Liverpool and Man City stunned by late goals. Amorim raises questions over his role at Man United

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Liverpool and Manchester City were stunned by late goals to drop points in the Premier League on Sunday.

Harrison Reed's spectacular strike in the seventh minute of stoppage time earned Fulham a 2-2 draw with Liverpool at Craven Cottage. And Enzo Fernandez poked home an equalizer in the 94th at the Etihad to seal a 1-1 draw for managerless Chelsea that dented City's title hopes.

Second-placed City led through Tijjani Reijnders at halftime, but is now six points behind leader Arsenal, which beat Bournemouth 3-2 on Saturday.

Defending champion Liverpool is fourth in the standings and 14 points adrift of Arsenal after substitute Reed let fly from around 25 meters (yards) to beat Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson.

Manchester United drew 1-1 with Leeds after Matheus Cunha’s equalizer at Elland Road. United boss Ruben Amorim appeared frustrated afterward as he raised questions about his role at the club.

Reed’s goal saw Liverpool drop yet more points in what has been a difficult second campaign for coach Arne Slot.

The visiting fans were still celebrating after Cody Gakpo had scored what looked like a late winner in the 94th. But they were left stunned by Reed’s near instant response once play resumed. The midfielder had only come off the bench in stoppage time.

“I am experiencing this for months now that the first chance the other team gets, and the only chance they got in the first half, led to a goal,” said Slot. “That’s one thing we usually see with us. The second thing we see a lot is that the other team scores a goal you don’t expect in extra (stoppage) time, so this is then a surprise.”

Fulham led 1-0 at halftime through Harry Wilson, who burst through and fired low into the far corner. Florian Wirtz leveled in the 57th.

Cunha rescued a point for United at Leeds, but it was the post-match comments by Amorim that created the biggest headlines.

Amorim issued a defiant message while trying to clarify his position in a week when there were reports that figures at the club had questioned his tactics.

“I came here to be the manager of Manchester United, not to be the coach of Manchester United,” he said. “And that is clear. I know that my name is not (Thomas) Tuchel, it’s not (Antonio) Conte, it’s not (Jose) Mourinho but I’m the manager of Manchester United. And it’s going to be like this for 18 months or when the board decides to change.”

Cunha equalized after U.S. international Brenden Aaronson put Leeds in front in the second half in one of English soccer's fiercest rivalries.

Aaronson opened the scoring in the 62nd, but Cunha leveled three minutes later. The Brazil forward was close to firing a winner late in the match with a curling shot from outside the box that struck the outside of the post.

United has lost just two of its last 14 games in the league, but six draws during that run have seen Amorim's team struggle to keep pace with the top three in the standings.

“This year I think we are in control of the games more often than last year,” Amorim told TNT Sports. “So it was a good game, but of course (I am) a little bit frustrated not to win.”

Leeds is unbeaten in seven games and went ahead when Aaronson raced past United defender Ayden Heaven to shoot low into the far corner.

Cunha scored his third goal in his last five games when latching onto a pass from substitute Joshua Zirkzee and sliding a shot past Leeds goalkeeper Lucas Perri.

United has had to cope without injured inspirational captain Bruno Fernandes over the festive period as well as key forwards Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo, who are playing at the Africa Cup of Nations. Mason Mount and Kobbie Mainoo are also out with injuries.

But Amorim suggested Fernandes and Mount could be close to returning.

Leeds later said it was “devastated” by the death of a supporter following a “medical emergency” before the game.

“The thoughts of everyone at the club are with the family and friends of the supporter at this exceptionally difficult time,” it posted on X.

Chelsea bounced back from the departure of Club World Cup-winning coach Enzo Maresca to hurt City’s title aspirations.

With Strasbourg coach Liam Rosenior reportedly the favorite to take over, youth coach Calum McFarlane stepped up as interim for Sunday’s game. And he made a quick impression with a result that could prove telling in the race for the title.

Reijnders showed good feet before unleashing a powerful left-footed shot to beat Chelsea keeper Filip Jorgensen at his near post.

City had chances to extend the lead and paid the price for not taking them when Fernandez arrived at the far post to level the game.

“A difficult week for us, difficult moment, but part of the life of a footballer,” Fernandez told Sky Sports. “Today we are there 100%.”

It was a second successive draw for City after being held by Sunderland earlier in the week.

City was also hit by injuries to defenders Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias.

“It doesn't look good,” City manager Pep Guardiola said when asked about the duo.

Igor Thiago hit a hat trick in Brentford's 4-2 win at Everton.

The Brazilian forward has scored 14 goals in the league this season, behind only City's Erling Haaland.

Newcastle beat Crystal Palace 2-0 and Tottenham was denied victory at home to Sunderland when Brian Brobbey scored an 80th-minute equalizer for a 1-1 draw.

James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Chelsea's head coach Calum McFarlane, center, celebrates after Enzo Fernandez scoring during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Chelsea in Manchester, England, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola, center, reacts after Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez scoring during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Chelsea in Manchester, England, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Brentford's Igor Thiago, left, celebrates with team-mate Jordan Henderson after the English Premier League soccer match between FC Everton and FC Brentford in Liverpool, England, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

Liverpool's Cody Gakpo celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Fulham and Liverpool in London, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Fulham's Harrison Reed, left, celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Fulham and Liverpool in London, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Manchester United's Patrick Dorgu, left, and Leeds United's Gabriel Gudmundsson battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Leeds United and Manchester United in Leeds, England, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (Danny Lawson/PA via AP)

Manchester United's Benjamin Sesko, left, and Leeds United's Anton Stach battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Leeds United and Manchester United in Leeds, England, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (Danny Lawson/PA via AP)

Leeds United's Brenden Aaronson, right, celebrates with his teammates after scoring his sides first goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Leeds United and Manchester United in Leeds, England, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (Danny Lawson/PA via AP)

Manchester United's Matheus Cunha, center, celebrates after scoring his sides first goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Leeds United and Manchester United in Leeds, England, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (Danny Lawson/PA via AP)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Illinois coach Brad Underwood doesn't need any reminders about what happened the last two times his team faced UConn.

