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EMOTIONAL ALISSON BECKER DEDICATES DRAMATIC GOAL TO HIS LATE FATHER

An emotional Alisson Becker fought back tears after the goalkeeper’s stoppage-time header clinched Liverpool’s dramatic 2-1 win at West Brom.

The Brazil international glanced Trent Alexander-Arnold’s corner past Sam Johnstone at the death to score a shock goal that moved the Reds to within a point of fourth-placed Chelsea with two Premier League games left.

Alisson dedicated his goal to his father, Jose Agostinho Becker, who drowned near his home in Brazil in February.

“I’m too emotional,” Alisson told Sky Sports. “This last month for everything that happened with me, with my family, but football is my life, the places, everything I remember as a human being.

“With my father, I hope he was here to see it, but I’m sure he was seeing, with God at his side, celebrating.”

Alisson, unable to return to Brazil following his father’s death due to the coronavirus pandemic, also said his goal was for his family and team-mates.

“What a fight,” Alisson said. “Sometimes we are fighting and fighting and things are just not happening like this afternoon here and just scoring this goal, I’m really happy to help them because we fight a lot together.

“We have a goal to achieve the Champions League because we won it once and everything started with the qualification, so I can’t be more happy than I am now.”

He joked it was the best goal he had scored, adding: “It was the perfect time. The cross was brilliant again. I just tried to put my head on the ball and I think it was one of the best goals I’ve scored!

“I’m really happy. I don’t have too many words, I just have to say thank you to the players because they fight a lot. We fight a lot.”

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BUNDESLIGA: DORTMUND SEALS CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SPOT WITH SIXTH STRAIGHT VICTORY

Borussia Dortmund secured their place in the Champions League for next season as Raphael Guerreiro, Marco Reus and Julian Brandt scored in a 3-1 win at Mainz on Sunday.

Three days after routing Leipzig 4-1 to win the German Cup final, Dortmund swept aside Mainz in the league.

Guerreiro and captain Reus hit first-half goals before Germany winger Brandt made sure of the three points with a late effort.

Mainz striker Robin Quaison claimed his 30th Bundesliga goal by netting a 90th-minute penalty.

Qualifying for Europe caps a remarkable turnaround by Dortmund in the last six weeks.

They were fifth and seven points from the Champions League places after losing 2-1 to Eintracht Frankfurt in early April.

Dortmund have since won all six league games to guarantee a place next season in the group stages of the Champions League.

Dortmund’s purple patch has extended to the German Cup, winning Thursday’s final after Jadon Sancho and Erling Braut Haaland both scored twice in Berlin. Qualifying for Europe also reduces the chance of star striker Haaland leaving at the end of the season. The 20-year-old has made no secret of the fact he wants Champions League football and his agent Mino Raiola has recently fuelled speculation the Norwegian could leave.

Haaland has a contract until 2024, but there is reportedly a release clause which becomes active in 2022.

Dortmund are adamant he is staying, with sports director Michael Zorc insisting Haaland “will play for us next season” before kick-off Sunday.

In their previous home game, Mainz pulled off a shock 2-1 win over Bayern Munich but Dortmund allowed no such repeat.

Dortmund took the lead when Guerreiro unleashed an unstoppable shot from the edge of the area on 23 minutes.

The visitors kept up the pressure and Dortmund had appeals for a handball turned down when a Reus flick caught the hand of Mainz defender Alexander Hack.

Reus got on the scoresheet when Sancho ghosted past defenders and squared the ball for his captain to tap home three minutes from the break.

There was a ten-minute delay to the second-half after a storm drenched the Mainz pitch, but Dortmund picked up where they left off.

Just after coming on, Brandt fired home having combined with Haaland after the pair opened up the Mainz defence ten minutes from the whistle.

There was still time for Quaison to put away his 30th Bundesliga goal from the penalty spot to become his club’s all-time top scorer in Germany’s top flight.

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REAL MADRID KEEP TITLE HOPES ALIVE WITH WIN AT ATHLETICO BILBAO

Real Madrid kept their La Liga title hopes alive with a 1-0 victory at Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.

