Southampton’s trip to Liverpool will now be played on Sunday 7th May, at 1.30pm BST, after the game was selected for live television coverage.
Saints had been due to visit Anfield a day earlier, but the match has now been chosen for coverage by Sky Sports.
It will be the second time Claude Puel’s side have visited Liverpool this season, after beating them 1-0 there in the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final.
Premier League fixtures live on Sky Sports in May: Top six in action, Friday Night Football returns
Sky Sports will show more crucial clashes as the Premier League nears its climax, with the current top six in front of the cameras and Friday Night Football back on the first weekend in May.
Five more live games for the start of the final month have been added to the schedule, as four days that could be key in the race for the title and the top four kick off with a Friday evening London derby between West Ham and Tottenham and finish with a Monday Night Football clash between leaders Chelsea and relegation-threatened Middlesbrough.
Manchester City welcome Crystal Palace on Saturday lunchtime, while a stellar Super Sunday sees Liverpool host Southampton and under-pressure Arsenal take on Manchester United at the Emirates.
The Premier League drama returns this weekend and Sky Sports viewers have plenty to look forward to as business at both ends of the table gets serious.
A thrilling start to April takes in the Merseyside derby and Manchester City’s trip to Arsenal, while a packed penultimate month also has the Manchester and north London derbies in store.
More games for the final two matchdays of the season will be announced in due course.
CLAUDE Puel has spoken with Dusan Tadic over his comments stating the St Mary’s chief had not shown him “enough respect”.
The Serbian playmaker has been substituted for five successive games and in total has completed just four full games in his 20 Premier League appearances this season.
And after being once more hauled off in the 2-1 defeat to Tottenham, Tadic said: “It’s unbelievable that I was subbed again and we also lost.
“You can see statistically that we concede or lose when I’ve been taken off. I don’t think this shows enough respect for me.”
After the 28-year-old returned from international duty with Serbia, Puel held a discussion with Tadic over his remarks.
“All players can have disappointments after a game, I can understand this, but we’ve sorted this internally with calm,” Puel explained.
“He knows it was not a good response, it’s always better to give the answer on the pitch and not outside.”
Puel also broached the subject of Virgil van Dijk’s future during his press conference ahead of the Bournemouth match at St Mary’s.
Van Dijk, who is currently sidelined with an ankle injury, has attracted the interest of numerous clubs, but Puel is calm about his captain’s future.
“For me his injury doesn’t change anything,” he said. “He’s an important player for us, he’s our captain and it’s the first time he’s ever been a captain.
“It’s important he takes this role with quality and good attitude and spirit.
“He can learn all this not just to think about his game. He can learn the management of the team and his team-mates.
“It’s a new role for him and he needs to take experience and maturity and he can improve with us.
“He’s a good player and for me one of the best defenders in the Premier League.
“He can play with us and we can give him all the maturity and quality for the future.”
Virgil van Dijk could play for Southampton again this season, Claude Puel has hinted, despite not featuring since January.
The defender, who is a summer transfer target for Manchester City and Chelsea, was ruled out for up to three months when he hurt his ankle against Leicester City – with a return date pencilled in for May.
And Puel has confirmed his captain is on track to return before the season closes and insisted that his fitness will have no impact on whether Saints hold on to him this summer or not.
"(Van Dijk’s) is a long injury and we will see if he can come back before the end of the season.
"The injury does not change anything. He is an important player for us, our captain and it is important he takes this role with good quality, good attitude and good spirit.
“For me he is among the best defenders in the Premier League but he can play with us and we can give him good maturity for the future.”
Puel also confirmed he’d spoken to Dusan Tadic after the midfielder accused him of a lack of “respect”.
Tadic recently voiced his frustration over the fact he has finished only four of the 20 games he has started under the Frenchman and hinted he was unsure about his future as a result.
He said: "I don’t think the coach needs to substitute me, but I deserve more respect.
“I haven’t thought about what I’m going to do at the end of the season, now I concentrate only on the national team and Southampton.”
Asked if he’d spoken to Tadic about his comment, Puel said: "Yes. All the players can have disappointment after the game. I understand this but we sorted it internally.
“He knows it was not a good response. It is always better to give good answers on the pitch.”
CLAUDE Puel has given an update on Virgil van Dijk’s recovery from an ankle injury.
“It’s a long injury. We will see if he comes back before the end of the season,” Puel said.
“The injury does not change anything,” he added. “He is an important player for us, our captain, and it is important he takes this role with good quality, good attitude and good spirit.
“For me he is among the best defenders in the Premier League but he can play with us and we can give him good maturity for the future.”
Southampton manager Claude Puel has spoken to Dusan Tadic after the midfielder accused him of a lack of respect.
Tadic recently voiced his frustration at having played the full 90 minutes only four times this season.
He said: "I don’t think the coach needs to substitute me, but I deserve more respect.
“I haven’t thought about what I’m going to do at the end of the season – now I concentrate only on the [Serbia] national team and Southampton.”
Puel, who prefers to use a rotation system, confirmed at a news conference that he had spoken to Tadic.
“All the players can have disappointment after the game. I understand this, but we sorted it internally,” he added.
“He knows it was not a good response. It is always better to give good answers on the pitch.”
Puel said he believed £16 million club record signing Sofiane Boufal, 23, had “confidence problems.”
“It is a little difficult for Sofiane. We know his talent. He’s a fantastic player,” he said.
“I need to discuss with him to find a solution. There is a lot of pressure on him. He likes to play and needs confidence to give all his possibilities.”
