing a huge upset in Group C.

However, with the top two teams in each of the 10 groups qualifying automatically for the 24-team tournament, which will be held for the first time across 12 different host countries, there is little prospect of any leading nation missing out.

The remaining four places will be allocated via the Nations League play-offs.

“The group is typically tough,” said Germany head coach Joachim Loew, who is under pressure to bounce back after also crashing out at the group stage of the World Cup.

“The Netherlands and Germany are the favourites, but it should be enough for both (to go through).”

A young Netherlands side are improving under Ronald Koeman after failing to qualify for both Euro 2016 and this year’s World Cup. And with Amsterdam one of the host cities, Koeman insisted qualifying rather than claiming another victory over Germany is his priority.

“If you look back how it was one year ago and how the public were with the national team, it is totally different at this stage,” said Koeman, who has led the Netherlands to the final four of the Nations League.

– England expects –

The semi-finals and final will be played at Wembley, handing England a major incentive to win the European Championship for the first time after their run to the last four at this year’s World Cup.

There is little for Gareth Southgate’s side to fear in Group A as after starting with a home game against the Czech Republic on March 22, England also face Bulgaria, Montenegro and Kosovo.

But Southgate called on his team to get used to dealing with high expectations.

“Once you are seeded then inevitably the draw is one you should be in charge of,” said Southgate.

“It’s up to us. We’re favourites and that’s something we’ve got to get used to anyway.

“We have high expectations over the next few years and adapting to that is probably key to our development as a team now.”

World Cup winners France will meet Iceland and Albania, who they beat on their way to the Euro 2016 final, as well as Turkey, Moldova and Andorra in Group H.

“It could have been better, it could have been worse,” said France coach Didier Deschamps.

“For every country playing France, the world champions, it is obviously an honour for them.”

Belgium and Russia lead the way in a tough-looking group for Scotland alongside Cyprus, Kazakhstan and San Marino in Group I.

Portugal will be confident of having the chance to defend their title despite some tricky trips to Ukraine, Serbia, Lithuania and Luxembourg.

Spain will look to bounce back from a disappointing end to their Nations League campaign in what should be a comfortable section for the three-time European champions with Sweden, Norway, Romania, the Faroe Islands and Malta.

“On paper you can think we are favourites but we need to show that where it’s difficult, on the pitch,” said Spain coach Luis Enrique.

The draw hosts Republic of Ireland benefited from a rule that only two of the 12 hosts for the final tournament could be drawn in the same qualifying group as they avoided the Netherlands and Germany. Neighbours Northern Ireland took their place.

Instead, new Republic manager Mick McCarthy will meet Switzerland and Denmark in Group D as well as Georgia and Gibraltar.

Gareth Bale will clash with Real Madrid team-mate Luka Modric as Wales take on World Cup runners-up Croatia in Group E alongside Slovakia, Hungary and Azerbaijan.

The qualifiers begin in March, with the final round of games in November 2019.

The 25-year-old Kitayama went into the fourth round with a share of the lead. He has never been in a similar position on the Asian Tour this season but he showed no sign of nerves, establishing the pace early in the day by making birdie-eagle-birdie from holes two to four at the Four Seasons Golf Club, Mauritius at Anahita.

With that, Kitayama went into the outright lead and held it for the rest of the day. The 2018 Asian Tour Qualifying School graduate gave the chasing pack a glimmer of hope when he bogeyed the 16th, but he recovered with a birdie on the following before signing for a winning total of 20-under-par 268 total.

Kitayama earned a winner’s cheque of US$179,607 and moved into the top-10 of the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings.

India’s Chikkarangappa S. has also given his position on the merit list a significant boost after grabbing a share of second place with Frenchman Matthieu Pavon, and earning US$104,365. He has virtually secured his Tour card for the 2019 season.

Chikkarangappa finished the way he started the tournament – bogey-free. He showed his raw emotions on the 16th after making a difficult birdie and carried the momentum to the following hole. A difficult par save on the 18th ensured that he maintained his tied-second position.

Justin Harding of South Africa was gunning for his third victory on the Asian Tour but had to contend with a fourth-place finish in Mauritius. The 32-year-old brought his terrific form from yesterday into his final round, evident from his birdies on second and fourth.

However, his title bid took a drastic turn after consecutive bogeys on holes six and seven. He admittedly struggled for the rest of the day and could not find that extra gear to bring him back up the leaderboard.

Nevertheless, Harding managed to close the gap on leader Shubhankar Sharma on the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings after earning US$55,639 at the AfrAsia Mauritius Open.

