It was honours even on Merseyside yesterday, as Everton and Liverpool played out a drab 0-0 draw behind closed doors at Goodison Park. A point moves the visitors closer to their first league title since 1990, while Carlo Ancelotti's side will regret a number of late misses as they remain without a derby victory since October 2010. Meanwhile Chelsea have opened up a five-point gap over Manchester United after they came from behind to beat Aston Villa 2-1 at Villa Park. The hosts took the lead on the stroke of half-time thanks to Kortney Hause but quick fire goals shortly after the hour mark from Christian Pulisic and Olivier Giroud earned Frank Lampard's side all three points and edged Villa closer to the drop. Meanwhile Newcastle United pulled further clear of danger after they beat Sheffield United 3-0 at St James' Park, as Steve Bruce's side capitalised on the sending off of Ireland international John Egan after 50 minutes. In tonight's sole Premier League fixture, Burnley travel to the Etihad to take on Manchester City (kick-off 8pm).
Elsewhere, in this morning's Tipping Point column, Brian O'Connor has suggested the USA could win the Rugby World Cup before Ireland do - providing Major League Rugby can help grow the sport in the States. He writes: "They can bring immense enthusiasm and athletic ability but haven't the grounding in basic skills of the game that is taken for granted elsewhere. The prospect of having a professional league to aim at is a crucial foundation stone in changing that. Without it there's little hope of implementing the sort of culture change that can have significant numbers of kids playing the game. Manage that and the potential for the US to become a first world rugby power is manifest."
Rory McIlroy's challenge in the RBC Heritage faded as he posted a final round of 70 at Hilton Head yesterday, to finish 11 strokes behind eventual winner Webb Simpson. The American birdied three of his last four holes to win by a stroke from Mexico's Abraham Ancer, on a weather-interrupted final day in South Carolina.
Nascar are investigating after a noose was found in the garage stall of the sport's only African-American driver, Bubba Wallace. The noose was found at the Talladega circuit in Alabama, with fans allowed to attend the race for the first time since the coronavirus crisis. Outside the track, many supporters protested Nascar's ban on the use of the confederate flag.
And this week Irish Times writers are looking back 30 years to Italia 90, with Thursday marking the anniversary of Ireland's penalty shootout victory over Romania. This morning, Seán Moran recalls his trip to Cagliari to watch Jack Charlton's side take on England: "I remember little of the match's detail. The broad brush version has been reinforced by playback and tricks of memory but there was a perverse kind of relief when England scored so early. It's hard to explain but the dull anxieties of chasing a goal against the clock are somehow less agonising than living in fear of an equaliser or worse."