Six Premier League games will be shown on the first weekend in May, including Manchester United’s trip to The Emirates .
West Ham will host Tottenham on May 5, as Sky make use of the Friday night slot for only the fifth time this season, before two televised games on the Saturday, with Manchester City’s game at home to Crystal Palace on Sky and BT showing Everton’s trip to Swansea.
Manchester United against Arsenal is the showpiece on Sunday, with Liverpool against Southampton earlier in the day.
The weekend will then be rounded off with Chelsea hosting Middlesbrough on Monday night, meaning that only four games will be in the traditional Saturday 3pm slot that week.
The coverage means that all of the current top seven will be live on TV as the title race and the race for the top four draw to a close.
In fact, only West Brom and Stoke in the current top half will not be televised that weekend.
However, the relegation battle, which is also likely to be hotting up come the beginning of may, will not be as prominently covered.
The games will make up the third from last weekend of the Premier League season, and are likely to still have plenty up for grabs.
The game between Spurs and West Ham is a return to Friday night fixtures, an experiment that had seemed to be shelved.
Sky broadcast three Friday games in the early part of the season but then came a three-month gap before the last one between Hull and Everton on December 30.
The broadcaster was permitted up to 10 games in that slot per season, but will now show far fewer than that.
Southampton manager Claude Puel says he understands Dusan Tadic frustration at regularly being substituted but says the issue has been sorted out internally.
The Serbia international recently voiced his frustration over the fact he has finished only four of the 20 games he has started under the Frenchman, saying: ‘I don’t think the coach needs to substitute me, but I deserve more respect.’
He also added: ‘I haven’t thought about what I’m going to do at the end of the season, now I concentrate only on the national team and Southampton.’
Puel’s preference for a rotation system has been a significant feature of his management since his summer appointment, and asked if he had spoken to the 28-year-old, he responded: 'Yes.
'All the players can have disappointment after the game. I understand this but we sorted it internally.
‘He knows it was not a good response. It is always better to give good answers on the pitch.’
Among those vying for selection with Tadic is £16million club record signing Sofiane Boufal, 23, who recently complained he has not received enough protection from Premier League referees.
Puel, whose team on Saturday host south coast rivals Bournemouth, also has plans to speak to the midfielder in an attempt to help him rediscover his confidence.
Saturday’s fixture represents Southampton’s first at St Mary’s since February 4. They remain without the injured Manolo Gabbiadini, Charlie Austin and Virgil van Dijk, and the 55-year-old Puel said: 'It is a little difficult for Sofiane. We know his talent. He’s a fantastic player.
'At the moment he has some confidence problems and I need to discuss with him to find a solution.
'It is important to see at this level his quality; he is happy to play with this team.
'There is a lot of pressure on him and it is difficult for him to have just 15 to 25 minutes to play.
'He likes to play and needs confidence to give all his possibilities.
'(Van Dijk’s) is a long injury and we will see if he can come back before the end of the season.
'The injury does not change anything. He is an important player for us, our captain and it is important he takes this role with good quality, good attitude and good spirit.
‘For me he is among the best defenders in the Premier League but he can play with us and we can give him good maturity for the future.’
Harry Kane, Jesse Lingard, Wilfried Zaha… who gets your vote for March’s top Premier League goal?
Watch our selection of eight crackers in the video above then scroll or swipe down to have your say.
Harry Kane scored twice in this action-packed White Hart Lane clash at the start of the month, but it was his opener that caught the eye - a venomous strike from 20 yards that beat Joel Robles at his near post.
When Stefano Okaka teed the ball up with his back to goal, Troy Deeney reacted instinctively, shifting his body position to send a side-foot volley into the far corner with just four minutes on the clock. It was Deeney’s 105th goal for the Hornets - making him the joint-fourth highest scorer in the club’s history - but his team-mates went on to lose a seven-goal thriller.
Wilfried Zaha broke the deadlock here in ruthless fashion, taking a sublime diagonal ball from Yohan Cabaye down on his chest, before drilling low past Ben Foster. Team-mate Andros Townsend scored a fine goal himself to seal victory - a lung-busting late run that started by his own area - but Zaha’s is our pick this time.
Josh King hit a hat-trick in this mid-month encounter and his first was quick-thinking at its finest. Despite missing an early penalty, he showed the wits to hook over marker Jose Fonte, before lashing into the back of the net. King further made amends with a close-range finish and then lashed into the roof of the net in the final minute to steal the points.
It might have proved in vain but this was a tidy opener from Michail Antonio, the West Ham man collecting a ball to feet from Sofiane Feghouli, before swivelling in an instant and firing past Darren Randolph.
Jose Mourinho might have been without suspended Zlatan Ibrahimovic and injured Paul Pogba but Jesse Lingard brought the stardust to the Riverside, driving goalwards before unleashing a fierce shot that swerved with the wind and flew into the top corner.
Romelu Lukaku scored twice as Everton ran Hull ragged but he also set up our pick of the bunch from Goodison Park. The Toffees’ top scorer obliged a clever one-two from Valencia, who took the return ball on his chest before lifting beyond Eldin Jakupovic.
Leicester held on to claim only their first away win of the season but Hammers fans will still treasure this goal at the London Stadium, a perfectly-placed free-kick that left Kasper Schmeichel rooted.
Grab a Sky Sports Month Pass for half price, and let us knock your sporting socks off with a blockbuster month of sport on NOW TV. All for just £16.99.
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