CARLO ANCELOTTI

The wait goes on for Manchester City.

All six English clubs have dramatically abandoned plans to join a breakaway Super League, threatening to implode the project by a group of elite English, Spanish and Italian clubs less than two days after it was announced.

Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan, right, celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the English FA Cup sixth round soccer match between Everton and Manchester City at Goodison Park in Liverpool, England, Saturday, March 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Jon Super, Pool)With an unprecedented quadruple still a possibility for Manchester City, the pressure on Pep Guardiola is intensifying heading into the final two months of the season. I will not watch games.”Few would begrudge him the break, with an intense 34-match, four-month stretch -- featuring games every three or four days -- concluding with a 2-0 win over Everton in the FA Cup quarterfinals on Saturday. AdIndeed, Guardiola’s players are sweeping all before them this season, having also reached the final of the English League Cup, the quarterfinals of the Champions League and forged a 14-point lead in the Premier League. "I’m looking forward to everyone coming back safe.”Southampton is the other team through to the FA Cup semifinals after beating second-tier Bournemouth 3-0 earlier Saturday.

(Adam Davy/Pool via AP)LONDON – Manchester City only needs to win five of its remaining eight games to secure the Premier League trophy. West Ham can move level on points with Chelsea on Sunday with a victory at Man United and still have a game in hand. "We want to still fight for the position in Europe.”TUCHEL UNBEATENChelsea extended its unbeaten start under Thomas Tuchel to 10 Premier League games with the draw at Leeds. ZAHA STANCEWilfried Zaha became the first Premier League player not to take a knee before his Crystal Palace team beat West Bromwich Albion 1-0. Zaha had already indicated that he thought taking a knee has lost meaning after being brought in by the Premier League in June as an anti-racism message when football resumed.

Everton's Richarlison, second left celebrates with teammates after scoring the opening goal of the game during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Everton at Anfield in Liverpool, England, Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021. The worst form for Liverpool at home in the league since 1923 after a fourth straight loss. Even worse for Liverpool was losing yet another center back option as Jordan Henderson was forced off injured in the first half. Pickford dived at the feet of striker Mohamed Salah as Liverpool turned up the pressure without really laying siege to the Everton goal. While Southampton ended a six-game losing run in the league, the point stopped Chelsea recording a sixth straight win in all competitions.

(Tim Keeton/Pool via AP)MANCHESTER – The People's Club welcomed back its fans and Chelsea felt the full force. It means third-place Chelsea can be overtaken — if Leicester beats Brighton on Sunday — and front-runners Tottenham and Liverpool can pull further away at the top of the Premier League. “The impact was really strong — we were really pleased," Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti said. There was no atmosphere, no intensity and no goals as Manchester United and Manchester City drew 0-0 in the 183rd derby. The rivals are both unusually low in the Premier League, too.

Everton was the last side to relinquish its undefeated record in this most unpredictable of seasons, though the 2-0 loss at Southampton didn’t knock Carlo Ancelotti’s side off the top of the standings on Sunday. Playmaker James Rodriguez was quiet and striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin failed to score in a league game for the first time this season. Aston Villa was the other unbeaten team coming into this round but was outclassed in a 3-0 defeat by Leeds on Friday. The win over Everton came on the one-year anniversary of Southampton's 9-0 loss to Leicester. By stooping to head home a cross from fellow substitute Cengiz Under following a rapid counter-attack in the 80th minute, Vardy scored his 11th Premier League goal against Arsenal.

LIVERPOOL – After remodelling his midfield to great effect, Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti made a signing to bolster its defense on the final day of the transfer window by bringing in Ben Godfrey from second-tier Norwich for a reported 25 million pounds ($32 million) on Monday. The 22-year-old Godfrey was part of the Norwich team that was relegated from the Premier League last season, but is regarded as a top prospect and was captain of England's under-21 side last year. With Mason Holgate and Jarrad Branthwaite injured, Ancelotti currently has no back-up to center backs Yerry Mina and Michael Keane as Everton looks to maintain its brilliant start to the season that has left the team first in the Premier League after opening with four wins. “The manager’s past speaks for itself," Godfrey said of Ancelotti, a three-time Champions League-winning coach. Everton has won all seven of its games — including three in the English League Cup — and scored 24 goals in the process.

(Richard Heathcote/Pool via AP)Manchester United began its Premier League campaign with a performance as disjointed as its offseason. Maybe the 3-1 home loss to Crystal Palace on Saturday shouldn’t really have come as a surprise. After all, United only ended a pandemic-prolonged 2019-20 season 33 days ago with a demoralizing loss to Sevilla in the Europa League semifinals. “We knew Manchester United didn’t play last week and that we had the mental advantage,” Palace winger Andros Townsend said. On a day when 21 goals were scored in four games, there were also wins for Everton, Leeds and Arsenal.

“I didn’t like my team," the Tottenham manager said after Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s second-half header gave Everton a 1-0 win in the Premier League on Sunday. For all that Everton was dynamic — with James Rodriguez and Allan controlling the midfield on their debuts — Tottenham was ineffective going forward. “The struggle started in the way we pressed — or the way we didn’t press," Mourinho said. But it was the perfect start for Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti, who took charge midseason last year like Mourinho. “He defended well, attacked and ... he will run all day and looks to get in the box," Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers said.

James Rodriguez joined Premier League club Everton on Monday, Sept. 7, 2020 in an attempt to revive a career that faltered at Real Madrid. Now, they are both at Everton, a team without a trophy since 1995 and living in the shadow of neighbour Liverpool, the recently crowned Premier League champion. KAI HAVERTZ (Chelsea)The most expensive signing of the offseason at a fee rising to $92 million, Havertz might also be the most interesting. Havertz is the youngest player to reach 100 Bundesliga appearances and scored 36 goals in four seasons with Bayer Leverkusen in the German league. With Timo Werner, Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech making up Chelsea's likely attack, Havertz won't be short of quality around him.

Everton fans are displayed on a large screen as the watch remotely the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Liverpool at Goodison Park in Liverpool, England, Sunday, June 21, 2020. (Peter Powell/Pool via AP)LIVERPOOL No win for Liverpool on the longest day of the year, and an even longer wait maybe to clinch the title. When you've been waiting 30 years and then had the coronation delayed by three months because of a pandemic patience is expected. The quietest of the 236 Merseyside derbies, with fans denied access to Goodison Park, produced no goals as Everton held Liverpool to a 0-0 draw on Sunday. The only football that fans could see at Goodison Park was a family kickabout against one of the stands before kickoff.

Everton's Seamus Coleman, left, challenges Liverpool's Sadio Mane during the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Liverpool at Goodison Park in Liverpool, England, Sunday, June 21, 2020. Liverpool can become champions with a win if Burnley does not lose at second-place defending champion Manchester City on Monday. Liverpool lost to Watford in the penultimate Premier League match before the unexpected break in the league. Well try to improve every time.That has been the message since the week before the football shutdown in March when Liverpool was also knocked out of the Champions League and FA Cup. A 3-0 win over 10-man Sheffield United lifted Newcastle 11 points clear of the relegation zone with eight games remaining.