Reds, Spurs keep winning
Wood on target for Burnley but fellow All White Reid stretchered off for West Ham
Liverpool and Tottenham put the squeeze on Chelsea in the race for Champions League qualification next season after chalking up 2-0 victories in the English Premier League yesterday.
And there was a mixed day for New Zealand’s two Premier League players who were both returning from injury. Striker Chris Wood came off the bench to score Burnley’s winner against Everton but centre back Winston Reid suffered a serious injury which saw West Ham’s game at Swansea stopped for nine minutes while he was treated and removed.
Mohamed Salah struck his 32nd goal in all competitions and Sadio Mane made sure of victory as second-placed Liverpool breezed past Newcastle to make it an unhappy Anfield return for former manager Rafael Benitez.
Son Heung-min, vying for league player of the year honours with Salah, took his goal tally for the campaign to 15 with a double in Tottenham’s triumph over Huddersfield at Wembley. Huddersfield’s chances of beating Tottenham for the first time since 1956 were dealt a blow when Dele Alli sent Son racing clear of the defence to round keeper Jonas Lossl for the opening goal in the 27th minute. Son doubled the lead in the 54th minute when he finished off a fine move by Spurs, with Harry Kane setting up the unmarked Son with an excellent cross.
Tottenham’s unbeaten run in all competitions is now 17 games. The defeat leaves Huddersfield three points above the bottom three.
Liverpool have lost once in 19 league games and didn’t look like losing twice in 20 despite a stubborn Newcastle rearguard at Anfield.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain set up the unmarked Salah for the first goal; Mane clinched the win, set up by Roberto Firmino.
Burnley reached 40 points in the league for the first time. Cenk Tosun gave Everton the lead but Burnley prevailed through goals from Ashley Barnes and Wood, with a close range header from a corner 10 minutes from the end, his fifth goal in 16 games for the Clarets. The result ended a 12-match winless run for Burnley and is the first Premier League game they have won after conceding the first goal.
“It was a thorough performance and a winning one,” said Burnley manager Sean Dyche. “We have more to do. Hopefully that freedom in the second half is something we can carry on.”
Everton centre back Ashley Williams was sent off in the 86th minute for elbowing Barnes.
Swansea continued their revival under manager Carlos Carvalhal by thrashing West Ham 4-1. Reid suffered a nasty leg injury when his last-ditch tackle on Swansea’s Mike van der Hoorn saw his foot get stuck in the ground, forcefully twisting his knee. The victory was Swansea’s seventh straight at home.
Watford piled on the misery for West Bromwich Albion by beating the bottom club 1-0 with a goal from captain Troy Deeney.
Riyad Mahrez scored with a splendid free kick seven minutes into stoppage time to earn Leicester a 1-1 home draw with Bournemouth, and Stoke drew at Southampton 0-0.
Moussa Dembele’s second-half double and a late strike from substitute Odsonne Edouard gave holders Celtic a 3-0 Scottish Cup quarter-final win over Morton.
The well-organised Championship side proved stubborn in the first half but their resistance was broken in the 62nd minute when Dembele scored with a header before winning and converting a penalty.