Sterling effort puts City clear

RAHEEM Sterling struck a secondhalf hat-trick as English Premier League champion Manchester City put pressure on title rival Liverpool with a 3-1 win over Watford at the Etihad Stadium yesterday.

After a frustrating first half for the champions, Sterling netted within a minute of the restart and though an offside flag was raised, referee Paul Tierney awarded the goal because defender Daryl Janmaat had struck the ball off the England forward before it ricocheted into the net.

Sterling tapped home a second moments later and the visitors’ collapse continued as Sterling completed his hat-trick in the 59th minute before Gerard Deulofeu pulled one back.

City held out to move four points clear of rival Liverpool, which had a crunch home game overnight against Burnley.

Meanwhile, Tottenham’s hold on third place was loosened after Southampton fought back for a shock 2-1 win.

Goals five minutes apart late from Yan Valery and James WardProwse handed Spurs their third loss in a four-game winless run, leaving them just three points clear of Manchester United.

Newcastle is six points clear of Cardiff after a stunning come-frombehind 3-2 win at home to Everton.

The Magpies trailed 2-0 at the half before Solomon Rondon pulled one back and Ayoze Perez capped the fightback with a brace in the final nine minutes.

Aaron Mooy’s Huddersfield lost 2-0 at home to Bournemouth leaving it 16 points from safety with eight games remaining. Fulham is 13 points adrift after falling 3-1 in the first home game for new Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers.

Cardiff remains in the drop zone despite a win over West Ham. Earlier, a moment of brilliance from Anthony Knockaert saw Mat Ryan’s Brighton beat Crystal Palace 2-1 to edge further clear from the relegation zone. Brighton opened the scoring on 19 minutes but then conceded from the spot. Knockaert had the final say as Brighton registered back-to-back league victories for the first time this year.