Liverpool finished 2016 second in the Premier League with a 1-0 victory over third-placed Manchester City on Saturday that confirmed them as the best-placed challengers to Chelsea for the title.
Georgio Wijnaldum's early goal kept Liverpool within six points of the London side who showed tenacity to see off a resilient Stoke City side 4-2 at Stamford Bridge.
Wijnaldum headed in powerfully from Adam Lallana's cross after eight minutes and Liverpool deserved their halftime lead in the first meeting in England between old Bundesliga adversaries Juergen Klopp and Pep Guardiola.
City improved in the second half but could not find a way through in a match of few scoring opportunities.
"We were not cool enough in possession the whole night but they couldn't create real chances because we defended really well," Klopp said.
Chelsea were given a stiff examination by Stoke, who twice came back to equalise.
After defender Gary Cahill headed in a corner, Dutch international Bruno Martins Indi brought them level. Willian then scored twice in eight minutes in the second half, on either side of Peter Crouch tapping in for his first Stoke goal since May 2015.
Chelsea could not feel secure until Diego Costa, back after suspension, scored his 14th goal of the season.
That made it 13 successive victories for Antonio Conte's side, equalling the record by any side for a single season in the top division of English football.
"A great achievement," he said. "But numbers are not important if you do not win the title".
Sixth-placed Manchester United fell behind at home to Middlesbrough before late goals from Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba brought about a 2-1 win.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, with 11 goals in his previous 10 games, was annoyed to have a 12th ruled out in the first half for a high foot and Grant Leadbitter scored for Boro midway through the second half.
Martial, who had earlier hit the post for United, brought them level with five minutes left and a minute later Pogba earned his team their fifth successive league win.
HAPPY MOURINHO
United manager Jose Mourinho was delighted with his team, who had 32 attempts on goal, and the home crowd.
"The players brought the fans with them," he said. "The last 15 minutes were 70,000 on the pitch against 11."
West Bromwich Albion moved above Southampton into eighth place by coming from behind to beat them 2-1 at St Mary's.
The home side led just before halftime when Ireland striker Shane Long scored against his old club but Albion equalised within two minutes through Matt Phillips.
Only four minutes into the second half Hal Robson-Kanu marked his first start of the season by thrashing in the winning goal.
Southampton's coveted defender Virgil van Dijk received a red card near the end.
Leicester City, who had made the worst start of any champions for more than half a century, won an entertaining game 1-0 at home to West Ham United.
With England striker Jamie Vardy suspended, Algerian Islam Slimani headed the only goal to end the London side's run of three successive victories.
Swansea City, who sacked manager Bob Bradley this week, slumped to a 3-0 home defeat by Bournemouth to leave them bottom of the table at the halfway stage of the season.
Benik Afobe, Ryan Fraser and Josh King were the scorers as Bournemouth moved back into the top half of the table.
Sunderland stayed in the relegation places with a heavy 4-1 defeat at Burnley, whose impressive home form continues to make up for having taken only one point all season on their travels.
Andre Gray scored a hat-trick in 22 minutes and Ashley Barnes added a penalty before Jermain Defoe's late reply.
"We were dire, really really bad," Sunderland manager David Moyes said.
Sunderland have 14 points, two more than Swansea and one more than Hull City, who moved off the bottom with a 2-2 draw against Everton on Friday.
Reuters
Sat Dec 31 2016
![Liverpool edge Man City, Chelsea equal win record Liverpool edge Man City, Chelsea equal win record](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/http://img.astroawani.com/2017-01/81483229699_Willian.jpg)
Chelsea's Willian scores their third goal during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Stoke City at Stamford Bridge, Dec 31, 2016. REUTERS
AWANI Ringkas: Syor ambil guru Bahasa Inggeris dari Singapura jadi tumpuan
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
![Suspek kes kematian Nur Farah Kartini direman tujuh hari Suspek kes kematian Nur Farah Kartini direman tujuh hari](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/51721098519_suspekbunuhNurFar.jpg)
Suspek kes kematian Nur Farah Kartini direman tujuh hari
Perintah reman terhadap suspek lelaki berusia 26 tahun itu dikeluarkan Hakim Nurul Mardhiah Mohammed Redza.
KPM teliti cadangan sukarelawan Guru Bahasa Inggeris dari Singapura
Sukarelawan berbentuk hubungan diplomasi yang dibiayai kerajaan Singapura bagi bantu tingkatkan penguasaan bahasa Inggeris murid di kawasan miskin bandar dan luar bandar, kata Menteri Pendidikan.
#AWANInews #SisiTVParlimen
#AWANInews #SisiTVParlimen
Niaga AWANI: [Pasca IPO] Apa hala tuju Johor Plantations Group?
Johor Plantations Group (JPG) memperoleh RM735 juta daripada penyenaraiannya di pasaran utama Bursa Malaysia sejak 9 Julai lalu. Bagaimanakah pelan JPG untuk terus berdaya saing pada masa hadapan?
Impact of cloud complexity on cybersecurity risk and AI's role in this mix
Organizations who are adopting multi-cloud or hybrid cloud environments are having to navigate new complexities that emerge as they expand on cloud. As these cloud environments lead to the expansion of attack surfaces, a global survey conducted by Gigamon found that 93% of IT and security leaders predict cloud security attacks will increase this year.
[Data & Statistik] Prestasi Bursa Malaysia setakat 16 Julai 2024
Jumlah dagangan meningkat kepada 5.36 bilion unit bernilai RM3.95 bilion daripada 4.58 bilion unit bernilai RM3.72 bilion pada Jumaat.
