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English Premier League Match Week 35:Liverpool is counting the hours for the trophy, report all matches highlights / EPL News Video

Premier-League-Week-35-Liverpool-Countdown-Trophy-Highlights

Liverpool started the final countdown, Chelsea has made ​​an incredible and were defeated at home to Sunderland.

Norwich City 2 Liverpool 3:Reds all focus for Chelsea Match

They know the moment of glory is edging ever closer. Liverpool are not there yet, they still have to face Chelsea at Anfield on Sunday and Manchester City still have five games left.

But seven more points and the title is theirs. If the fat lady has not yet started singing, she is certainly clearing her throat.

It was unusual in fact to see Brendan Rodgers’ team make such hard work of a game as they did at Carrow Road, such has been their imperious progress lately. Especially after racing into a two goal lead in their first 10 minutes.

In the end, Neil Adams’ Canaries ran them close and caused a few nerves to jangle. But eventually the 11th win on the trot came, as it was always likely to do.

Such is the unpredictable nature of this Premier League this season, it could well be at Crystal Palace on May 5 that Rodgers’ team clinch the title, if their rivals continue to slip up. But do not hold your breath.

Norwich-City-Liverpool-2-3-Supporters

In fact, had Ricky van Wolfswinkel not completely fluffed a clear header with seven nervy minutes to go yesterday, instead plopping it straight into Simon Mignolet’s hands from six yards, we might have had to wait even longer. But then one goal all season for £8.5million tells a story.

Sterling three times had the goal in his sights and scored twice and set up Liverpool’s second. That is the difference between top and bottom.

The Liverpool youngster was mesmerising yesterday, notching his team’s early goal, scoring the crucial third, and generally running Norwich ragged.

The Canaries are now looking nervously over their shoulders with three games left, two of them away at Manchester United and Chelsea and one at home, against Arsenal.

They fought hard yesterday but ultimately they were not good enoug and, with Sunderland and Fulham reviving, you fear for them.

For Liverpool, 24 years of pain are surely now set to end.

Rodgers’ team were imperious at times, powerful at others but oddly vulnerable on some occasions.

Norwich’s only real hope had been to frustrate Liverpool and hold out. It was a plan that was blown away inside four minutes. That was all the time it took for Sterling, the youngster Rodgers calls the best young player in Europe at the moment, to unlock them.

The 19 year old picked up a pass from Philippe Coutinho, jinked past a challenge and fired the ball into the top corner from 20 yards.

Six minutes later Sterling laid a lovely ball across the back of a floundering Canaries defence and Suarez slid in the goal that made him the first Liverpool striker since Ian Rush in 1986 to hit 30 goals in a season.

At this stage, as Steven Gerrard pinged the ball about and Sterling ran amok, it seemed a trouncing might be on the cards.

Joe Allen shot just wide, Coutinho missed with a chip and Sterling fired over. But inspired by some harsh half-time words from Adams, Norwich fought back.

Bradley Johnson cannoned into Mignolet, who sloppily dropped the ball and Gary Hooper shot Norwich back into the game from six yards.

It was Sterling, of course, who killed them off, as he picked up Johnson’s awful pass and raced clean through the middle.

Johnson performed a miracle to get back and block but only succeeded in deflecting the ball in a cruel loop over John Ruddy and into the net.

Norwich did not give up though and, when Martin Olsson crossed from the left, the indefatigable Robert Snodgrass got up to nod home at the far post.

Liverpool had to show other qualities then – a determination to hang on and grind out the win.

They did just that, thanks to Van Wolfswinkle’s errant radar.

“Now you’ve got to believe us, we’re going to win the league,” sang Liverpool’s fans in the Jarrold Stand. Maybe they are right.

Norwich City vs Liverpool Match Stats

Norwich-City-Liverpool-2-3-Raheem-Sterling-Goal

Norwich City: Ruddy 7, Whittaker 6, Martin 6.5, Turner 5.5, Olsson 6, Johnson 5.5, Fer 5.5 (Murphy 78), Howson 6, Snodgrass 7.5, Hooper 6 (van Wolfswinkel 78), Redmond 6

Substitutes not used: Bunn, Gutierrez, Garrido, Ryan Bennett, Tettey

Scorer: Hooper 53; Snodgrass 77
Booked: Snodgrass, Turner, Howson

Liverpool: Mignolet 6, Johnson 6, Skrtel 7, Sakho 6.5, Flanagan 6.5, Allen 7.5 (Agger 81), Gerrard 7.5, Lucas 7, Sterling 9, Suarez 8, Coutinho 7.5 (Moses 76)

Substitutes not used: Brad Jones, Toure, Alberto, Aspas, Cissokho

Scorers: Sterling 4, 62; Suarez 11
Booked: Skrtel, Flanagan

Referee: Andre Marriner (England)
Attendance: 26,857

Norwich City 2 Liverpool 3 Match Video

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Chelsea 1 Sunderland 2:Chelsea have committed suicide in Stamford Bridge

Chelsea-1-Sundeland-2-Borini-Goal

Mourinho’s recent vow of silence appears to have spread to his team, Chelsea’s Premier League title challenge almost ending with a whimper along with his proud unbeaten home record.

