Liverpool finally scored their first goals in the English Premier League [EPL] on Thursday when they travelled to Tottenham Stadium and beat Spurs 3-1. The match was a physical contest and one that had VAR scampering to unravel some moments.
After 90 minutes in the rain, Liverpool scored three times through two of their front three-Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, while Trent Alexander-Arnold pitched in with one.
Firmino scored the first in first half added-on time; Alexander-Arnold added the second two minutes after the restart and Mane quenched any thought of a Spurs comeback with the third goal on 65 minutes.
But for a shorter left heel of Son Heung-min, Spurs could have taken the lead in a frenetic start. Mane missed a shooting opportunity and immediately Harry Kane freed Son, who ran on and slotted past Alisson, but on VAR’s review, Son was offside by millimeters.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg scored a pile driver to halve the deficit before Mane sealed all three points with the third goal. Liverpool are now up to 37 points from 20 matches while Tottenham stay sixth.
Manchester City lead the table with 41 points, with a game in hand and are looking a good bet for the title after seven straight league wins, in which they have scored 18 goals and conceded just once.
Their neighbours, Manchester United, had the chance to get back to the top when they hosted basement side, Sheffield United on Sunday but Sheffield stunned their hosts by scoring first and retaking the lead after Harry Maguire equalised.
Leicester City, in third place after matchday 20, consolidated their position with a hard-fought 1-1 result away to Everton. James Rodriguez gave the home side the lead in the first half with a vicious right foot finish but Youri Tielemans scored in the second half to give the Foxes the equaliser, though Jordan Pickford could have done better on the shot.
Brendan Rodgers will be fretful for the coming matches as Wilfred Ndidi went off injured and the continued absence of Jamie Vardy, who just had a hernia operation.
Chelsea’s new manager, Thomas Tuchel, started his reign with a draw, at home to Wolves, in which they set an EPL passing record of 433 passes in the first half and 820 for the match.
At the Stadium of Light, Arsenal got revenge for their FA Cup ouster by the Saints by coming back from a goal to win 3-1 and take their point tally of 30.
In a relegation six-pointer, Fulham battled to a point away to Brighton but could well have stolen all three as a goal-bound shot from Ruben Loftus-Cheek was cleared off the line in the first minute of added-on time.
All results
Crystal Palace 2–3 West Ham United
Newcastle United 1–2 Leeds United
West Brom 0–5 Manchester City
Southampton 1–3 Arsenal
Burnley 3–2 Aston Villa
Chelsea 0–0 Wolves
Brighton 0–0 Fulham
Everton 1–1 Leicester City
Manchester United 1–2 Sheffield United
Tottenham Hotspur 1–3 Liverpool
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