The win gives Zinedine Zidane’s men 81 points with one game to play — two points behind leaders Atletico Madrid who rallied to a late victory against Osasuna to stay atop the standings heading into the final matchday.

The result ensures the neck-and-neck title race will be decided next Sunday, when Real host Villarreal and Atletico travel to Valladolid.

It took some time, but Real finally got their critical goal in the 68th minute. After some fine work from Casemiro — who’d hit the crossbar with a header minutes earlier — Nacho bundled home with his knee at the far post after the Brazilian dragged a cross past two defenders and found the unsuspecting goal scorer unmarked.

The win comes after sources told ESPN that the Bernabeu club are expecting Zidane to leave his post at season’s end, with Massimiliano Allegri and club legend Raul leading the shortlist to replace the Frenchman.

“Obviously we wanted to win, and for Atleti to drop points, but there’s a long way to go still,” Nacho said.

“They came back to win at the death and that shows things aren’t easy. We just need to concentrate on ourselves and see how it goes next time out [against Villarreal next Sunday].

“You can see how tough it was for them to win. In the game of football anything can happen, we need to fight until the last, that’s our job.

“It’s a tough place to come and win. Bilbao give up few chances, but we were great in defence. It was more difficult up top, but we were compact and we got the three points which is all that matters.”

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SUAREZ SCORES LATE WINNER AS ATLETICO BEAT OSASUNA TO MOVE CLOSER TO LA LIGA TITLE

Atletico Madrid took a giant step towards the La Liga title in dramatic circumstances by fighting their way back to beat Osasuna 2-1 at home on Sunday thanks to a late strike from Luis Suarez.

Atletico dominated the game and hit the woodwork twice in the first half before having two goals ruled out for offside but fell behind in the 76th minute when a bullet header from Ante Budimir crossed the line before Jan Oblak could punch it away.

Atletico hit back with an emphatic finish from substitute Renan Lodi in the 82nd minute while top scorer Suarez completed the comeback by firing home from inside the area in the 88th.

Diego Simeone’s side nearly conceded an equaliser deep into added time though when Chimy Avila caught sight of goal but Oblak got across to parry before grabbing the ball with both hands.

The victory took Atletico on to 83 points after 37 games, two ahead of second-placed Real Madrid who won 1-0 at Athletic Bilbao.

Atletico visit Real Valladolid on the final day of the season next Sunday while Real host Villarreal.

As they had done in Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Real Sociedad, Atletico came flying out of the blocks in search of a goal to put their minds at ease.

Defender Mario Hermoso even tried his luck from his own half in the opening minutes but failed to catch out Osasuna keeper Sergio Herrera, who comfortably saved from Yannick Carrasco moments later.

Atletico’s first clear chance fell to Suarez but the Uruguayan scuffed his shot inside the area and Herrera saved well. Suarez then wasted an even more glaring effort, hitting the post from only a few metres out with Herrera beaten.

The visiting keeper made his fourth save in the first half to keep out a shot from Angel Correa while he was beaten by a long range strike from Saul Niguez but the shot kissed the outside of the post.

Atletico continued to search hungrily for an opening in the second half but the nerves seemed to be setting in and they could not keep their composure in front of goal.

They did manage to find the net when Stefan Savic knocked in a free kick but the goal was ruled out for offside while Carrasco also netted a few minutes later only to have his effort chalked off.

The title looked to be slipping from Atletico’s fingers when Croatian forward Budimir beat Oblak, just as Real took the lead in Bilbao.

But Simeone’s side responded perfectly with two goals in the space of six minutes.

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BARCELONA TITLE CHASE ENDS IN SHOCK DEFEAT TO CELTA VIGO

Barcelona’s hopes of winning La Liga ended as they suffered a shock 2-1 defeat against Celta Vigo on Sunday.

That result, coupled with Real Madrid’s 1-0 win at Athletic Bilbao and Atletico Madrid’s 2-1 win over Osasuna, means Barca fall seven points off top with a game to play.

Lionel Messi opened the scoring on 28 minutes with a well-placed header from Sergio Busquets’ pinpoint pass. That strike means Messi has scored more than 30 league goals in a season for the ninth time in his career.

