Sports Desk
Manchester: Champions Liverpool are five points clear at the top of the Premier League after a 7-0 away hammering of Crystal Palace while Arsenal’s troubles continued with a 2-1 defeat at second-placed Everton on Saturday.
Manchester City got back to winning ways with a 1-0 victory at in-form Southampton while Newcastle United were held to a 1-1 draw at home to struggling Fulham.
Liverpool have 31 points from 14 games with Everton five points behind and Tottenham Hotspur, who host Leicester City on Sunday, a further point back.
Juergen Klopp’s side had not won away from home in the league since September but broke that dry spell in spectacular fashion, recording their biggest-ever top flight away win with Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah each scoring twice.
Japan’s Takumi Minamino rewarded Juergen Klopp’s decision to start him ahead of Salah by scoring after just over two minutes and Sadio Mane then made it two when he twisted and fired home form the edge of the box in the 35th
Firmino added a third just before the break, flicking home to finish off a superb Liverpool counter-attack that swept the length of the field, and Jordan Henderson added a fourth seven minutes into the second half as Palace, managed by former Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson, collapsed.
Firmino got his second with a brilliant chipped effort in the 68th and Salah came on to score with a header before brilliantly curling a shot into the top corner five minutes from the end.
“Everything is pleasing; everything is good about this game,” said Klopp.
“It was really difficult to play against us today, I would say. And then they obviously all wore their finishing boots and when you have that it is really tricky,” added the German.
Arsenal’s worst start to a season in 46 years shows no sign of ending after another poor result for their under-pressure manager Mikel Arteta.
Colombian Yerry Mina grabbed the winner with a header from a corner on the stroke of halftime after a Nicolas Pepe penalty had brought the Gunners level following Everton’s opener from a Rob Holding own goal.
