Reds storm Palace to increase league lead
PREMIER League leaders Liverpool recovered from a poor first-half display as they came from behind to beat battling Crystal Palace 4-3 in a thrilling goalfest at Anfield yesterday.
The win, secured by late goals from Mo Salah and Sadio Mane, moved Juergen Klopp’s side seven points clear of Manchester City, who face bottom club Huddersfield Town today.
Palace took a shock 34th minute lead against the run of play when Andros Townsend slotted home a fine pull-back from Wilfried Zaha.
Liverpool equalised 47 seconds after the interval when the ball looped high into the area, where Salah skilfully converted with the outside of his left foot after Virgil van Dijk’s long-range effort was blocked.
Suddenly Liverpool were buzzing and it was no surprise when Brazilian Roberto Firmino put them ahead, collecting a pass from Naby Keita and beating veteran Palace goalkeeper Julian Speroni with a slightly deflected low shot.
But Palace were not about to roll over and they fought back to level at 2-2 in the 65th when James Tomkins was left unattended to head in a Luka Milivojevic corner.
Speroni, Palace’s 39-year-old thirdchoice, then gifted Liverpool a goal when his one-handed waft at a harmless-looking James Milner cross fell for Salah to tap in after 75 minutes.
Milner was sent off in the 89th for a second yellow card after a late challenge on Zaha before Mane added the fourth for the hosts with a solo strike in stoppage time. There was still time for Palace to strike again with Max Meyer beating Alisson Becker with a low shot that the Brazilian keeper would have expected to save.
Manchester United stretched their perfect run under caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to seven wins from as many games in all competitions with a 2-1 home defeat of Brighton & Hove Albion.
The result provisionally lifted United one place up to fifth on 44 points from 23 games, three more than sixth-placed Arsenal.
United stormed into a two-goal lead through Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford in the first half but faded in the second and served up a nervy finish to their fans after Pascal Gross pulled one back for battling Brighton.
Pogba opened the scoring with a 27th-minute penalty and Rashford made it 2-0 in the 42nd with a superb individual goal, beating his marker with dazzling footwork before hitting the top corner from a tight angle on his 150th appearance for United.
Gross reduced the arrears out of the blue in the 72nd minute, drilling in a close-range shot off the underside of the bar after Davy Propper floated in an inch-perfect cross with the outside of his foot. United, who missed several opportunities to increase their lead in the opening hour, were forced to hang on in the closing stages as the visitors pounded a flurry of crosses into the penalty area.
Diogo Jota completed a hat-trick in stoppage time to earn Wolverhampton Wanderers an amazing 4-3 win over Leicester City in one of the best games of the Premier League season so far.
AT A GLANCE
Yesterday: AFC Bournemouth 2, West Ham United 0; Southampton 2, Everton 1; Arsenal v Chelsea
Huddersfield Town v Manchester City (3.30pm SA time kick-off); Fulham v Tottenham Hotspur (6.30pm).