Liverpool cranks up pressure

LIVERPOOL has equalled its best ever start to an English Premier League season after it beat lowly Cardiff City 4-1.

Sadio Mane scored twice while Mo Salah and Xherdan Shaqiri got the other goals at home on Saturday to lift Juergen Klopp’s side three points ahead of Manchester City, which plays at Tottenham tonight.

The victory took Liverpool to 26 points from 10 games, equalling its tally from 2008-09. Bournemouth moved within a point of fifthplaced Tottenham with a 3-0 win at Fulham while Watford is one point further back in seventh after a 3-0 win over Aaron Mooy’s Huddersfield, which fell to bottom spot after a 3-0 defeat at Watford.

“It was our worst performance defensively for a while,” Huddersfield manager David Wagner said. “We created chances, but didn’t have the luck when we hit the bar (early on). If we want to collect points we have to do well offensively and defensively.”

Fulham has now lost four straight Premier League games. Brighton manager Chris Hughton was indebted to a goal from Glenn Murray for its 1-0 win over Wolves.

“We are not playing at our best, nowhere near,” Hughton said.

Newcastle picked up a vital point with a 0-0 draw at Southampton, enough to lift it off the bottom of the table. It is only the second time in Newcastle’s history it has not won any of its 10 league matches.

“We are in a difficult position but it is a small stop forward in terms of confidence and showing the team we can compete and do what we’re expecting to do,” Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez said.

West Ham moved up a place to 13th after a 1-1 draw at Leicester, which remains 12th.

West Ham took the lead through Fabian Balbuena and survived almost 50 minutes with 10 men after the sendingoff of Mark Noble, only for Wilfred Ndidi to snatch a point with a late deflected strike.