Manchester City looked destined to stumble to a 0-0 draw with Leicester City on the penultimate match day to hand control of the Premier League title race back to Liverpool ahead of the final round of games next Sunday. Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers, formerly of Liverpool, set up the 2015-16 champions immaculately, highlighted by dominant performances from center defensive midfielder Wilfred Ndidi and goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel. 

Last Wednesday, Lionel Messi recorded his 600th goal for Barcelona during his club’s 3-0 Champions League semifinal first leg victory over Liverpool. It was an astonishing free kick, the 42nd of his Barça career, that venomously flew right past Joe Gomez’s face before curling into the top corner from 35 yards out. 

Tottenham went into Saturday’s match against Bournemouth joint fewest red cards earned in the league; Spurs ended the match joint sixth in most red cards received. Two Tottenham red cards spelled doom for Mauricio Pochettino’s side in a 1-0 loss to Bournemouth on Saturday, once again opening up the race in for the top four.

This season’s Premier League has been very interesting to say the least.

Liverpool and Manchester City have been battling it out for the title after Chelsea and Tottenham began dropping points. Liverpool put itself in a great position to go clear at the top only after a difficult run of games saw City catch up and retake the top spot. There has been talk among football fans and pundits alike that if Liverpool and Manchester City are equal on points, goal difference and goals scored on the final day. The two teams will have to play a Premier League title playoff.

There’s a new most valuable Premier League club, and it’s not Manchester United. 

Manchester City was rated the most valuable Premier League club for the 2017-18 season in a recent study conducted by University of Liverpool’s Centre for Sports Business Group, as reported by BBC.

The Citizens were valued at $3.11 billion (£2.364 billion) compared to United, which dropped nearly half a billion dollars to $2.75 billion because of “higher wages and lower profit,” according to the study. 

Liverpool was dominating in the second half. Fullbacks were flying forward, midfielders were ripping shots and forwards were bamboozling defenders.

But only Barcelona had Lionel Messi.

More than ever before, Messi is carrying Barcelona this season. Unlike past Champions League-winning sides Messi has been a part of, he is both the primary goal scorer and primary goal creator. 

Barcelona and Liverpool both started the first leg of their Champions League semifinal with plenty of attacking intent, throwing caution to the wind in search of a go-ahead goal. It didn’t take too long to arrive, with a Luis Suarez goal vs Liverpool giving the home side a lead in the 26th minute. 

And the former Liverpool man had no problem celebrating his goal.

Often, players choose to refrain from celebrating a goal against a former club as a show of respect. It’s a nice gesture. 

It seems as though football fans become more emboldened the better their team does. And while many British supporters like to claim they’re better than their continental counterparts when it comes to racism, violence and general hooliganism, Liverpool fans are proving they’re a despicable lot ahead of the Champions League semifinal first leg in Barcelona on Wednesday.