Defoe punishes Liverpool, Man United sink Hammers
JERMAIN Defoe scored two penalties as third-bottom Sunderland prevented Liverpool from significantly trimming Chelsea’s lead at the Premier League summit in a 2-2 draw last night.
Liverpool went ahead twice, through Daniel Sturridge and Sadio Mane, but Defoe’s two spot-kicks mean Chelsea will move eight points clear if they win at Tottenham Hotspur tomorrow.
“I am not able to explain it because I don’t know exactly what I saw,” Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said.
“My team were fighting, but I wasn’t sure if they could do it.”
Manchester City lost ground after losing 1-0 at Liverpool on New Year’s Eve, but they bounced back by winning 2-1 at home to Burnley, despite the first-half dismissal of Fernandinho.
Liverpool, who were denied a fifth successive league win, were left five points adrift of Chelsea in second place, with City two points back in third.
Manchester United rose to within a point of the top four after goals by Juan Mata and Zlatan Ibrahimovic secured a contentious 2-0 win at 10-man West Ham United.
Substitute Enner Valencia, Leighton Baines and Romelu Lukaku scored in the last 17 minutes as home team Everton overcame Southampton 3-0.
West Bromwich Albion remain a point below Everton in eighth after coming from behind to win 3-1 at home to second-bottom Hull City through goals from Chris Brunt, Gareth McAuley and James Morrison.
Champions Leicester City have now gone 12 league games without an away win following a drab 0-0 draw at Middlesbrough that left them six points above the relegation zone in 14th place.