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Rediff.com  » Sports » EPL PIX: Chelsea end winless run; Milner penalty gives Liverpool win

EPL PIX: Chelsea end winless run; Milner penalty gives Liverpool win

Last updated on: October 01, 2016 23:41 IST
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Liverpool recovered from a poor start to beat Swansea City 2-1 and move second in the Premier League table on Saturday and Chelsea got back to winning ways at Hull City

Diego Costa

IMAGE: Diego Costa of Chelsea celebrates scoring his sides second goal during the Premier League match against Hull City. Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images.

Second-half goals from Willian and Diego Costa helped Chelsea ease past Hull City 2-0 on Saturday and grab their first win in four Premier League games.

After being frustrated in the first half, Chelsea broke the deadlock in the 61st minute when Diego Costa fed Willian on the left of the penalty area and he shifted the ball to his right and curled a shot high into the corner.

The visitors doubled their advantage six minutes later as Nemanja Matic's shot was blocked into the path of Costa who curled in a precise finish for his sixth league goal of the season.

Chelsea moved up to sixth in the table on 13 points while Hull are 15th on seven after a third straight defeat.

Late Milner penalty gives Liverpool win over Swansea

James Milner

IMAGE: James Milner of Liverpool, right, celebrates scoring his sides second goal during the Premier League match against Swansea City. Photograph: Julian Finney/Getty Images.

James Milner scored an 84th-minute penalty as Liverpool overcame a terrible start and survived a late scare to win 2-1 at Swansea City on Saturday and move second in the Premier League.

Juergen Klopp's side had looked second best for much of the game, but if good teams are often judged on their ability to pick up points when not playing well then Liverpool took another step forward at the Liberty Stadium.

Swansea, who are still without a league win since the opening day of the season, deservedly took the lead after eight minutes when Leroy Fer poked home.

It took until the second half for Liverpool to wake up and they levelled through Roberto Firmino's header nine minutes after the restart before taking the lead when Milner coolly side-footed his penalty down the middle of the goal.

There was one last heart-stopping moment for the visitors, however, when Swansea's Mike van der Hoorn found himself unmarked four metres out in stoppage time, but pulled his effort wide, leaving Liverpool to celebrate a fourth straight win.

"You need to show every week that you ready to fight for the result," Klopp said after his side moved two points behind leaders Manchester City, who play Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Defending set pieces has been an ongoing weakness for Liverpool and Swansea exploited it early when a corner from the left was headed back across goal by Borja Baston for an unmarked Fer to poke home his fourth goal of the season.

There was no immediate revival from Liverpool and an enthused Swansea should have added a second when Baston headed a Sigurdsson free kick wide from close range.

It took until the second half for the momentum to switch as Liverpool levelled with their first real chance of the game.

A Liverpool free kick was cleared but the loose ball was looped back into the box by Jordan Henderson and Firmino was in acres of space to head into the bottom corner.

It looked like Swansea might hold out but as the seconds ticked away Angel Rangel charged into the back of Firmino and Milner stepped up to score his fourth penalty in the league this season.

Van der Hoorn's miss condemned Swansea to a fourth straight defeat in all competitions, heaping further pressure on manager Francesco Guidolin and leaving them fourth from bottom in the table.

"Our team is good but we are not in a good moment," said Guidolin.

"The players gave me a good answer. Our relationship is good."

Sunderland's Van Aanholt scores late in 1-1 draw with West Brom

Patrick van Aanholt

IMAGE: Patrick van Aanholt of Sunderland celebrates scoring during the Premier League match against West Bromwich Albion. Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images.

Patrick van Aanholt grabbed an 83rd-minute equaliser as struggling Sunderland snatched a 1-1 draw against West Bromwich Albion to lift themselves off the foot of the table with only their second point of the season.

Sunderland's dismal start to the campaign was typified by a terrible early miss from Jermain Defoe and they were made to pay 10 minutes before halftime when Nacer Chadli calmly found the net from 15 metres for his third goal in four league games for West Brom.

Sunderland appeared to be heading for a sixth defeat of the season until Van Aanholt exchanged passes with Duncan Watmore before scuffing a shot into the ground and into the net with seven minutes remaining.

David Moyes's side moved above bottom club Stoke City on goal difference, while West Brom are ninth with nine points.

Payet gem earns West Ham home draw with Boro

Dimitri Payet

IMAGE: Dimitri Payet of West Ham United celebrates. Photograph: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images.

West Ham United ended a run of four consecutive Premier League defeats thanks to a superb equaliser by Dimitri Payet in a 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough.

With his side struggling the France international showed dazzling footwork to waltz across the penalty area past several Boro defenders before cutting a right-foot shot back across keeper Victor Valdes in the 57th minute.

West Ham had looked short of confidence and fell behind six minutes after the interval at the London Stadium when Uruguayan Cristhian Stuani's header was ajudged to have crossed the line despite a desperate clearance from Mark Noble.

West Ham pressed for a winner in the closing stages with Payet at the centre of their best moments but never really looked like finding one and they are third bottom of the table with one win from their opening seven games. Boro are 16th.

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