London: Liverpool sacked manager Brendan Rodgers following a 1-1 draw with Everton in the Premier League yesterday, while Arsenal showcased their title credentials by ravaging Manchester United 3-0.
Rodgers was the second Premier League manager to part company with his club yesterday after experienced Dutch coach Dick Advocaat stepped down at Sunderland following a return of three points from eight games that left the northeast club second from bottom.
The 68-year-old Advocaat was initially hired on a two-month deal last season and, after saving the team from relegation in May, he had a change of heart and decided to stay for a season.
Rodgers’s three-year Anfield tenure came to an end when Liverpool released a statement announcing his dismissal hours after a Merseyside derby draw that left his team 10th in the table.
“We would like to place on record our sincere thanks to Brendan Rodgers for the significant contribution he has made to the club and express our gratitude for his hard work and commitment,” Liverpool’s American owners Fenway Sports Group said in a statement.
“Although this has been a difficult decision, we believe it provides us with the best opportunity for success on the pitch.”
Rodgers, 42, ultimately paid the price for failing to successfully rebuild a team that had come within three games of winning the Premier League title in 2014.
Liverpool finished sixth last season and despite a second consecutive close-season splurge on new players, they have made a slow start, winning only one of their last nine games inside 90 minutes.
In Rodgers’s final game, Liverpool shared the spoils with Everton after an occasionally ill-tempered 225th Merseyside derby finished 1-1 at Goodison Park – the sixth draw in seven meetings between the teams.
Danny Ings put Liverpool ahead in the 41st minute when he was left unmarked inside the Everton six-yard box and nodded home James Milner’s corner.
But untidy defending by Liverpool allowed Everton to level in first-half stoppage time, with Romelu Lukaku slamming home after Emre Can’s attempted clearance had cannoned against his team-mate Martin Skrtel.
Meanwhile, Alexis Sanchez scored twice as Arsenal reeled off a stunning 3-0 defeat of Manchester United that sent Arsene Wenger’s side up to second.
Sanchez scored with a sixth-minute back-heel and Mesut Ozil slotted home from Theo Walcott’s cut-back a minute later before Sanchez’s 18-yard thunderbolt completed the scoring in the 19th minute.
Sanchez has now scored six goals in three games and his latest endeavours helped Arsenal recover from the shock of their 3-2 home defeat by Olympiakos in the Champions League last Tuesday.
Victory took Arsenal into second, above United on goal difference and two points below leaders Manchester City, who crushed bottom club Newcastle United 6-1 on Saturday in a game that saw Sergio Aguero score five goals.
In the day’s other game, Danish playmaker Christian Eriksen scored with a pair of fine 25-yard free-kicks as Tottenham Hotspur twice hit back to secure a 2-2 draw at Swansea City.