‘No opera’ as Reds extend league lead
Mohamed Salah’s second-half penalty moved Liverpool seven points clear at the top of the Premier League thanks to a 1-0 win away to Brighton, while Arsenal’s hopes of a top-four finish suffered another body blow in defeat by West Ham on Saturday.
Chelsea now lead the Gunners by six points in the race for Champions League qualification after they beat Newcastle 2-1.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admitted it had been “no opera” watching his side struggle to create chances on the south coast in a game of little goal-mouth incident other than Salah’s 17th goal of the season after the Egyptian had been hauled down by Pascal Gross five minutes into the second half.
“We are not the Harlem Globetrotters, we have to deliver results,” Klopp said, as his side got back to winning ways after a first Premier League defeat of the season by Manchester City and an FA Cup exit to Wolves.
City can close the gap to four points with victory over Wolves on Monday.
Teenager Declan Rice scored his first West Ham goal as Unai Emery’s men suffered on the road once more in a 1-0 loss at the London Stadium.
Chelsea took advantage of Arsenal’s defeat despite having to work to beat Newcastle.
Pedro Rodriguez’s early opener was cancelled out by Ciaran Clark’s header for the visitors, but Willian’s fine 57thminute strike secured all three points for Maurizio Sarri’s men.
Newcastle slipped into the bottom three as 10-man Southampton held out to win 2-1 at Leicester.
Fulham remain in the relegation zone as Burnley won 2-1 at Turf Moor despite not even having a single shot on target, through two Fulham own goals. .
Watford beat Crystal Palace 2-1. Huddersfield had a goalless draw at Cardiff.