Newcastle, England – Daniel Sturridge and Jordan Henderson both bagged braces as Liverpool turned in its best performance of the season on Saturday, thrashing Newcastle, 6-0, at St. James' Park.
Playing in their first Premier League match since polarizing striker Luis Suarez was handed a 10-match ban by the English Football Association for biting the arm of Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic, the Reds didn't skip a beat on Tyneside, hitting for two goals inside the first 20 minutes.
The Reds got off to a flying start when Daniel Agger got on the end of a low cross from Steven Gerrard just three minutes in and flicked it over the head of Newcastle goalkeeper Robert Elliot.
Henderson got his first of the day in the 17th minute to double the lead when Philippe Coutinho put Henderson through on the break and he tapped it into the empty net.
After the break, Liverpool put the game out of reach as Sturridge found the net in the 54th minute via a feed from Coutinho, and the former Chelsea made got his second six minutes later to make it 4-0.
Substitute Fabio Borini added to the rout with 16 minutes to play and Henderson completed his double two minutes later to wrap up an outstanding afternoon for the Reds.
The victory pushes Liverpool up to 54 points from 35 matches, while Newcastle sits in 16th on 37 points, five clear of the relegation spots.
Wigan 2, Tottenham 2
Wigan, England - Tottenham briefly saw their Champions League hopes for next season flash before their eyes, but a late own goal from Emerson Boyce gave Spurs new life as the clubs played to a thrilling 2-2 draw on Saturday at the DW Stadium.
Spurs talisman Gareth Bale opened the scoring for the visitors nine minutes into the match when the Welsh international got a bit lucky when Wigan goalkeeper Joel Robles went to clear the ball off the line, but it hit Bale's leg and bounced into the net.
Wigan got it right back just two minutes later as Boyce got his head to a cross from Shaun Maloney and powered it in behind Hugo Lloris to put the sides on even terms.
After the break, Wigan took an unlikely lead in the 49th minute when young forward Callum McManaman unleashed a rocket left-footed strike into the top of the net to give the Latics a 2-1 margin.
It appeared the home side would secure three crucial points in their fight against relegation, but it wasn't to be as Tom Huddlestone whipped a cross into the penalty area that deflected off Boyce and into the net to make it 2-2.
Spurs was energized by their late equalizer and had several more chance to find a late winner, but the Wigan backline held up over the final few minutes and the teams settled for a point apiece.
Spurs moves level on points with Chelsea in fourth place, while the Latics remain in 18th place, two points from safety.
Manchester City 2, West Ham 1
Manchester, England - Manchester City further cemented a second place finish in the Premiership on Saturday, posting a 2-1 victory over West Ham United at the Etihad Stadium.
After conceding three goals in the final 15 minutes last week in a 3-1 defeat to Tottenham, the Citizens opened the scoring in the 28th minute when Sergio Aguero ran onto a superb pass from David Silva in the box and fired it past West Ham goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen for the 1-0 edge.
City went into the halftime break with the one-goal margin and Yaya Toure doubled the advantage with seven minutes to play when he took a touch outside the box to get the ball on his left foot and unleashed a rising shot perfectly placed into the top left corner.
West Ham picked up a consolation goal deep in stoppage time through Andy Carroll, but it wasn't enough as City held on for all three points.
The victory sees the Citizens rise to 71 points from 34 matches, eight clear of third-place Arsenal, while West Ham stays in the top half of the table in 10th place on 42 points.
Everton 1, Fulham 0
Liverpool, England - Everton kept its hopes alive for European competition next season with a 1-0 win over Fulham on Saturday at Goodison Park.
Steven Pienaar netted the only goal of the match for the Toffees in the 16th minute when he got on the end of a cross in the box from Seamus Coleman and fired a right-footed strike past Cottagers goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.
The result keeps Everton in sixth place with 59 points, three behind Spurs and Chelsea for the final Champions League place, while Fulham remain just outside of the top half of the table in 11th place on 40 points.
West Bromwich 3, Southampton 0
Southampton, England - West Bromwich coasted to a 3-0 victory over nine-man Southampton in a physical affair on Saturday at St. Mary's Stadium.
West Brom got off the mark quickly as Marc-Antoine Fortune found the back of the net just six minutes into the game and the Baggies took the one-goal lead into the locker room.
After the break, Romelu Lukaku made it 2-0 for West Brom in the 67th minute, and then the fireworks began.
Southampton's Gaston Ramirez and Fortune were both shown red cards with 20 minutes to play to bring both sides down a man. Shane Long added a third goal for West Brom in the 77th minute and Daniel Fox was also shown red as the Saints ended the day with nine players.
The result brings the Baggies to 48 points from 34 matches for eighth place, while Southampton drops to 13th on 39 points.
Stoke City 1, Norwich City 0
Stoke-on-Trent, England - Charlie Adam netted the only goal of the match as Stoke City secured a 1-0 win over Norwich City on Saturday at the Britannia Stadium.
The Potters' breakthrough came in the first minute of the second half as Peter Crouch nodded a pass to the feet of Adam, who easily slid it past Norwich City goalkeeper Mark Bunn.
Stoke rises to 12th place with 40 points with the victory, while Norwich remains in 14th on 38 points, six clear of the bottom three.
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