But Celta were level 10 minutes later through Santi Mina, who scored from the visitors’ first effort on goal.

Barca were reduced to 10 men late on when Clement Lenglet received a second yellow card but the real drama was still to come as Mina scored in the 89th minute to secure an unlikely victory for Celta.

“We hope that won’t be his last game here at the Camp Nou, but it’s a decision he needs to make,” defender Jordi Alba said.

“We were really good in the first half, they didn’t really create much and took their one chance when they got it.

“We had the game under control but in the second half just lost our heads a bit. They play really good football, they made it difficult for us and their second goal is unlucky for us.”

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GOALKEEPER ALISSON BECKER HEADS IN LATE WINNER AT WESTBROM AS LIVERPOOL STAY IN TOP FOUR HUNT

Goalkeeper Alisson Becker headed a dramatic stoppage-time winner at West Brom to keep Liverpool’s Champions League hopes alive.

Just as the Reds’ top-four chances looked virtually over, the Brazil international glanced in Trent Alexander-Arnold’s corner to clinch a 2-1 win.

He was mobbed by his team-mates after his shock goal moved Liverpool to within a point of fourth-placed Chelsea with two Premier League games left.

Mohamed Salah had earlier cancelled out Hal Robson-Kanu’s first top-flight goal for almost four years.

Roberto Firmino hit the post and Sadio Mane had a goal disallowed for offside as relegated Albion gave as good as they got.

Kyle Bartley saw his goal ruled out as the Baggies nearly caused an upset before Alisson’s late heroics.

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TOTTENHAM TOPPLE WOLVES TO BOOST EUROPA LEAGUE HOPES

Tottenham strengthened their European qualification hopes with a 2-0 win over Wolves which moved them into the top six.

Harry Kane opened the scoring with a goal that advanced his chances of winning the Premier League Golden Boot and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg doubled the lead after the break.

It was Kane’s 22nd goal of the season, taking him back in front of Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah in the race for a prize he has won twice before, while he also hit the post twice.

Spurs can still mathematically make the top four, but Europa League qualification is looking much more likely and a sixth-placed finish is in their own hands with two games to go.

Wolves’ campaign is petering out and this loss condemned them to a bottom-half finish for the first time since their return to the top flight.

Surprisingly, Kane had yet to score since one of his best mates Ryan Mason had taken temporary charge but he was on a mission to put that right from the off.

In the fifth minute he was cursing his luck again as he struck the post with an effort from distance. It was the eighth time he had been denied by the woodwork in the Premier League this term – more than any other player.

Still with something to play for, Spurs were the better side and Wolves’ goal was under regular threat.

Gareth Bale tested Rui Patricio with a wobbling free-kick from distance while Son Heung-min stung the Portugal goalkeeper’s palms with an attempt at the far post.

Kane then had a header cleared off the line by Conor Coady, who seconds later produced another heroic block from Giovani Lo Celso.

But Kane can only be kept at bay for so long and he struck in the 45th minute.

Hojbjerg’s pass set him clear and there was little doubt about the outcome – bar a VAR check for offside – as he expertly delayed his finish to fox Coady and Patricio before rolling into an empty net.

With Gareth Southgate watching, Dele Alli seemed determined to remind the England manager of his talents and it was a good piece of play that almost saw Spurs double their advantage.

He won back possession and then fed in Kane, who hit the woodwork for the ninth time as Patricio superbly tipped onto the upright.

That gave Alli the chance to get on the scoresheet as the rebound fell perfectly for him, but his first-time shot struck the other post.

Tottenham deserved their second goal, and it arrived in the 62nd minute.

Left-back Sergio Reguilon’s determination saw him win the ball high up the pitch, Son teed up Bale, whose first-time shot was parried by Patricio but Hojbjerg made no mistake from the rebound.

Wolves should have reduced their deficit soon after but the disappointing Fabio Silva dragged a shot wide from an inviting position while Adama Traore also shot wide after dancing into the area.

Spurs saw the game out safely as they prepare to welcome their fans back into their game with Aston Villa on Wednesday.

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MITCHELL’S FIRST GOAL HANDS PALACE DRAMATIC COME BACK WIN AGAINST ASTON VILLA

Tyrick Mitchell both scored and assisted for the first time in the Premier League to earn Crystal Palace a comeback 3-2 victory over Aston Villa.