In amazing scenes which will have dramatic repercussions, Chelsea’s assistant first-team coach Rui Faria had to be bundled away by Mourinho and backroom staff in the aftermath of Sunderland’s winning goal.

He appeared to be intent on attacking referee Mike Dean, who had awarded Sunderland an 81st-minute penalty.

Former Chelsea youngster Fabio Borini scored to end Mourinho’s 77-match unbeaten Premier League record at Stamford Bridge.

And Liverpool appear to be on course to be the biggest beneficiaries come the middle of next month.

It had been a fine balancing act for Mourinho, with Tuesday night’s Champions League semi-final with Atletico Madrid in mind. What he couldn’t forseen was the absence through illness of keeper Petr Cech, with 41-year-old Mark Schwarzer flung in for his first league game since joining on a free transfer from Fulham in the summer.

It proved costly, the Aussie culpable for Sunderland’s equaliser which helped place a huge dent in Chelsea’s title ambitions.

For Sunderland it was another brave and defiant performance following on from the creditable draw at Manchester City on Wednesday night.

And it gives them hope that a miracle escape can still be enacted. Meanwhile, Chelsea’s ‘Silent One’ – Mourinho who had left media duties to coach Steve Holland – will surely now see the Champions League as the best route to silverware.

The welcome for ex-Chelsea star Gus Poyet had been warm and cordial, applause from around the dugout area and a bear hug for the Sunderland boss from Mourinho.

Chelsea had been more concerned about taking a stranglehold on the game as they looked to regain top spot, even if it might be for just 24 hours.

Quickly stroking the ball around with poise and precision, they exploded into a 12th-minute lead through Samuel Eto’o. It was a goal which would have horrified Poyet, a routine corner dismantling Sunderland’s defence with the minimum of fuss.

Willian slung it over and when the central defenders went missing, Eto’o avoided Lee Cattermole’s desperate challenge to spear a leftfooted volley past Vito Mannone.

But Sunderland, as they displayed in midweek against Manchester City, have suddenly woken up to the realisation that their Premier League life could be ebbing away.

They took just six minutes to respond following a corner of their own. Seb Larsson cleverly clipped it back to Marcos Alonso, lurking just outside the area. His low strike should have been smothered by Schwarzer but he fumbled, allowing Connor Wickham to prosper.

It was the England Under-21 player’s third goal in two games following his double against City – the £8million invested in the one-time Ipswich player at last beginning to be paid off. Amazingly for Chelsea, it was the first goal they had conceded in 10 games at the Bridge in all competitions.

It also gave Mourinho food for thought in the knowledge that Sunderland were not prepared to go quietly.

They were set up to cause damage in an adventurous 4-3- 3 system which allowed Adam Johnson to roam at will.

He cut in from the left to curl a shot wide before Chelsea launched more of their own assaults. Oscar twice tested Mannone and when Branislav Ivanovic headed down from another Willian corner, the keeper deflected the ball against the underside of the bar before grasping the rebound.

Ramires can count himself fortunate after a clear assault on Larsson. Clearly still aggravated when apparently bundled off the ball by the Swede in a promising position, he stuck out a forearm into Larsson’s face the next time the pair came together.

Larsson went down – with interest – but the incident went unpunished. Retrospective action could follow with a three-match ban, which would end the Brazilian’s domestic season.

Chelsea, lacking any real firepower – although Eto’o had gone close – sent on Demba Ba, buzzing after three goals in his previous four games. Fernando Torres was to follow in a late gamble to snatch something from a game. But it wasn’t to be.

Chelsea vs Sunderland Match Stats

Black Cats took title from Chelsea's hand
Black Cats took title from Chelsea’s hand

Chelsea: Schwarzer 5, Ivanovic 6.5, Cahill 6.5, Terry 6.5, Azpilicueta 6, Ramires 4.5, Matic 6.5, Salah 6.5 (Schurrle 66, 6), Oscar 5.5 (Ba 59, 6), Willian 6.5, Eto’o 6.5 (Torres 74, 5).

Subs not used: Luiz, Lampard, Mikel, Hilario.

Booked: Torres

Goal: Eto’o 12.

Sunderland: Mannone 8.5, Vergini 5, O’Shea 7.5, Brown 7.5, Alonso 7, Cattermole 7, Johnson 6 (Giaccherini 66, 6), Larsson 6.5 (Celustka 90), Colback 6.5, Borini 6, Wickham 6.5 (Altidore 66, 6.5).

Subs not used: Ba, Scocco, Ustari, Mavrias.

Booked: Cattermole, Brown.

Goal: Wickham 18, Borini (pen) 82.

Man of the Match: Vito Mannone

Ref: Mike Dean

Att: 41,210

Chelsea 1 Sunderland 2 Match Video

 

English Premier League Match Week 35 Results

Saturday, 19 April

Tottenham 3 Fulham 1

Cardiff City 1 Stoke City 1

West Ham 0 Crystal Palace 1

Newcastle 1 Swansea City 2

Aston Villa 0 Southampton 0

Chelsea 1 Sunderland 2

Sunday, 20 April

Norwich City 2 Liverpool 3

Hull City 0 Arsenal 3

Everton 2 Man United 0

Monday, 21 April

Man City 20:00 West Brom

Barclays Premier League Match Week 35 Table

Barclays-Premier-League-Week-35-Table

 

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