Weekend Talking Points: Liverpool march on and Mourinho loses patience

Round-up of the best from the Premier League, golf and more

It was another big weekend of sport, as Liverpool tookanother big step towards their first league title since 1990.

Elsewhere, England put themselves in a great position forSix Nations glory and Real Madrid lost hold of top-spot in La Liga. We’ve rounded-upthe best of the action, starting at Anfield…

Liverpool’s 30-year wait is almost over

Jurgen Klopp will be concerned about how open his teamlooked at the back against Bournemouth, but they did enough to come from behindand secure a 2-1 win.

And following Manchester City’s loss to Manchester United,they could even be confirmed as champions before the time they face Everton inthe Merseyside derby next Monday.

That would require City losing against Arsenal in midweek, then Burnley on Saturday. Arsenal are 15/2 to get three points, with Burnley at 20/1.  

Can Mourinho get the best out of Ndombele?

Tanguy Ndombele has undoubted ability, but he’s rarely beenanywhere near his best since joining Tottenham Hotspur. He’s struggled withfitness for most of the campaign and Jose Mourinho now seems to have had enough.

He took the France international off at half-time during Saturday’s1-1 draw with Burnley. Then he called him out during his post-match interview.

He said: “A player with his potential has to give us more than he is giving us”.

Will that approach work with Ndombele? Our traders aren’t so sure – Mourinho is just 11/10 to not be in charge at Spurs for the opening day of next season.  

When will the Six Nations be settled?

Scotland did England a favour by ending France’s Grand Slamhopes over the weekend.

Eddie Jones’ side are now 1/4 to win the Six Nations after beating Wales, but the coronavirus outbreak means there’s no date set for their final game against Italy.

With Italy the worst-affected country in Europe and around 16 million people now under special quarantine rules, it’s hard to see that fixture taking place anytime soon.

As the virus continues to spread, other major sportingevents may come under threat too – the Indian Wells tennis tournament being cancelledcould be a sign of things to come.

Barcelona gain the upper hand in La Liga title race

Real Madrid won El Clasico just over a week ago, moving thema point ahead of Barcelona at the top of the table. But they now find themselvestwo points behind their rivals, having lost 2-1 to Real Betis.

These are worrying times for Zinedine Zidane. His side are2-1 down to Manchester City in the Champions League. And they’re trailingarguably the least convincing Barcelona side for years in the league.

Madrid are now 6/5 to win the title and way back at 33/1 to triumph in Europe. Despite all he’s achieved in his short time as a manager, Zidane may find himself under threat if his side don’t lift one of them.

Hatton wins Arnold Palmer

Tyrell Hatton became the first English player to win the ArnoldPalmer Invitational with a dramatic one-shot victory.

It was the 28-year-old’s first PGA Tour win, made all the moreimpressive by the tricky weather conditions.

Hatton finished four under par, one stroke ahead of 2017 winner Marc Leishman. Rory McIlroy came fifth, though he’s still 13/2 favourite for the Masters next month.

All odds and markets correct as of date of publication