The Hindu : Sport / Football : Liverpool stays five points clear of Everton

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Liverpool stays five points clear of Everton

LONDON: Liverpool tightened its grip on fourth place in the Premier League with superbly taken goals from Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres helping it to a 3-1 win over Blackburn Rovers at Anfield on Sunday.

Gerrard, making his 300th league appearance for the club, powered his way through the centre of the Rovers defence before firing past goalkeeper Brad Friedel after 60 minutes.

Gerrard then supplied a perfect cross for Torres to head home his 30th goal of the season to wrap the match up eight minutes from time. Late substitute Andriy Voronin added the third with a tap-in in the 90th minute and Roque Santa Cruz scored a consolation in stoppage time for Rovers.

The win kept Liverpool (66 points) in fourth place, five points clear of fifth-placed Everton in the race for a Champions League spot.

On Saturday, Fulham and Bolton Wanderers earned Premier League lifelines with victories over Reading and West Ham United respectively to keep their survival hopes alive with four games remaining.

Goals by Brian McBride and Erik Nevland secured Fulham’s 2-0 win, its first away success in the league in 19 months, while Bolton ended a dire run with a 1-0 home victory over West Ham courtesy of a Kevin Davies goal.

With Birmingham City drawing 1-1 at home to Everton, the day’s results have tightened up the battle at the bottom.

Derby County, already relegated and thumped 6-0 at home by Aston Villa on Saturday, is bottom on 11 points. Fulham has 27, Bolton 29, Birmingham 31, Reading 32 and Wigan Athletic, with a game in hand, on 34.

McBride strikes

Fulham had not won away from Craven Cottage since beating Newcastle in September 2006 but even when American striker McBride put it ahead after 24 minutes its fans would not have been getting too excited.

On 12 previous occasions this season it had taken the lead in league games but only twice did it go on to win.

This time, however, it continued to play with confidence and, after hitting the bar three times in the second half, made sure of the points in injury time. “It was vital to get that away win as we had three out of five away games to come before today (and) there wouldn’t have been enough home games to get us out of trouble,” said Fulham manager Roy Hodgson.

In other games, Manchester City won 2-1 at Sunderland while Tottenham Hotspur drew 1-1 at home with Middlesbrough.

The results: Liverpool 3 (Gerrard 60, Torres 82, Voronin 90) Blackburn 1 (Santa Cruz 90).

Saturday’s results: Birmingham 1 (Zarate 83) drew with Everton 1 (Lescott 78), Bolton 1 (Davies 47) bt West Ham 0, Derby County 0 lost to Aston Villa 6 (Young 25, Carew 26, Petrov 36, Barry 58, Agbonlahor 76, Harewood 85), Reading 0 lost to Fulham 2 (McBride 24, Nevland 90), Sunderland 1 (Whitehead 82) lost to Manchester City 2 (Elano 79-pen, Vassell 87), Tottenham 1 (Grounds 27-og) drew with Middlesbrough 1 (Downing 69), Portsmouth 0 drew with Newcastle United 0. — Agencies

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