Nine-goal thriller at bottom of Premier League; Coutinho injury overshadows Reds win
A none too easy win at Anfield over Sunderland has put Liverpool back at the top of the Premier League, for a few hours at least.
Normal service was not quite resumed at Anfield but Divock Origi's first Premier League goal since April and a late James Milner penalty saw Liverpool return to winning ways.
The 2-0 victory over Sunderland came at a cost, however, as Belgian striker Origi was only on the pitch because of a potentially serious ankle injury to playmaker Philippe Coutinho, who left the field on a stretcher with his right leg in a protective splint.
Sunderland by no means made it easy for them and frustrations were beginning to grow until Origi, getting a rare chance because a calf injury ruled out Daniel Sturridge, struck in the 75th minute.
Milner's 90th-minute penalty made the result safe and put an end to the visitors' mini-revival after back-to-back wins had lifted them off the foot of the table.
Substitute Fernando Llorente scored twice in injury time to hand Swansea a sensational 5-4 victory over Crystal Palace and pile the pressure on under-fire Eagles manager Alan Pardew.
Palace - who had earlier led through Wilfried Zaha's 19th-minute goal - were 3-1 down before James Tomkins (75), a Jack Cork own goal (82) and Christian Benteke (84) turned the game on its head.
But Swansea, who had seen Leroy Fer add a second-half double to Gylfi Sigurdsson's superb free-kick, claimed a first Premier League win since the opening day of the season when Llorente twice finished from close range.
It was Palace's sixth straight defeat - and surely the cruellest in that stretch - with Pardew's position set to be the subject of more speculation.
Islam Slimani's injury-time penalty rescued a point for Leicester as they got out of jail against Middlesbrough.
The Foxes avoided a third straight Premier League defeat to claim a 2-2 draw against battling Boro who were seconds away from a deserved victory.
Alvaro Negredo had twice put them ahead, with Riyad Mahrez levelling in the first half with his own penalty, but Slimani's last-gasp spot kick saved the Foxes.
Last season's shock title winners are still stuttering in the league having won just once in their last eight games despite a late fightback.
Hull captain Michael Dawson cut through the KCOM Stadium gloom to grab a second-half equaliser and deny visitors West Brom a third straight Premier League win.
Gareth McAuley's 34th-minute opener looked set to send the Tigers sliding to another defeat on a cold and misty afternoon in East Yorkshire until Dawson got the finishing touches to a long-range Robert Snodgrass free-kick, earning a 1-1 draw.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