SHARP-SHOOTING Miguel Tabuena produced a splendid back nine performance to card a final-round 66, beating American Johannes Veerman for his second Asian Tour win in the US$500,000 Queen’s Cup presented by the Thongchai Jaidee Foundation yesterday.

The 24-year-old from Manila, who was fifth in the previous edition four months ago in Chon Buri, recovered from an opening bogey to generate five birdies, four on the last six holes, to end at 20-under 260 at the par-70 Legacy Golf Club on the outskirts of Bangkok.

Tabuena also ended a three-year title drought stretching back to his maiden triumph on home soil at the Philippine Open in 2015.

“I did not get off to a good start, bogeying the first hole. It took a lot of digging and scrambling, because the guys were relentless all day,” said the Filipino, who recovered from last week in Hong Kong where he missed the cut.

“On this course you need to keep making birdies because they [rivals] will eventually catch up. I wasn’t happy when I made the turn at even-par. But I am happy with how I came back strong on the back nine with four birdies,” said Tabuena, who returns to Manila US$90,000 richer and sporting a Bt500,000 Carl E Bucherer watch on his wrist.

“I didn’t expect it to take this long [to win a second title]. I am really grateful for being able to finally get the job done. I have worked so hard over the past few weeks with my coach and, when I missed the cut last week, I told myself to trust the process and it will eventually be worth it.”

Veerman, 26, also shot a 66 but without an error to finish lone second on 17-under 263. He was once again forced to wait for his first Tour title after also finishing second last year in the Yeander Tournament Players Championship in Taiwan.

“ I played really solid all week. I left a lot of putts short today, so that’s going to come back to haunt me. But I have so many positives to take away from this week. Hats off to Miguel [Tabuena]. He played really well this week,” said the American-Indonesian, winner of the Asian Development Tour Order of Merit in 2016. He earned US$55,000 as runner-up.

Defending champion Jazz Janewattananond started the round two shots behind Tabuena but fought valiantly to be breathing down his neck with after straight birdies on holes 11-13. But the two-time Tour winner was unable to match the putting accuracy of his rival on the final holes.

“I was a bit under pressure but I have to deal with it better in the future. This is only my second event after I adjusted my swing last month, and I didn’t know what was going to happen coming here from Hong Kong where I missed the cut,” said the 23-year-old young gun.

In lone fourth was Natipong Srithong, who closed out with an even-par round for a total 267. Countryman Chapchai Nirat shot the day’s lowest score with a 65 and followed one stroke behind on 268.

Former Thai No 1 Thongchai will host his next event, an ADT tournament, at his hometown in Lopburi from February 14-17.

Five-time champions Thailand were kept at bay by Malaysia’s aggressive play in front of 87,000 fans at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, the match ending 0-0.

The Thais once again failed to post a win over their neighbours on this pitch, having lost all three previous AFF Cup encounters to the hosts here.

Thailand were widely criticised for performing below par as the defending champions and top-ranked team in the region. But the 29-year-old Welsh-Thai Bangkok United right-back reckons a draw leaves the War elephants well poised for the home game on December 5. “There’s no damage with the draw,” said Mika, who made the first team for the second consecutive game after playing the final Group B match against Singapore. “Our goal was not to lose the game ahead of the semi-final at home. It’s just a shame that we didn’t get an away goal. But it was really tough to play Malaysia at their home,” said Mika, who played with the Cardiff City youth team from 2005-07.

Thailand coach Milovan Rajevac said the condition of the grass and the huge turnout at Bukit Jalil had put his players off their stride, but Mika offered a different view. “Even if there are more than a hundred thousand fans, in the end it’s 11 players against 11 players. We knew Malaysia would play a hard game, which made it tough for our defenders. We could have counter-attacked better but we didn’t play our game as much as we should have.”

Thailand host Malaysia on Wednesday at 7pm at the Rajamangala National Stadium, in a game televised live on Channel 7. The Thais lead Malaysia in the tournament head-to-head record with six wins, four draws and three defeats.

“I’d love to see them play an attacking game again, as this time things should go our way thanks to home advantage and especially the support of our fans. I hope they show up in huge numbers, just like in Malaysia, to cheer us on. … I think we can pull it off,” Mika said.

With 11 classes of Keelboats and Multihulls and 6 classes of International Dinghy Classes, many familiar faces have returned to either defend their titles or try to dethrone the champions. Aiming to grow sustainable sailing communities, this year the Phuket Dinghy Clinic is initiated for young sailors targeting to develop skills for excellence during Regatta week.

