Image: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
Liverpool regained their place at the top of the Premier League with a 2-0 win at Cardiff City on Sunday that restored their two-point lead over Manchester City.
Liverpool, who have lost just once in the league all season, have 88 points while City, who beat Tottenham 1-0 on Saturday, are on 86 but have a game in hand.
That extra game for City will be played on Wednesday when Pep Guardiola's side travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United and the champions will make the short trip with the pressure firmly back on.
Georginio Wijnaldum broke the deadlock for Liverpool with a first-time strike from a clever short corner from Trent Alexander-Arnold. Sean Morrison then missed a golden opportuntity for relegation-threatened Cardiff to equalise, making a hash of a header when he had an open goal at his mercy.
Late in the game, Morrison was judged to have pulled down Mohamed Salah in the box and substitute James Milner converted the 81st minute penalty to make sure of the crucial three points for Juergen Klopp's side.
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace put a dent in Arsenal’s Champions League qualification hopes after strikers Christian Benteke and Wilfried Zaha made the most of defensive errors in a 3-2 win at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
The visitors took a shock early lead inside 20 minutes when captain Luka Milivojevic’s freekick found an unmarked Benteke, who headed it past Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno for his first league goal since April last year.
Arsenal boss Unai Emery responded with the introduction of Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Alex Iwobi at the start of the second half but it was Mesut Ozil who scored the equaliser after a sweeping move.
The German playmaker combined with Iwobi and striker Alexandre Lacazette before scooping the ball past Palace goalkeeper Vicente Guaita.
But Arsenal paid for a lapse in concentration at the back as Zaha took advantage of Shkodran Mustafi’s error in judgement to grab the lead for the visitors, before Palace added a third with a headed goal from James McArthur.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang pulled one back for the hosts to set up a pulsating final 10 minutes but Palace held on to end Arsenal’s 16-match unbeaten run at home in the league. - Reuters