LIVERPOOL OPENS FIVE POINT LEAD AT TOP OF PREMIER LEAGUE
(Reuters) - Liverpool took a giant step towards their first title in 24 years with a 3-2 win at a plucky Norwich City yesterday, opening up a five-point lead over second-placed Chelsea with three matches remaining.
Arsenal kept themselves in the hunt for a place in next season's Champions League with a 3-0 win at Hull City in a dressrehearsal for next month's FA Cup final.
Two goals to Raheem Sterling and Luis Suarez's 30th league strike of the season helped Liverpool to their 11th consecutive Premier League victory and ensured them a top four finish and a place in Europe's elite club competition next season.
They moved to 80 points, five ahead of Chelsea who suffered a shock 2-1 defeat by bottomplaced Sunderland on Saturday, while third-placed Manchester City, on 71 points and with two matches in hand, play West Bromwich Albion today.
Arsenal, for whom Lukas Podolski scored a double after Aaron Ramsey's opener, moved to 70 points. Liverpool have not finished top since 1990, two years before the Premier League began, and they can put themselves on the brink of ending that drought when they meet Chelsea at Anfield next Sunday.
Norwich remain mired in the relegation battle in 17th place, two points above Cardiff City and Fulham and three ahead of Sunderland, while Hull are 14th, six points above the drop zone.
Liverpool's Suarez, who now has 12 league goals in five matches against Norwich, refused to get carried away with their position. “In football you never know what can happen,” the Uruguayan told Sky Sports.
“We keep calm and focus on next game. Of course we happy, at the start of the season our tar- get was for the top four.” Liverpool made a typically fast start at Carrow Road, with Sterling putting the Reds ahead after four minutes when he received the ball from Suarez, shifted right and unleashed a shot from outside the box that grazed Michael Turner, giving John Ruddy no chance.