Liverpool win 4-3 thriller as Arsenal revive top-four hopes

Liverpool continued their convincing push for the Premier League title as a Mohamed Salah double saw them repel a severe challenge from Crystal Palace to win a remarkable game 4-3 at Anfield and stretch their lead at the top to seven points.

On another compelling afternoon in England’s top-flight, Arsenal dented Chelsea’s increasingly fragile title pursuit with a 2-0 derby win while Manchester United continued their stirring revival under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with a 2-1 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion.

Yet it was Liverpool’s pulsating win over their ‘bogey’ side that had the most significant feel as Juergen Klopp’s men showed real steel to subdue Palace, with Salah’s brace taking him to 50 Premier League goals in 72 matches.

Andros Townsend gave the Eagles a first-half lead, offering them the prospect of their fourth win in their last five visits to Anfield, but Salah and Roberto Firmino struck after halftime only for dogged Palace to equalise with a James Tomkins header.

Salah then extended his league-leading tally to 16 goals, gifted by a wretched error by Palace’s recalled 39-year-old keeper Julian Speroni — the league’s oldest participant this season — leaving Klopp to hail the Egyptian’s 50-goal landmark as “an exceptional achievement from a world-class player.”

Even after James Milner was sent off for a second yellow card foul and Sadio Mane made it 4-2, Palace pulled one back through Max Meyer and Klopp felt it was a “massive relief” to extend their unbeaten league home run to 32 matches.

It left Liverpool on 60 points from 23 games, seven clear of Manchester City, who must now play catch-up again by winning at bottom club Huddersfield Town on Sunday.

“Nobody should be surprised by the character of the boys,” said Klopp. “The boys are ready to fight for all. It was not the first moment we had to show it but it was pretty special.”

Arsenal revived their hopes of a top-four finish with first-half goals by Alexandre Lacazette and Laurent Koscielny securing a comfortable 2-0 derby win at home to a toothless Chelsea.

Chelsea’s lack of punch in the final third of the pitch was evident again as they enjoyed 64 percent of possession without ever really threatening to unlock Arsenal’s defence.

Arsenal were far sharper as an attacking force and deserved more than Lacazette’s superb 14th-minute effort and skipper Koscielny’s scruffy second in a scintillating opening period.

At the other end of the table, Newcastle United leapfrogged Cardiff City to push the Welsh club back into the relegation zone after a 3-0 win at St James’ Park that featured a double from Fabian Schar, his first goals for the club.

Third-placed Tottenham Hotspur, currently third on 48 points, visit Fulham on Sunday.