The Hindu : Sport / Football : Liverpool stays on top; record win for Chelsea

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Liverpool stays on top; record win for Chelsea

— Photo: AFP

Spectacular: Chelsea’s Deco gets into the scoring act in the English Premier league.

LONDON: Liverpool remained on top of the English Premier League after winning 3-1 away to struggling Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.

Victory saw Liverpool stay a point ahead of Chelsea after the Londoners beat Bolton Wanderers 2-0.

Chelsea’s win saw it surpass Tottenham Hotspur’s English record of 10 successive top-flight away victories set in 1960 while Arsenal remained in the top four with a 1-0 win at home to Wigan. Elsewhere, Newcastle, on course for victory after Michael Owen scored twice, was held to a 2-2 draw at home to Stoke while Hull came from behind to beat Middlesbrough 2-1.

Spain international Xabi Alonso broke the deadlock at Ewood Park in the 69th minute when he sidefooted in Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard’s cross.

Then, 10 minutes later, Yossi Benayoun went past Stephen Warnock before shooting beyond Paul Robinson in the Rovers goal.

Roque Santa Cruz pulled a goal back for Rovers four minutes from time when he headed in after Andre Ooijer had flicked on Keith Andrews’s cross but then Gerrard wrapped up victory with a last-minute goal to wrap up the three points.

Former Bolton striker Nicolas Anelka gave Chelsea a ninth-minute lead when his header from Jose Bosingwa’s cross hit the post before crossing the line at the Reebok Stadium. The Blues then doubled their lead in spectacular fashion through Portugal midfielder Deco’s acrobatic ’bicycle-kick’ in the 21st minute.

The results: Fulham 1 (Bullard 27) drew with Man City 1 (Mwaruwari 6); Arsenal 1 (Adebayor 16) bt Wigan 0; Blackburn 1 (Santa Cruz 86) lost to Liverpool 3 (Alonso 69, Benayoun 79, Gerrard 90); Bolton 0 lost to Chelsea 2 (Anelka 9, Deco 21); Hull 2 (Turnbull 82-og, King 85-pen) bt Middlesbrough 1 (Sanli 79); Newcastle 2 (Owen 8, 24) drew with Stoke 2 (Sidibe 60, Faye 90).

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