Liverpool got a big favor from its neighbor to become an even bigger favorite for the Premier League title on Saturday.
Second-placed Arsenal conceded a contentiously awarded penalty and slumped to a 1-1 draw with Everton at Goodison Park, a stadium a short walk across Stanley Park from Liverpool’s Anfield.
The celebrations when Iliman Ndiaye converted the spot kick for Everton were likely just as joyous among Liverpool fans, whose team is within sight of a record-tying 20th English top-flight title.
Liverpool is 11 points ahead of Arsenal with a game in hand, which is at Fulham on Sunday. After that, there are seven matches remaining in a title race that is proving anticlimactic.
The fight to avoid relegation is all but over, too, with the bottom three cut well adrift after fourth-to-last Wolverhampton won at third-to-last Ipswich 2-1.
Ipswich and the bottom two of Leicester and Southampton look already sure to be relegated, one year after getting promoted.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta left a raft of key players — like Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka — out of his starting team at Everton ahead of hosting Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Arteta almost got away with it, with Ndiaye converting a penalty in the 49th minute from one of the few chances carved out by Everton. And even that penalty was controversial, as Myles Lewis-Skelly was adjudged to have pulled back Jack Harrison despite replays showing little contact.
“Out of nothing, the referee decides to give a penalty,” Arteta said. “I have seen it 15 times — in my opinion it is never a penalty.”
Leandro Trossard gave Arsenal the lead in the 34th. Saka and Martinelli went on as halftime substitutes, with Saka playing four days after making a goal-scoring return to action against Fulham after 3 ½ months out.
The Champions League looks to be Arsenal’s only remaining hope of silverware this season.
“One of the most beautiful games that you can play in football, in the highest European competition, against the team that has dominated that competition in the last 20, 25 years,” Arteta said of the upcoming quarterfinal against Real Madrid. “So, yeah, really looking forward to it.”
Arsenal was five points ahead of third-placed Nottingham Forest, whose three-match winning run ended after losing at Aston Villa 2-1.
Morgan Rogers and Donyell Malen scored in the 13th and 15th minutes, respectively, to give Villa a fast start. Jota Silva replied for Forest in the second half.
Forest is still on course for an unexpected qualification for the Champions League, a year after barely surviving relegation, but will be looking over its shoulder.
The Premier League should have five qualifiers for next season’s Champions League and Forest is six points ahead of the team in sixth place — Villa — with seven rounds left.
Villa plays French champion Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals on Wednesday.
Ipswich fell to 12 points behind Wolves by squandering the lead in a huge match at Portman Road, conceding in the 72nd to Pablo Sarabia and in the 84th to Jorgen Strand Larsen.
Leicester was three points behind Ipswich before playing Newcastle at home on Monday.
Southampton — on just 10 points, seven further back than Leicester — will be relegated with seven games to spare if it loses to Tottenham on Sunday.
There were three late red cards and nearly 14 minutes of stoppage time in a crazy end to Crystal Palace’s 2-1 win over Brighton at Selhurst Park.
Palace was reduced to 10 men in the 78th minute when substitute striker Eddie Nketiah collected a second yellow card and then nine men when England center back Marc Guehi did the same in the 90th.
Brighton center back Jan Paul van Hecke was then sent off in the sixth minute of stoppage time, also for two yellow cards.
Before that, Jean-Philippe Mateta — wearing a protective mask to cover his lacerated ear that required 25 stitches following an injury in the FA Cup last month — and Daniel Munoz scored for Palace either side of Danny Welbeck’s equalizer.
The result hurt eighth-placed Brighton’s unlikely bid for Champions League qualification, leaving the south-coast team four points behind fifth-placed Manchester City.
Also, Brazilian striker Evanilson scored twice for Bournemouth in a 2-2 draw at West Ham.
Bournemouth was two points behind Brighton in ninth.
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