LONDON: A long season might just be catching up with Wolverhampton Wanderers. As for Liverpool, the newly crowned Premier League champions look as fresh as ever.

The race for Champions League qualification might have lost a contender on Wednesday after Wolves conceded a stoppage-time goal to lose 1-0 at Sheffield United.

It completed a chastening five-day span for Wolves, who also lost to Arsenal on Saturday to end their three-match winning run since the restart.

They stayed in sixth place and could be six points off the top five if Manchester United win their game in hand. Fifth place will earn a spot in next season’s Champions League if second-placed Manchester City fail in their bid to overturn a two-year European ban.

Perhaps it’s no surprise Wolves’ players are starting to wane. After all, their season did begin nearly 12 months ago in the Europa League qualifiers, and manager Nuno Espirito Santo’s style is to rarely rotate his team because of the trust he has in his tight-knit squad.

Wolves are sure to be playing into August, too, because they are still involved in the Europa League. Should they win that competition, Espirito Santo’s team could yet get into the Champions League.

A hard-fought game at Bramall Lane was settled by a powerful header from Sheffield United centre-half John Egan in the third and final minute of stoppage time. Egan also scored United’s late equaliser against Burnley on Sunday.

Widely tipped for relegation at the start of the season, Sheffield United is only a point behind Wolves in a remarkable first year back in the Premier League and could even qualify for the Europa League.

With records to break and the Golden Boot scoring trophy still up for grabs, Liverpool’s league season is far from done despite having already clinched a first title in 30 years.

Mohamed Salah netted twice for the champions in a 3-1 win at Brighton & Hove Albion and moved onto 19 goals for season, three behind the league’s leading scorer, Jamie Vardy. Salah won the Golden Boot two years ago and shared the trophy last season with teammate Sadio Mane and Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Liverpool now has 92 points and needs nine more from its last four games to beat Manchester City’s record for one season of 100.

Jordan Henderson scored Liverpool’s other goal on the south coast, with Leandro Trossard replying for Brighton.

City bounced back to form with a 5-0 rout of Newcastle on Wednesday having lost for the ninth time in the league this season at Southampton on Sunday.

Gabriel Jesus was one of the main culprits when it came to missed chances at St Mary’s, but the Brazilian needed just 10 minutes to score against Newcastle as he steered David Silva’s cross into the far corner.

Kevin De Bruyne then picked out Riyad Mahrez for a simple finish.

There was more than a hint of fortune to City’s third as Matt Ritchie’s attempted clearance ricocheted off Federico Fernandez into his own net.

Silva’s appearances at the Etihad are running out, with the Spaniard ending his 10-year stay in Manchester when City’s season finishes in August.

He left another reminder of why he will be so missed with a sumptuous free-kick to make it four. And Silva turned provider again in stoppage time for Raheem Sterling to round off the scoring.

At the bottom of the table, West Ham United failed to give themselves more breathing space from the bottom three with a 1-0 home defeat by Burnley.

Jay Rodriguez’s header seven minutes before half-time moved the Clarets into the top half of the table. West Ham remain four points above the relegation zone.

Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2020