He can just plug in the game tapes, rewind them and watch them again. Back in November, the Huskies led wire-to-wire in a 74-61 victory. Two years ago in the Elite Eight, UConn used a 30-0 run en route to a 77-52 victory on the way to a second straight national championship.

There's nothing the Fighting Illini can do to change those results now, but they do believe they can change the course of this series Saturday when they face UConn in their first Final Four clash in more than two decades.

“I’ve said all along, you just have to keep knocking on the door and our opportunities were going to come,” Underwood said in Indianapolis when asked about the impact of the 2024 postseason loss. “We learned a lot from that game. I thought that team was a Final Four team that just happened to play a damn good basketball team in the Elite Eight, so we didn’t get there. But I think we grew from that from the standpoint of understanding how hard it is, what that looks like.”

Underwood took those lessons, revised his plan and started plotting how to get the Fighting Illini (28-8) to their first Final Four since 2005. Now, after 39 seasons in the coaching ranks, Underwood has finally made it here in March Madness for the first time.

For Illinois, it's a new experience, too. The Illini last reached the national semifinals during their 2005 runner-up finish. The obstacle again will be getting past UConn (33-5).

But this looks like a very different matchup than this season's previous meeting with two more physical, more balanced and more experienced teams squaring off.

Huskies coach Dan Hurley has built his reputation on tough players eager to the dirty work and this group is more of the same.

Center Tarris Reed Jr. earned the East Region's Most Outstanding Player award by scoring 21.7 points and grabbing 13.5 rebounds in tourney wins over Furman, UCLA, Michigan State and Duke— including 31 points and 27 rebounds in Round 1.

Huskies Forward Alex Karaban already holds school records for most games played (149), most wins (125), most starts (148) and most 3-pointers (288) and now needs two more tourney wins to push his March Madness career mark to 19-1. That would send him past Hurley's brother, Bobby, for second all-time in NCAA tourney wins.

“Defense and rebounding, that's really been our calling card,” Karaban said as he chases a rare third title. “Every time we've had success or won championships, that's what our calling card has been.”

And, of course, UConn would not be playing at Lucas Oil Stadium without a remarkable 19-point rally and Brayton Mullins' miraculous 35-foot, 3-pointer to beat top-seeded Duke 73-72 last Sunday. Mullins is now playing just 37 minutes away from his hometown — Greenfield, Indiana.

Hurley, too, is chasing milestones. He needs one victory for career win No. 350, two for his 200th win at UConn, giving him his third national title in four years and the Huskies their seventh crown since 1999.

Just don't get fooled by what happened in November.

Mullins entered his college debut on a 10-minute restriction because of an early-season injury that forced him to miss UConn's first six games. Now he's playing in front of a home-state crowd that will include his family and perhaps a large contingent of local residents clad in UConn gear.

“I told him last night, I was like ‘Look, man, it’s time to get ready for Illinois," Mullins' father, Josh, told The Associated Press during Friday's open practice at the 72,500-seat football stadium turned basketball arena. “Just enjoy the hell out of the time we have right here. It's pretty awesome.”

Illinois is different, too. Guard Keaton Wagler, a second-team All-American, was just starting to emerge as a scoring threat in November. Today, he's the Illini's leading scorer (17.9 points) and the South Region MOP.

In November, forward Jake Davis was still coming off the bench and guard Andrej Stojakovic was still trying to find his groove. Davis now starts, Stojakovic's big plays off the bench have played a key role in fueling Illinois' tourney run and the 7-foot Ivisic twins, Tomislav and Zvonimir, have provided a needed physical presence.

The result: Indiana steamrolled its way through four tourney games, beating Penn, VCU, Houston and surprise Elite Eight participant Iowa all by double-digit margins. The second-seeded Cougars, who won a regional in Indy last year before losing in the title game, even were playing in Houston.

Now it's time for Underwood & Co. to prove they have what it takes to contend with the always sturdy Huskies, with a chance to erase the bleak memories from the previous matchups by reaching the school's second title game in front of what is expected to be a large contingent of orange-clad fans making the two-hour drive to Indy.

“I think from the game two years ago, it's a clean slate,” Stojakovic said. “But we're not really worried about that game. Obviously, we've gotten better (since November), had some guys return from injuries — both sides.”

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

Illinois' Zvonimir Ivisic signs autographs during practice ahead of a national semifinal NCAA college basketball tournament game against UConn at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

UConn players run drills during practice ahead of a national semifinal NCAA college basketball tournament game against Illinois at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Illinois' Brandon Lee (1) knocks the ball away from teammate Keaton Wagler, right, during practice ahead of a national semifinal NCAA college basketball tournament game against UConn at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Illinois' Tomislav Ivisic takes a selfie with a fan following practice ahead of a national semifinal NCAA college basketball tournament game against UConn at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Illinois head coach Brad Underwood waves during practice ahead of a national semifinal NCAA college basketball tournament game against UConn at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)