European roundup: Alisson saves Liverpool, PSG cling on to title hopes

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Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker (C) is congratulated by teammates after scoring the winning goal during their Premier League clash against West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns, West Bromwich, UK, May 16, 2021. /CFP

Goalkeeper Alisson Becker's dramatic 95th-minute goal gave Liverpool a 2-1 victory at West Bromwich Albion on Sunday to maintain their bid to play in next season's Champions League.

Tottenham were more comfortable 2-0 winners over Wolves to move into pole position for a place in the Europa League, but Everton's hopes of European football were dealt a massive blow by Sheffield United's shock 1-0 victory at Goodison Park.

Alisson's perfectly executed header keeps Liverpool's top-four fate in their own hands despite sitting fifth in the table. Jurgen Klopp's men trail fourth-placed Chelsea by one point and Leicester by three, with two league games left to play.

But with Leicester and Chelsea still to face off in a repeat of the FA Cup final, which the Foxes won 1-0 on Saturday, victories over Burnley and Crystal Palace will take Liverpool into the top four.

The already-relegated Baggies took an early lead through Hal Robson-Kanu before the in-form Mohamed Salah equalized before half-time.

But Liverpool were still heading for a damaging draw when Alisson headed in from a corner in the fifth minute of stoppage-time.

The Brazilian's father died in February when he drowned in a swimming accident.

Alisson could not even return home for the funeral at the time due to quarantine rules on foreign travel and was visibly emotional at full-time.

"I played since I remember as a human being with my father. I hope he was here to see it but I'm sure that he's seeing with God on his side and celebrating," said Alisson. "You can't explain a lot of things in life. For me, the only reason for those kind of things is God and he put his hand on my head today and I'm feeling really blessed."

Everton's miserable home record has ended their chances of Champions League football as bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United became the latest side to win at Goodison.

The Blades scored the only goal after just seven minutes when 17-year-old Daniel Jebbison tapped home Jack Robinson's cross.

PSG's Neymar in high spirits during the Ligue 1 clash with Reims at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, May 16, 2021. /CFP

In France, Lille's bid to win the Ligue 1 title will go to the final weekend of the season after Sunday's goalless draw with Saint-Etienne allowed Paris Saint-Germain to moved to within a point of the leaders.

Reigning champions PSG strolled to a simple 4-0 win over Reims to pile the pressure on Lille, who will nonetheless claim the French title for the first time since 2011 if they win at mid-table Angers next Sunday.

Christophe Galtier's side hit the post in the final secondsof a frustrating match with little in the way of goalmouth incident.

PSG meanwhile were gifted a perfect start when Yunis Abdelhamid handled Kylian Mbappe's shot in front of an empty goal, conceding a penalty and being sent off in the process.

Neymar slotted home the spot-kick in the 13th minute and 11 minutes later Mbappe pounced on a wayward pass across the area by Thomas Foket to tap home the second.

Marquinhos made it three in the 68th minute with a thumping header from Neymar's corner. Moise Kean rounded off an easy win for PSG one minute from the end.

Monaco are also still in with a potential shout after their 2-1 home win over Rennes moved Niko Kovac's third-placed side three points behind Lille with one to play.

AC Milan's Samu Castillejo reacts after missing a chance during their Serie A clash with Cagliari at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in Milan, Italy, May 16, 2021. /CFP

In Italy, AC Milan complicated their passage to the Champions League with a goalless draw at home against Cagliari in the San Siro on Sunday.

Stefano Pioli's side could have sealed a return to elite European football for the first time since the 2013-2014 season with a win over the Sardinians.

But with star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic injured, the northerners dropped points with a top-four finish going down to the wire in their final game at second-placed Atalanta next weekend.

Atalanta ensured a third consecutive season of Champions League football with a 4-3 win over Genoa on Saturday.

Milan are third, equal on 76 points with fourth-placed Napoli, who won 2-0 at Fiorentina earlier on Sunday.

But Juventus are just a point further behind on 75 after beating champions Inter Milan 3-2, with their final game at Bologna.

In Florence, Napoli took all three points as they look to return to the Champions League having missed out this season.

Napoli's final game will be at home against midtable Hellas Verona.

Juventus play their final game at Bologna desperate to avoid missing out on the Champions League for the first time in a decade.

Chelsea's Ann-Katrin Berger looks dejected as Barcelona celebrate during their Women's Champions League against Chelsea at Gamla Ullevi in Gothenburg, Sweden, May 16, 2021. /CFP

Elsewhere, Barcelona became the first Spanish side to win the women's Champions League with a stunning performance to thrash Chelsea 4-0 in Gothenburg.

The La Liga champions scored all four goals inside 36 minutes as a Melanie Leupolz own goal, Alexia Putellas's penalty and simple finishes from Aitana Bonmati and Caroline Graham Hansen killed the game as a contest.

Barca have romped to the Spanish title with a 100-percent record after 26 games in La Liga, boasting a 123 goal difference.

"Congratulations, champions, you are unstoppable," tweeted Barcelona president Joan Laporta. "You are a reference. You are an example. You are one of the big reasons that make Barca more than a club. You moved us with your magnificent victory."

Chelsea had been on course for a quadruple, but even the big-spending English champions were no match for the Catalans' speed of thought and movement.

"Today was difficult because the game was over before it began," said Chelsea manager Emma Hayes. "We will learn from it because this is the next step up. I thought we showed some naivety at times."

French giants Lyon had won this competition for the past five seasons, but their reign was ended in the quarter-finals by Paris Saint-Germain, who were then eliminated by Barcelona in the last four.

Chelsea will be hoping to show similar resilience to come back and win the competition for the first time as they missed out on becoming the first English side to become European champions since Arsenal in 2007.

Source(s): AFP