The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Liverpool keep up pressure
LIVERPOOL MAY be third favourites in a three-horse race to lift the Barclays Premier League title but they continue to get results like they neither know nor care.
Struggling Sunderland were a hurdle they were expected to clear comfortably but the 2-1 scoreline showed it was not a trademark performance of fluidity and control.
Steven Gerrard’s free-kick broke their opponents’ resistance late in the first half but it was Daniel Sturridge’s strike just after the break which had statisticians reaching for the history books before substitute Ki Sung-Yeung’s header made for a tense finish.
In scoring his 20th league goal of the campaign, moving to within eight of teammate Luis Suarez, England international Sturridge ensured he and his strike partner achieved a feat not seen in these parts for 50 years since Ian St John and Roger Hunt achieved it.
Only six times previously have two Liverpool players scored 20 league goals apiece and in four of those campaigns they went on to win a league title — twice Division One and twice Division Two.
A banner in the Kop before kick-off read ‘Anything is possible if you believe’ and by the end the stadium was reverberating to chants of “We’re going to win the league”.
There is still plenty of ground to cover before their 24-year wait becomes a reality and the visits of Chelsea and Manchester City take on greater significance with every passing day.
But a seventh successive victory moved them back into second place in the table, just a point behind the Stamford Bridge club, and two ahead of City, who have a couple of matches in hand.
West Ham ended a three-game losing streak with a 2-1 win over a 10-man Hull side at Upton Park.
Scotland goalkeeper Allan McGregor was shown a straight red card after charging into Mo Diame, with Mark Noble dispatching the resulting penalty to set Sam Allardyce’s side on course for their first league win since February 22.
But Steve Bruce’s Hull did not lie down without a fight and made a good fist of getting something out of the game, with Nikica Jelavic scoring his fourth goal for the club before a James Chester own goal to gift the Hammers a much-needed three points.
The majority of home fans inside of Upton Park were restless throughout the night as their side toiled against a side reduced in numbers for over an hour, with a small number jeering the players as they left the pitch at both half-time and at the end.