Liverpool beats Everton 1-0 to restore 12-point lead in the Premier League

Diogo Jota scored the goal that settled the Merseyside derby on Wednesday and kept Liverpool's Premier League title challenge on track.

The Portugal international's second-half strike sealed a 1-0 win at Anfield and restored Liverpool's 12-point lead over Arsenal at the top of the standings.

With just eight games remaining this season, this was one of the biggest hurdles standing in the way of a record-equalling 20th English title for Arne Slot's team. And it was Jota who came up with the decisive moment in the 57th minute when he twisted his way through the box and lashed a shot past Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

Fourth-placed Manchester City was without the injured Erling Haaland but still beat Leicester 2-0 to stay one point ahead of Newcastle in the race for Champions League qualification. Newcastle, in fifth, beat Brentford 2-1.

Marcus Rashford scored again for Aston Villa in a 3-0 win at Brighton.

Bottom-club Southampton was denied only its third league win of the season when Matheus Franca scored in the second minute of stoppage time to salvage a 1-1 draw for Crystal Palace.

Ipswich did pick up a rare win — beating Bournemouth 2-1.

Liverpool’s outstanding campaign has wobbled in recent weeks. Champions League elimination at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain was quickly followed by defeat to Newcastle in the English League Cup final.

Meanwhile, Arsenal’s win over Fulham on Tuesday sparked the possibility that the Londoners could yet mount something of a title challenge.

Dropped points against a fast-improving Everton would only have fueled belief that the tension is beginning to hit Liverpool's players at just the wrong time.

The home team survived two scares in the first half when Beto had a goal ruled out for offside and later struck the post after racing clear.

Liverpool took advantage through Jota's first goal in his last 11 appearances.

Victory means Liverpool need just 13 more points to be confirmed champion.

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

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

Newcastle United's Kieran Trippier, left, and Brentford's Kevin Schade battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Brentford and Newcastle United at St James' Park in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)

Newcastle United's Sandro Tonali appeals to an official during the English Premier League soccer match between Brentford and Newcastle United at St James' Park in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)

Aston Villa's Matty Cash attempts a shot on goal, during the English Premier League soccer match between Brighton and Hove Albion and Aston Villa, at the American Express Stadium, in Brighton, England, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Aston Villa's Marcus Rashford has a shot on goal saved by Brighton and Hove Albion goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, during the English Premier League soccer match between Brighton and Hove Albion and Aston Villa, at the American Express Stadium, in Brighton, England, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Leicester's goalkeeper Mads Hermansen, foreground, fails to save the goal scored by Manchester City's Omar Marmoush, center, during the English Premier League soccer match at the Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Manchester City's Jack Grealish runs during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Leicester City at the Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Everton's James Tarkowski, left, fouls Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Everton at Anfield in Liverpool, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)

Everton's James Tarkowski, left, right Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Everton at Anfield, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Liverpool, England. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

Liverpool's Ibrahima Konate, left, and Everton's Beto battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Everton at Anfield in Liverpool, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)

Liverpool's Diogo Jota scores the opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Everton at Anfield in Liverpool, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)

Liverpool's Diogo Jota celebrates with Curtis Jones, top, after scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Everton at Anfield in Liverpool, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)

Liverpool's Diogo Jota scores the opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Everton at Anfield in Liverpool, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)

BANGKOK (AP) — The impact of U.S. President Donald Trump’sblast of tariff hikes was reverberating across world markets Monday as America’s trading partners puzzled over whether there is room for negotiating better deals.

Several countries said they were sending trade officials to Washington to try to talk through the crisis, which has cast uncertainty over the global economic outlook, hammered markets and left U.S. allies wondering about the value of their ties with the world's largest economy.

However, Germany’s economy minister, Robert Habeck, was defiant as he arrived at a meeting of European Union trade ministers in Luxembourg, saying the premise of the wide-ranging tariffs was “nonsense” and that attempts by individual countries to win exemptions haven’t worked in the past.

It's important for the EU to stick together, he said. That “means being clear that we are in a strong position — America is in a position of weakness.”

China, which hit back Friday at Washington with 34% tariffs on U.S. products and other retaliatory moves, accused the U.S. of failing to play fair.