[Data & Statistik] Kedudukan MYR berbanding SGD setakat 16 Julai 2024
Niaga AWANI bawakan prestasi terkini prestasi MYR berbanding SGD.
[Data & Statistik] Prestasi ringgit setakat 16 Julai 2024
Ketua Ahli Ekonomi Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid berkata walaupun ringgit merosot, kontrak niaga hadapan Dana Fed menunjukkan bahawa penurunan kadar faedah mungkin akan berlaku pada September depan.
![Sekurang-kurangnya 4 maut, insiden tembakan di masjid di Oman Sekurang-kurangnya 4 maut, insiden tembakan di masjid di Oman](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/41721096727_RoyalOmanPolice.jpg)
Sekurang-kurangnya 4 maut, insiden tembakan di masjid di Oman
Beberapa orang turut cedera akibat terkena tembakan di sekitar masjid di Wadi al-Kabir, Muscat.
![Penjara menanti pesalah MH17 jika keluar dari Rusia - Pendakwa raya Penjara menanti pesalah MH17 jika keluar dari Rusia - Pendakwa raya](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2022-03/61647267418_Reconstructionofth.jpg)
Penjara menanti pesalah MH17 jika keluar dari Rusia - Pendakwa raya
Menurut Digna van Boetzelaer, kerajaan Belanda tidak pernah meminta ekstradisi mereka kerana Rusia tidak mengekstradisi rakyatnya sendiri.
![Arsenal tebus kontrak David Raya di Brentford Arsenal tebus kontrak David Raya di Brentford](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/81720151154_tbDavidRaya.jpg)
Arsenal tebus kontrak David Raya di Brentford
Raya menyertai The Gunners menerusi perjanjian pinjaman sepanjang musim tahun lalu dengan nilai pinjaman sebanyak £3 juta.
![Alamak! Arsenal kempunan lagi! Alamak! Arsenal kempunan lagi!](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-05/61716171848_tbMikelArteta.jpg)
Alamak! Arsenal kempunan lagi!
Arsenal di bawah kendalian Mikel Arteta telah beraksi cemerlang sepanjang musim tetapi terpaksa menelan hempedu di penghujung jalan.
![Arsenal tidak akan menjadi juara liga - Cristiano Ronaldo Arsenal tidak akan menjadi juara liga - Cristiano Ronaldo](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-05/71716092139_TBCristianoRonaldo.jpg)
Arsenal tidak akan menjadi juara liga - Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo, berkongsi pendapatnya dengan menjelaskan bahawa Arsenal tidak akan menjadi juara Liga Perdana Inggeris (EPL).
![Penyokong Arsenal tersilap 'serang' hotel penginapan City Penyokong Arsenal tersilap 'serang' hotel penginapan City](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-05/51715820665_PenyokongArsenal.jpg)
Penyokong Arsenal tersilap 'serang' hotel penginapan City
Penyokong Arsenal cuba lancar serangan psikologi ke atas pemain City yang berkunjung ke utara London untuk aksi menentang Tottenham Hotspur.
!['Penentu kejuaraan EPL di tangan kami' - Guardiola 'Penentu kejuaraan EPL di tangan kami' - Guardiola](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-05/71715493480_TBManchesterCity.jpg)
'Penentu kejuaraan EPL di tangan kami' - Guardiola
PEP Guardiola berkata penentuan kejuaraan Liga Perdana Inggeris (EPL) berada di tangan mereka sendiri selepas kemenangan 4-0 ke atas Fulham pada Sabtu.
![EPL: Arteta tuntut aksi terbaik kalahkan Manchester United EPL: Arteta tuntut aksi terbaik kalahkan Manchester United](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-05/71715471396_tbMikelArteta.jpg)
EPL: Arteta tuntut aksi terbaik kalahkan Manchester United
Amaran keras Mikel Arteta buat anak buahnya, pamer aksi terbaik menentang Manchester United di Stadium Old Trafford, malam ini.
![EPL: Arsenal sudah atur perarakan julang trofi liga EPL: Arsenal sudah atur perarakan julang trofi liga](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-03/71710302945_TBarsenaljpg.jpg)
EPL: Arsenal sudah atur perarakan julang trofi liga
Bakal juara musim Liga Perdana Inggeris (EPL) musim 2023/2024, Arsenal, sudah siap melakukan perancangan rapi untuk menjulang piala kejuaraan.
![EPL: Manchester City himpit Arsenal EPL: Manchester City himpit Arsenal](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-04/61714100363_TBBritainSoccer.jpg)
EPL: Manchester City himpit Arsenal
Gawang The Seagulls robek lagi kali ini menerusi bintang meningkat naik Phil Foden dengan gol pada minit ke-26 dan 34.
![EPL: Kai Havertz pastikan Arsenal menang bergaya tewaskan Chelsea EPL: Kai Havertz pastikan Arsenal menang bergaya tewaskan Chelsea](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-04/71713921500_EnglishPremierLeag.jpg)
EPL: Kai Havertz pastikan Arsenal menang bergaya tewaskan Chelsea
Kemenangan itu meletakkan Arsenal tiga mata di hadapan Liverpool yang kini berada di tangga kedua dengan bermain lebih satu perlawanan.
![Bayern, Real akhiri cabaran Eropah Arsenal, City Bayern, Real akhiri cabaran Eropah Arsenal, City](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-04/81713397252_BayernsJoshuaKimm.jpg)
Bayern, Real akhiri cabaran Eropah Arsenal, City
Anak buah Thomas Tuchel mara ke pusingan empat terbaik, selepas menang 1-0 ke atas skuad kendalian Mikel Arteta.