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Liverpool moved seven points clear at the top of the Premier League as Luis Diaz ended his goal drought to spark a tense 2-1 win against struggling Wolves on Sunday.

Arne Slot’s side got back on track after an unexpectedly poor week thanks to Diaz’s first goal in 2025 and yet another Mohamed Salah strike.

Diaz opened the scoring early in the first half at Anfield as the Colombian forward finally scored for the 13th time this term after 10 games without a goal.

While Diaz has struggled to find the net, Salah is in red-hot form and his penalty before the interval took the Egypt star to 28 goals in all competitions this season.

Matheus Cunha netted in the second half for fourth-bottom Wolves, but although Liverpool looked tired in a disjointed, nervous, climax, they held on for a valuable victory.

Liverpool had gone two games without a win: an embarrassing FA Cup fourth round loss at second tier Plymouth last weekend and the stormy 2-2 draw at Everton on Wednesday.

Arsenal’s 2-0 win at Leicester on Saturday had applied a little more pressure on Liverpool.

The Reds responded to Arsenal’s challenge as they moved a step closer to a record-equalling 20th English title.

Liverpool, who last won the Premier League in 2020, will be within touching distance of the crown if they take maximum points from trips to Aston Villa and Manchester City before hosting Newcastle over the course of the next 10 days.

Liverpool boss Slot was in the dug-out despite being charged with abusive behaviour after angrily approaching referee Michael Oliver on the pitch following the Merseyside derby.

Slot was furious that James Tarkowski’s stoppage-time equaliser was not disallowed because of a possible push by Toffees striker Beto on Reds defender Ibrahima Konate.

Slot had urged Liverpool to use their “anger” from the painful end to the Everton game as fuel to get back on track against Wolves.

They didn’t have to wait long to light the fuse as Diaz bagged his first league goal at Anfield since September.

– Liverpool dig deep –

In the 15th minute, Diaz picked out Salah and his return pass took a wicked deflection off Toti Gomes.

Diaz stumbled forward to chest the ball past Wolves keeper Jose Sa as it barely trickled over the line.

It was hardly a work of art but Diaz wasn’t complaining about the scruffy nature of the strike.

Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai nearly netted with a more eye-catching effort, striding forward with purpose before drilling a low shot just wide.

The Reds were rampant and Sa repelled Jota’s drive at the near post after Robertson’s cross caused panic in the Wolves defence.

Wolves couldn’t stem the tide as Liverpool went further ahead in the 37th minute.

Wolves claimed Emmanuel Agbadou was pushed by Diaz before he raced into the area and was tripped by Sa.

But VAR ignored their protests and Salah flicked the penalty down the middle with a flamboyant flourish.

Salah has seven goals in his last six games, underlining his immense value to Liverpool as his contract winds towards its conclusion at the end of the season.

Wolves debutant Marshall Munetsi wasted a golden opportunity to reduce the deficit early in the second half.

Munetsi was sent clean through by Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, but Alisson Becker raced off his line to make a fine save.

Jota appeared to have won a penalty when Agbadou’s challenge sent him sprawling, but VAR overturned the decision as replays showed he had dived.

Liverpool had lost their momentum and Cunha took advantage, evading Ryan Gravenberch and curling a superb finish into the far corner in the 67th minute.

A dogged defensive performance from Bayern Munich kept Bayer Leverkusen at bay in a 0-0 away draw on Saturday to keep their eight-point lead atop the German Bundesliga.

Bayern barely crossed the half-way line and failed to register a shot on target in the first half for the first time since 1992, but Xabi Alonso’s champions were unable to find a way through.

The result, just the fifth time Bayern have dropped points in 22 league games this season, puts them on track to win back the title, with 12 games remaining.

Knowing only a win would realistically keep the title race alive, Leverkusen dominated the opening half but were unable to convert several chances, with Alonso electing to leave both strikers Patrik Schick and Victor Boniface on the bench.

Jeremie Frimpong headed against the bar 21 minutes in after some clever work from Florian Wirtz down the left.

Nathan Tella, scorer of the winner between these two sides in the German Cup in December, blasted against the bar from close range when one-on-one with Manuel Neuer four minutes later.

Neuer was almost caught out on the 33rd-minute mark when he ventured out of the penalty area, but Wirtz’s long-range effort from deep curled just wide.

Leverkusen again dominated the ball in the second half but could not find a way through.

Wirtz had a chance in the final minute to snatch a win, but his close-range effort went centimetres wide of the post.

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Dortmund ‘horror’ continues 

Full time. pic.twitter.com/OYLYjyJlHi

Earlier on Saturday, Borussia Dortmund’s slide continued with a 2-0 loss at lowly Bochum.

The hosts, who started the game in last place, grabbed control in the first half when winter loan signing Georgios Masouras scored two goals in three minutes.

Masouras tapped a low Philipp Hofmann shot in from close range after 33 minutes and then pounced on a terrible back-pass from Niklas Suele to double the lead two minutes later.

Dortmund have lost five of their past seven and sit 11th.

“We need to turn things around soon,” Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck said.

“It’s becoming a horror season,” he added.

Stuttgart failed to take advantage of fourth-placed Leipzig’s scoreless draw at Augsburg on Friday, giving up a one-goal lead to lose 2-1 at home against Wolfsburg.

