Jarrad Branthwaite and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have blasted a hole in Liverpool’s Premier League title challenge as Everton powered their way to a priceless derby victory.

Goals from Branthwaite and Calvert-Lewin either side of halftime secured a 2-0 win – a first over Everton’s arch-rivals at Goodison Park in almost 14 years – which lifted them eight points clear of the relegation zone with four games remaining.

For Liverpool, manager Jurgen Klopp’s much-celebrated ‘last dance’ took a further turn for the worse after the club’s Europa League exit at the hands of Atalanta last week.

Klopp’s side now sit three points adrift of leaders Arsenal and only one clear of third-placed Manchester City, who have two games in hand.

“I’m very disappointed. We let it become the game Everton wanted. Two goals from set pieces. They are really strong. But we created a lot and didn’t score,” he said.

“Then in the second half we were emotional and in a rush, not really clear enough. Then we concede a second goal with a routine they do the whole season – we knew the ball was going there we just didn’t defend it well enough. It was free kick after free kick. That was part of the story. But we weren’t good enough.”

Klopp said the absence of two strikers – the injured Jota and Gakpo on paternity leave – was a factor but they should have been able to overcome that issue.

“I didn’t expect that performance but it happened. It’s not the greatest moment we’re in but you have to fight through it, use your moments to get your momentum,” he added.

“You don’t play your best football and are 2-0 down to a passionate, fighting opponent. We tried but it wasn’t good enough. When you win there are 500 reasons but when you lose it’s just not good enough. That’s how it is.”

Bruno Fernandes produced a captain’s performance to spare Manchester United’s blushes against rock-bottom Sheffield United.

Three days after making hard work of their FA Cup semi-final triumph against Championship side Coventry, the Red Devils toiled again and trailed at Old Trafford to goals from Jayden Bogle and, after Harry Maguire had levelled, Ben Brereton Diaz.

But Fernandes equalised from the penalty spot as the Blades conceded a 90th goal of the season – the most ever in a 38-match Premier League campaign – and then fired home an 81st-minute rocket from 25 yards before setting up Rasmus Hojlund to make it 4-2.

That lifted his side back into the top six at the expense of Newcastle, after Jean-Philippe Mateta scored for a fifth consecutive home match to fire Crystal Palace to an impressive 2-0 win over Eddie Howe’s side.

It was a deserved victory for Oliver Glasner’s team and continued their resurgence under the Austrian, with this a third success in a row after notable recent wins over West Ham and Liverpool.

Mateta broke the deadlock at Selhurst Park with a smart 55th-minute finish before adding a second late on to end the Magpies’ four-match unbeaten run.

Referee Stuart Attwell found himself the centre of attention once again as 10-man Bournemouth eased into the top half of the table with a controversial 1-0 win at Wolves.

Attwell, at the centre of bitter complaints from Nottingham Forest over his appointment and performance as the VAR official at the weekend, adjudged Matheus Cunha to have fouled Justin Kluivert in the build up to what would have been an equaliser from Wolves’ Hee Chan Hwang.

The official later showed a straight red card to Bournemouth defender Milos Kerkez for a foul on Matt Doherty – a decision which survived another VAR check – on a night when Antoine Semenyo’s 37th-minute strike proved decisive.

with AAP