Liverpool eight points clear, as Brighton rocks Spurs

JAMES Milner scored a stoppage-time winner as Liverpool moved eight points clear at the top of the Premier League with a thrilling 2-1 victory against Leicester, while Mauricio Pochettino’s problems mounted after Tottenham’s heavy loss at Brighton on Saturday.

Liverpool won for the 17th consecutive league game thanks to Milner’s dramatic contribution to a thrilling clash at Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp’s side ruined Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers’ first return to Liverpool since being replaced by the German in 2015. By extending their remarkable winning streak, Liverpool has piled pressure on second-placed Manchester City ahead of their home game against Wolves overnight.

“It was a super game. We upped the tempo. The football we played was so important,” Klopp said. “Without luck we cannot win the amount of games we have won, but over the 90 minutes we deserved it. James Milner held his nerve and that was superb.”

Liverpool took the lead in the 40th minute when Milner’s long ball was misjudged by Leicester defender Jonny Evans and Sadio Mane clinically slotted in his eighth goal of the season.

Mane has scored exactly 50 goals in 100 Premier League games for Liverpool, making the Senegal winger the 10th player to reach that milestone for the Reds.

James Maddison snatched third-placed Leicester’s equaliser in the 80th minute when he collected Ayoze Perez’s pass and drove his shot under Adrian’s weak attempted save.

But five minutes into stoppage time, Marc Albrighton took the ball away from his own goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and then clipped Mane, with Milner converting the penalty after a VAR review.

At the Amex Stadium, Tottenham’s crisis deepened as they turned in a desperate performance to lose 3-0, while Hugo Lloris suffered a serious arm injury.

Tottenham keeper Lloris dropped the ball on the goal line and hurt himself in the process in only the third minute, allowing Neal Maupay to open the scoring.

It only got worse after that as Aaron Connolly’s double gave the impressive Seagulls a deserved three points. It ranked as one of the worst performances of Pochettino’s reign and, following on from Tuesday’s 7-2 Champions League humiliation to Bayern Munich, the dark clouds are mounting over the club.

Pochettino was forced to emphasise his commitment to Tottenham this week amid speculation he has grown distant from a squad distracted by several players who have been linked with moves.

Everton manager Marco Silva is also under increasing pressure following a 1-0 defeat at Burnley.