Liverpool goes top as Aguero lifts City

Liverpool goes top as Aguero lifts City

November 27, 2016
Liverpool's James Milner (C) celebrates with teammates Jordan Henderson (L) and Emre Can after scoring his side's second goal against Sunderland during their English Premier League match at Anfield in Liverpool Saturday. — AP
Liverpool's James Milner (C) celebrates with teammates Jordan Henderson (L) and Emre Can after scoring his side's second goal against Sunderland during their English Premier League match at Anfield in Liverpool Saturday. — AP

LONDON — Substitute Divock Origi and James Milner struck to send Liverpool top of the Premier League Saturday.

Sergio Aguero scored two scruffy goals as Manchester City won 2-1 at Burnley and Liverpool followed suit by downing Sunderland 2-0 after losing Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho to a worrying injury.

Chelsea can reclaim top spot if it secures a seventh successive victory when it hosts London rival Tottenham Hotspur in the day's late game.

Swansea City claimed an extraordinary 5-4 win over struggling Crystal Palace, while champion Leicester City narrowly avoided a seventh defeat of the campaign in a 2-2 draw with Middlesbrough.

Having seen City prevail at Turf Moor in the early game, Liverpool was under pressure to produce the goods against a Sunderland team which had won its two previous matches.

Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard was watching on at Anfield, two days after announcing his retirement from football.

But he could only look on with concern as the influential Coutinho was stretchered off with his right ankle in a brace after hurting himself in a challenge by Didier Ndong.

Origi took the Brazil international's place and he gave Liverpool reward for their dominance in the 75th minute with his first league goal of the season.

Jordan Henderson picked the Belgian forward out on the left and he cut inside onto his right foot and swept a shot inside the far post.

Milner completed victory from the penalty spot in the first minute of injury time.

Burnley took a shock 14th-minute lead against City at Turf Moor when Dean Marney met Nicolas Otamendi's headed clearance with a thumping 25-yard volley that nestled in the bottom-left corner.

But Aguero equalized in the 37th minute, stabbing home after Burnley failed to clear a corner, and the host’s luck continued to desert its as both Marney and Johann Berg Gudmundsson went off injured.

A defensive mix-up allowed City to net the decisive goal in the hour, with Fernandinho's cross striking Aguero and going in after Ben Mee and Stephen Ward had got in each other's way.

Swansea upped the pressure on Palace manager Alan Pardew by condemning the south London club to a sixth straight defeat in a madcap game that gave Bob Bradley his first win since becoming manager.

Palace led 1-0, fell 3-1 down, fought back to go 4-3 up, but eventually succumbed courtesy of a remarkable brace of injury-time goals from Spanish striker Fernando Llorente.

The victory took Swansea off the foot of the table, where it was replaced by Sunderland, and left Palace above the bottom three on goal difference.

Leicester reached the Champions League last 16 in the week and it was almost brought down to earth with a bump by Middlesbrough at the King Power Stadium.

Alvaro Negredo twice put Boro ahead, but Riyad Mahrez canceled out his first goal with a 34th-minute penalty and Islam Slimani rescued a draw with another spot-kick in the fourth minute of added time.

Elsewhere, Gareth McAuley's header was canceled out by Michael Dawson as West Bromwich Albion were held to a 1-1 draw at Hull City.


November 27, 2016
HIGHLIGHTS