Premier League round-up: Liverpool drop points against Sunderland

Liverpool dropped two valuable points in their Premier League-title chase as they were held 2-2 by Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

Jurgen Klopp’s Reds were twice in the lead through goals from Daniel Sturridge and Sadio Mane, but two penalties from Jermain Defoe gave David Moyes’ team a point

The result sees Liverpool five points off leaders Chelsea with the Blues having a game in hand. Sunderland are 18^th - a point from safety.

Liverpool hit the front with an opener from England international Sturridge. Poor defending at a corner allowed Dejan Lovren to turn the ball into Sturridge’s path for the striker to loop a header over Vito Mannone and into the far corner.

The Black Cats levelled matters from the spot. Didier Ndong burst in between Georgeinio Wijnaldum and Ragnar Klavan with the latter hauling him down for the penalty. Defoe stepped up to slam home his tenth goal of the season.

The Reds restored their advantage through Mane. The Senegalese attacker peeled off the left post to finish home after a corner had been flicked on at the near post.

But once more Sunderland pegged Pool back with a penalty, with Mane sticking out an arm to block Larsson’s free-kick, and Defoe banging home his second penalty of the day.

A late rush of goals saw Everton sweep aside Southampton on a 3-0 scoreline at Goodison Park.

Goals from Enner Valencia and Romelu Lukaku and a Leighton Baines penalty saw Ronald Koeman’s Toffees overcome his former club with a comprehensive victory.

Everton stay seventh in the table, with Claude Puel’s Saints three spots behind them in tenth.

It took until deep into the second half to get the opener. Seamus Coleman hit the byline down the right to pull back for Lukaku to force a good save from Fraser Forster. The rebound came back off Lukaku’s thigh before falling to Valencia to finish low from four yards.

The Toffees doubled their lead in the closing ten minutes. Valencia was hauled down in the box by Maya Yoshida and Baines put the spot kick to the left corner, sending Forster the wrong way.

The late goal rush conclued with Lukaka thumping home a third for the home side.

Ten-man Man City put Burnley to the sword as they closed the deficit on league leaders Chelsea to seven points with a 2-1 win.

Fernandinho saw red for City but goals from Gael Clichy and Sergio Aguero were enough to see them home despite Ben Mee pulling one back for the Clarets, who lie 11^th in the league table.

Burnley were given the kind of advantage they woud have been having dreams about the night before, as City’s Fernandinho was show red for a two-footed lunge on Johann Berg Gudmundsson after the half hour.

Despite Burnley’s man advantage it was City that broke the deadlock. Clichy picked up possession at the top of the box, before shifting past Scott Arfield, moving theball onto his right foot, and firing home past Tom Heaton into the bottom corner.

Less than five minutes later they added a second. Raheem Sterling found himself in on goal, but fluffed the shot, only to see it fall to Aguero to finish from an acute angle.

Burnley kept themslves in the game with a response from Mee. Sam Vokes directed a header towards the net, which Aguero cleared off the line, but only as far as Mee to crash a shot in off the underside of the bar, with the goal awarded through the goal-line technology. But it was to be their last response as City saw out the three points.

West Brom came from behind to see off Hull 3-1 at the Hawthorns.

Robert Snodgrass had put the Tigers ahead before the Baggies came roaring back with goals from Chris Brunt, Gareth McAuley and James Morrison securing victory as they sit pretty in tenth in the table, while Hull remain deep in trouble in 19^th.

The visitors took the lead when Ahmed Elmohamady crossed from the byline and Snodgrass steamed in to connect and volley to the far corner for the Tigers first away goal since October.

The Baggies levelled the game after the break. Matthew Philips whipped in a corner for Brunt to connect with a bullet header to fire over keeper David Marshall for the equaliser.

The turnaround was complete when McAuley turned home a header to put West Brom ahead – a goal that was awarded folllowing Mark Clattenburg’s consultation with the goal-line technology.

The Baggies made it three with Morrison finishing home. Hal Robson-Kanu swung a ball into the box where Salomon Rondon controlled before teeing up Morrison to finish to the net.

Image: Getty/Stu Forster

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