Villa had twice taken a first-half lead at Selhurst Park as John McGinn and Anwar El Ghazi each beat Jack Butland, who was making his first PL appearance for Palace in goal.

Palace’s first equaliser came on 32 minutes when Christian Benteke headed in his third goal in as many matches from a Mitchell cross, before Wilfried Zaha’s deflected effort made it 2-2 with 15 minutes remaining.

Benteke and Eberechi Eze both hit the crossbar in the second half before the latter’s centre was chested in my Mitchell from close range on 84 minutes.

Palace move back above Southampton into 13th position with 44 points, five behind 11th-placed Villa.

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OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER POSITIVE ABOUT MAGUIRE’S FITNESS FOR EUROPA LEAGUE FINAL

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insists both he and Harry Maguire are “positive” that the Manchester United captain will be fit to lead his side out for the Europa League final.

United face Villarreal in Gdansk next week looking to win the competition for the second time in four years.

Maguire has been a mainstay of the United side since moving from Leicester but suffered an ankle injury in last week’s win at Aston Villa and faces a race against time to be fit for the final – but Solskjaer plans to give his skipper as long as possible.

“He’s making progress, but we’ve consciously taken the route of not testing him out too early, too quickly, because we don’t want to aggravate something,” Solskjaer said.

“Harry wants this so much, so he doesn’t want to take any risks either.

“When I spoke to him this morning, he was quite positive. But, naturally, the day after it happened we were all down.

“But we saw early on or decided we have to focus, have to be positive and think that you’re going to make it until you have to say ‘no’. I’ve always been an optimist, so we’re positive.”

With Champions League football already assured for next season through the Premier League, the Red Devils can play without the burden of needing to beat their LaLiga rivals to return to Europe’s top table.

But Solskjaer will be aiming to mastermind a victory in Poland and land his first piece of silverware as United boss.

To do that he will strive to pick his strongest side – whether Maguire makes it or not – admitting he will take a leaf out of Sir Alex Ferguson’s book and have individual conversations with those players who do not make the cut.

Solskjaer famously came off the bench and scored the last-gasp winner in the Champions League final win over Bayern Munich in 1999 to complete the Treble for United and pinpointed another moment when Ferguson made special dispensation to talk to his players.

“It’s always difficult and the human side is you want everyone to get this experience,” he said, when asked if he faced some difficult conversations with his squad.

“Then you have to pick XI. That’s just the nature of the job that you have to make some tough decisions and stand by them.

“There are a couple of games left for me to finalise what the XI in the final will be.

“You’ll have to sit down, of course, individually, and I remember Sir Alex sat me down, he came to my hotel room to explain why I didn’t play the semi-final against Bayer Leverkusen and we sat there for 45 minutes. We had a good conversation and I still felt I had a contribution to make and that I was important in his team.

“All my players know they have been important this season. We couldn’t get to a final and second place in the league without everyone’s contribution every day. They’ve been competitive but very supportive as well.”

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RANGERS FINISH SCOTTISH LEAGUE UNBEATEN WITH 102 POINTS

Steven Gerrard’s Rangers side became only the second team to win the Scottish Premiership and go a full season without losing a game after the champions beat Aberdeen 4-0 at home on the final day on Saturday.

Rangers won all 19 of their home games at Ibrox and equalled the league record of 26 clean sheets in the campaign. They also set a record by conceding only 13 goals in their 32 wins and six draws.

Celtic, the first side to go unbeaten in the 2016-17 season, finished 25 points behind Rangers, who sealed the title in March to deny their archrivals a 10th straight title.

“It feels good, it’s been a while since I’ve had the smell of champagne … I’m actually enjoying it,” Gerrard told Sky Sports after he was soaked in champagne by Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos.

“I was asked to come here at a really difficult time … It was about having a vision, having the right people in the right places, the right support from the board. We fought every day for three years to get to this point.”

Although fans are not allowed inside the stadium due to COVID-19 restrictions, many gathered outside with banners and blue flares to celebrate their “Invincibles” campaign.