“Putting ‘America First’ over international rules is a typical act of unilateralism, protectionism and economic bullying,” Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters.

The ruling Communist Party struck a note of confidence even as markets in Hong Kong and Shanghai crumpled. “The sky won't fall,” declared The People’s Daily, the party's official mouthpiece. “Faced with the indiscriminate punches of U.S. taxes, we know what we are doing and we have tools at our disposal.”

Leading big drops in many markets, Hong Kong’s stock benchmark, the Hang Seng, plunged 13.2%. The Shanghai Composite index, meanwhile, lost 7.3% despite reported moves by regulators to staunch the losses.

China’s Commerce Ministry said officials met with representatives of 20 American businesses including Tesla and GE Healthcare over the weekend and urged them to take “concrete actions” to address the tariffs issue.

During the meeting, Ling Ji, a vice minister of commerce, promised that China will remain open to foreign investment, according to the readout by the ministry.

South Korea’s Trade Ministry said its top negotiator, Inkyo Cheong, will visit Washington this week to express Seoul’s concerns over the 25% tariffs on Korean goods and discuss ways to mitigate the damage to South Korean businesses, which include major automakers and steel makers.

Pakistan also planned to send a delegation to Washington this month to try negotiate over the 29% tariffs on its exports to the U.S., officials said. The prime minister ordered Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb to assess the tariff's potential impact on Pakistan's fragile economy and draw up recommendations.

The U.S. imports around $5 billion worth of textiles and other products each year from Pakistan, which heavily relies on loans from the International Monetary Fund and other lenders.

In Southeast Asia, Malaysia’s Trade Minister Zafrul Abdul Aziz said his country will seek to forge a united response from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to Trump's sweeping tariffs.

As chair of the 10-nation body this year, Malaysia will lead a meeting Thursday in its capital Kuala Lumpur to discuss broader implications of the trade war on regional trade and investment, Zafrul told reporters.

“We are looking at the investment flows, macroeconomic stability and ASEAN's coordinated response to this tariff issue,” Zafrul said. He denied reports Malaysia had imposed a 47% tariff on imports from the U.S., saying the actual average Malaysian tariff on American exports is 5.6%.

He said that he had met with the U.S. ambassador to Malaysia to try to clarify how the U.S. came up with its 24% tariff.

Indonesia, one of the region's biggest economies, said it would work with businesses to increase its imports of U.S. wheat, cotton, oil and gas to help reduce its trade surplus, which was $18 billion in 2024.

Coordinating Economic Affairs Minister Airlangga Hartarto told a news conference that Indonesia will not retaliate against the new 32% tariff on Indonesian exports, but would use diplomacy to seek mutually beneficial solutions.

Some Southeast Asian neighbors, including Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, face tariffs of over 40%, giving Indonesia a slight advantage, he noted.

“For Indonesia, it is also another opportunity as its market is huge in America,” Hartoto said. He said Indonesia would buy U.S.-made components for several national strategic projects, including refineries.

Associated Press journalists from around the world contributed to this report.

People walk by an electronic board displaying Shanghai shares trading index at a brokerage house, in Beijing, Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Containers are stored in the small harbor in Frankfurt, Germany, Sunday, April 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

Shipping containers are stacked at Port Botany in Sydney, Australia, Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Vehicles make their way on a street at the main business district in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

A man walks on a pedestrian bridge as tall buildings are seen in the background at the main business district in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

New cars sit at Tilbury Port in Essex, Britain, Monday April 7, 2025. (Jamie Lashma/PA via AP)

People watch a live screen on the facade of Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) building in Mumbai, India, Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

While a stock exchange trader sits in front of his monitors on the trading floor of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, Germany, the display board with the Dax curve shows a value of less than 20,000 points. (Arne Dedert/dpa via AP)

Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Economics Airlangga Hartarto, right, speaks during a press conference in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

A dejected investor waits to restart trading, suspended for an hour following a 5% drop in in its main index at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSE), in Karachi, Pakistan, Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

Pedestrian are reflected on a brokerage house's window as an electronic board displays shares trading index, in Beijing, Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

A dejected investor waits to restart trading, suspended for an hour following a 5% drop in in its main index, at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSE), in Karachi, Pakistan, Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)