Kevin Whitcraft, President of the Organizing Committee, said: “We are delighted to welcome all international and Thai sailors to this year’s regatta which has been continuously organized for over three decades. A fleet of over 100 boats from keelboats, multihulls and dinghy classes will contest this year’s Regatta, sailed over a variety of courses off the Southern Thai resort island of Phuket. It’s great to see familiar names and faces returning year after year to compete in what has become Asia’s most coveted yachting trophy. We are now positioning the race so that it remains highly relevant to future generations and the ongoing development of the sport.”

The keelboats and multihulls have been divided into 11 classes: IRC Zero, IRC 1, IRC, Premier, Firefly, Multihull Racing, Multihull Cruising, Bareboat Charter Division A, Bareboat Charter Division B, Modern Classic and Cruising.

The comprehensive classes contested by the International Dinghy fleet are Optimist Boys and Girls, Laser 4.7, Laser Radial, Laser Standard and 420.

More than 70 boats have entered the keelboat and multihull classes. In the top flight IRC Zero Class, defending champions Kevin and Tom Whitcraft will once again be aboard their TP52 design boat THA72, but expect a strong challenge from Ray Roberts on his boat Team Hollywood, a relatively new TP52.

In the IRC 1 Class, defending champions Nick Burns and Fred Kinmonth will be back on Mandrake 11, and in the super-fast Firefly class – contested by Phuket-built catamarans – defending champion John Newman will once again be at the help of Twin Sharks.

In the 32 years since its inception, the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta has gained a reputation as both a highly competitive event on the water featuring some of the world’s best boats, skippers and crews, as well as a fun social occasion where visitors enjoy the traditional warm Thai hospitality in one of the best holiday destinations in the world. This year promises to be no different.

Whitcraft, himself once a junior sailor in Thailand, is keen to see young Thais getting involved in the sport through the International Dinghy classes, which have been a feature of the regatta for a number of years.

“For 2018 and in past years, we have had a special focus on growing the dinghy components of our overall regatta, as we in the sailing community in Thailand can feel the positive effect this is having over the years as the sport of sailing continues to grow in popularity here,” he said. “The International Dinghy fleet is a fast-growing racing program designed to promote and encourage youth sailing in Thailand. This year, the Royal Varuna Yacht Club will open Phuket Dinghy Clinic for young sailors aiming to develop skills for excellence, improve boat handling and race strategy, friendship and respect from December 2-4.

Phuket Governor Pakkapong Tawipat said “We are pleased to welcome all Thai and international sailors and visitors to Phuket and the 32^nd Phuket King’s Cup Regatta. This prestigious sporting event reaffirms the reputation of Phuket Island as a Mecca for marine and sports tourism. We are also proud of our island’s reputation for offering safety and world-class hospitality services for visiting guests. We continue to grow in stature as one of the world’s best destinations for watersports, yachting and competitive sailing. Here in Phuket we are leaders in marine tourism, we have world-class hotels and restaurants and our yacht and boat building and charter businesses are first rate.”

Kata Group Resorts Founder and President Pramookpisitt Achariyachai said “Kata Group Resorts is once again pleased to support the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta. We have been prominent in the hospitality industry in Thailand for 37 years with a collection of properties in highly desirable and prime beach locations, and owns seven high-end resorts in southern Thailand. In Phuket, Beyond Resort Kata, which is traditional home to the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta for 20 years, was rebranded recently last year to reflect our strong sense of genuine Thai hospitality while offering high quality leisure experiences to guests. We, therefore, look forward to welcoming our many sailing friends and new arrivals and we hope you enjoy our warm hospitality.”

Among Kata Group Resorts include Beyond Resort Karon , Beyond Patong , Phuket Orchid Resort & Spa, Beyond Resort Khaolak, Beyond Resort Krabi, Novotel Samui Resort Chaweng Beach Kandaburi and “Pamuko Pamuka” the newly built family –friendly resort with water park and accommodation facilities 512 rooms and meeting capacity of 1,100 persons. Each of the resorts has its own distinctive qualities, whether focusing on families or couples, with the beachfront properties being ideal settings for weddings and incentives.

The Phuket King’s Cup Regatta is organized by the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta Organizing Committee under the auspices of the Royal Varuna Yacht Club, in conjunction with the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand, the Royal Thai Navy and the Province of Phuket.

There will be five days of racing for the keelboats and multihulls, with a reserve day on Thursday, 6th December. For the International Dinghy Classes, four consecutive days of racing will start from Wednesday, 5th December.