Stuttgart’s Nick Woltemade came off the bench to put the hosts ahead after 72 minutes with a superb solo goal, but Wolfsburg hit back five minutes later when Tiago Tomas tapped in a Mohamed Amoura assist.

With five minutes remaining, Stuttgart’s Josha Vagnoman handled the ball in the box, bringing Amoura to the spot.

The Algerian nervelessly converted to grab all three points and lift the visitors to eighth, keeping alive their hopes of European football for the first time since 2022.

Elsewhere, Freiburg overcame a poor first-half penalty miss from Vincenzo Grifo to win 1-0 at St Pauli thanks to an own goal from Philipp Treu with two minutes remaining.

Grifo tried a Panenka from the spot in the 45th minute but his limp effort was easily saved. Freiburg have missed all four penalties they have been awarded this season in the league.

In the dying stages, Treu, a former Freiburg player, diverted a shot into his own net. The visitors climbed to fifth on the table.

First half goals from Lukas Ullrich and Tim Kleindienst took Borussia Moenchengladbach to seventh with a win 2-1 at Union Berlin, who pulled one back from the spot in the second half through Andrej Ilic.

Amanda Anisimova clinched the first WTA 1000 title of her career with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Jelena Ostapenko in a rain-interrupted Qatar Open final on Saturday.

At 41 in the world, Anisimova is the lowest-ranked champion in tournament history and the first American to triumph in Doha since Monica Seles lifted the trophy in 2002.

Ostapenko was coming off a resounding victory over three-time champion and world number two Iga Swiatek in the previous round but Anisimova gave the Latvian a taste of her own medicine, showcasing incredible ball-striking and precision.

In the first WTA 1000 final to feature two players ranked outside the top 30, Ostapenko and Anisimova traded heavy blows from the baseline, both utilising the same aggressive game style that carried them into the championship match.

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Anisimova, 23, was the more clinical of the pair in the opening set, as she remained unfazed when her early break of serve was nullified by Ostapenko and broke again in the tenth game to take the lead in 37 minutes.

It was the first set Ostapenko dropped all week, the five double faults she committed proving costly against a dialled-in Anisimova.

Anisimova looked on her way to a comfortable win when she broke for a 2-1 advantage in the second set but Ostapenko responded immediately and got the set back on serve.

Rain suspended play with Ostapenko serving at 3-3, 40-40 and players were taken off court for nearly 25 minutes.

Anisimova broke serve upon resumption of play and kept up her all-out attack strategy to wrap up the win after one hour and 21 minutes of play.

La Liga leaders Real Madrid dropped two points in a 1-1 draw at Osasuna on Saturday in which Jude Bellingham was sent off.

The Spanish champions took the lead through Kylian Mbappe before the referee expelled England international Bellingham for apparent dissent towards the end of the first half.

Ante Budimir levelled for hosts Osasuna from the penalty spot after 58 minutes as Carlo Ancelotti’s side endured a third consecutive league match without victory.

Atletico Madrid, second and two points behind the leaders, host Celta Vigo later Saturday, while third-place Barcelona welcome Rayo Vallecano on Monday.

Ancelotti made a few rotations with the midweek Champions League play-off second leg clash against Manchester City in mind, with Rodrygo resting and Brahim Diaz given a rare start.

Los Blancos controlled the game from the off, moving the ball around too quickly for Osasuna to get a foothold.

Vinicius appealed for an early penalty when Alejandro Catena slid in to dispossess him and the ball struck the defender’s arm.

The Brazilian winger should have put the champions ahead when Mbappe crossed for him, but misjudged the flight of the ball and headed wide from close range.

Madrid did not have to wait long for their opener and Fede Valverde created it with a low cross for Mbappe, who produced a clinical finish.

It was the in-form French forward’s seventh goal in his last five La Liga matches.

Osasuna threatened just once in the first half, with a low drive from Aimar Oroz, which Thibaut Courtois superbly pushed to safety.

Vinicius spurned another golden opportunity when Mbappe teed him up, before Bellingham was dismissed in the 39th minute.

The England international exchanged words with referee Jose Munuera Montero, who then reached for his red card.

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Madrid have complained heavily about Spanish refereeing in recent weeks, labelling it “rigged” and they grew further frustrated with Munuera Montero in the second half.

Osasuna levelled before the hour mark through Budimir from the spot after Eduardo Camavinga was late on the Croatian striker.

Budimir had already shot wide of the post when the French midfielder clattered into the forward, similar to the penalty Aurelien Tchouameni conceded in Madrid’s derby draw with Atletico Madrid last weekend.

Budimir’s penalty was his 13th goal of the season, behind only Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski and Mbappe, on 17, in the standings.

Mbappe came close to scoring a second but fired narrowly over and Vinicius had an effort deflected wide after a dangerous incursion from the left.

Madrid pushed for a winner despite their numerical disadvantage, knowing their title rivals are breathing down their necks.

Mbappe had one last chance in stoppage time but Osasuna goalkeeper Sergio Herrera palmed away his effort with a strong hand.

After playing for nearly an hour with 10 men, Manchester City will hope it takes a toll on Madrid on Wednesday when the sides meet at the Santiago Bernabeu.