New Telegraph

EPL: Liverpool go second with big win over Saints, Gerrard upstages Vieira

 

…as Arsenal gun down stubborn Newcastle

Diogo Jota scored twice as Liverpool thrashed Southampton to move up to second in the Premier League, one point behind leaders Chelsea.

Southampton arrived at Anfield clearly determined to attack the hosts but their bold intent was punished after less than two minutes when Andrew Robertson was allowed to get away down the flank and cross for Jota to poke in.

Sensing the opportunity to secure a big win against wide-open opponents, Liverpool kept up the attack, Sadio Mane heading wide before having a goal ruled out for a marginal offside.

But a second goal duly arrived just after the half-hour mark when the unmarked Jota tapped in from Mohamed Salah’s square ball after good link-up play between the Egypt international and Jordan Henderson.

Those two strikes took Liverpool to 700 goals scored since Jurgen Klopp arrived at Anfield – they have also become the first top-flight team in English football to score at least twice in 17 straight matches in all competitions since Sunderland in 1927.

The Reds were not done there, however, and a third goal arrived just a few minutes later when the visitors failed to clear their lines properly and Thiago Alcantara punished them with a deflected strike for his second goal in as many games.

The half-time interval provided only a brief respite and Liverpool made it 4-0 soon after the restart as Virgil van Dijk fired in from a corner.

Jota almost completed his hat-trick midway through the second half but stabbed just wide as Southampton kept the damage to four goals when in truth it could have been much worse.

And Steven Gerrard secured his second win as Aston Villa manager as his side claimed a 2-1 victory over Patrick Vieira’s Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

After wildly celebrating grabbing all three points late on against Brighton a week ago, the former Liverpool captain was again jubilant when Matt Targett put Villa ahead with a low drive through a crowd of bodies from Ashley Young’s corner on 15 minutes.

As Palace tried to salvage something in the closing stages of the second half, John McGinn curled a beautiful shot into the top corner from the edge of the box to double the visitors’ lead against the run of play.

Palace managed to snatch a late consolation through Marc Guehi in injury time but it was not enough to deny Villa.

In bitterly cold conditions in south London the travelling Villa support were treated to a confident performance, with McGinn, Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings all having chances to double the visitors’ lead in the first half.

Palace should have opened the scoring through Wilfried Zaha after the forward jinked past his marker on the edge of the Villa box but his left-footed effort was dragged just wide of the far post.

The Eagles saw a great opportunity to equalise after the break denied when referee Michael Salisbury blew his whistle for a foul by Marvelous Nakamba on Zaha and missed the advantage Christian Benteke and Conor Gallagher had created.

Villa almost played out the final quarter of the game with 10 men as substitute Douglas Luiz was shown a red card for a challenge on Cheikhou Kouyate, but it was downgraded to a yellow after Sailsbury had consulted the pitchside monitor.

The win moves Villa up into 11th place, level on points with Palace in 10th.

In the other afternoon kick-off,  Norwich played goalless with Wolves.

Meanwhile, Arsenal eventually broke Newcastle United down to leave Eddie Howe’s side bottom of the Premier League without a win.

Howe, in the Magpies dugout for the first time after missing last weekend’s 3-3 draw with Brentford because of Covid, set up a team to try to contain Arsenal and eke out a point, reports the BBC.

It appeared as if the strategy might be working until Bukayo Saka slotted home from Nuno Tavares’ through ball in the second half.

Saka went off injured and his replacement Gabriel Martinelli scored with his second touch, a wonderful volley from Takehiro Tomiyasu’s clipped pass over the top.

Both sides had hit the woodwork in an otherwise uninspiring first half.

Jonjo Shelvey’s long-range drive was tipped on to the bar by the diving Aaron Ramsdale – and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hit a sitter off the post from six yards out.

Arsenal remain fifth in the Premier League, while Newcastle are five points adrift of safety with just over a third of the season gone.

RESULTS

• Arsenal 2 – 0 Newcastle

• Crystal Palace 1 – 2 Aston Villa

• Liverpool 4 – 0 Southampton

• Norwich 0 – 0 Wolves

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