Mohamed Salah kept Liverpool on track to set a new Premier League points record as the champions won 3-1 at Brighton, while Manchester City bounced back to form with a five-goal rout of Newcastle on Wednesday, reports AFP.
Jurgen Klopp’s side are hoping to break the 100-point record established by Manchester City in 2018 and they remain on course after securing their first away win since February.
Liverpool have 92 points and need nine more from their remaining four games against Burnley, Arsenal, Chelsea and Newcastle to clinch the new record. Asked about the record chase, Klopp said: “It’s not important for me. I’m not interested in any of this but I want to win football games.
“For sports people in general it might be important. We are champions and it could be softening but it is not. The boys go with everything.”
Liverpool have reached 30 wins in a season faster than any other in English league history and Klopp added: “We now have 92 points and last season we had 97!
“That’s unbelievable, I have no idea how we did that.”
Salah punished poor defending in the sixth minute, grabbing his 22nd goal of the season and Liverpool’s first away from home since February.
Jordan Henderson increased Liverpool’s advantage with a curling finish from the edge of the area three minutes later.
Leandro Trossard got one back with a powerful strike in first-half stoppage-time. But Salah’s 76th-minute header from Andrew Robertson’s corner ensured Liverpool’s five-match winless run on their travels came to an end.
Second-placed City lost for the ninth time in the league this season at Southampton on Sunday. – City back on song. But Pep Guardiola’s men have now won all four games at the Etihad since the restart by a combined score of 17-0 after thumping Newcastle 5-0.
Gabriel Jesus was one of the main culprits when it came to missed chances at St Mary’s, but the Brazilian needed just 10 minutes to score against Newcastle as he steered David Silva’s cross into the far corner.
Kevin De Bruyne then picked out Riyad Mahrez for a simple finish.
There was more than a hint of fortune to City’s third as Matt Ritchie’s attempted clearance ricocheted off Federico Fernandez into his own net.
Silva’s appearances at the Etihad are running out, with the Spaniard ending his 10-year stay in Manchester when City’s season finishes in August.