Premier League round-up: Liverpool back on top as Blues drop to fourth

February 08, 2009 • 0 • min read

Table of Contents

Portsmouth

2 - 3

Liverpool

David Nugent 62

Fabio Aurelio 69

Hermann Hreidarsson 78

Dirk Kuyt 85

Fernando Torres 90

Liverpool back to the top of Premier League thanks to a thrilling 3-2 victory over luckless Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

Fabio Aurelio almost gave the Reds a first half lead but his curling free-kick just clipped the outside of the post.

Pompey improved after the interval and were rewarded when former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch slipped in David Nugent behind the defence and the forward slotted home past Pepe Reina.

But Crouch then gifted his old club an equaliser on 69 minutes as he forced David James in to handling his awful backpass inside the box. Xabi Alonso, on as a substitute, tapped the ball for Aurelio to smash into the bottom corner.

The hosts were ahead again with 12 minutes remaining as Nadir Belhadj swung in a free-kick and Hermann Hreidarsson guided his header past a wrong-footed Reina.

Pompey looked set to hang on for the win, but substitute Dirk Kuyt smashed in Liverpool's second equaliser from a seemingly impossible angle to breathe new life into the side.

And then in time added on at the end of the 90 minutes, Yossi Benayoun clipped back a cross which Fernando Torres headed past James at the near post.

Chelsea

0 - 0

Hull

Chelsea continues to slide and finds themselves dropped to fourth place after being held to a 0-0 draw by a brave Hull City at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues should have been in front as early as the second minute when skipper John Terry blazed his shot over from two yards after Tigers goalkeeper Matt Duke had saved his intial effort.

Duke then tipped debutant Ricardo Quaresma's curler around a post after a swift break.

The visitors almost snatched a goal before half-time when Kevin Kilbane headed a cross from Sam Ricketts just inches wide of an upright.

Phil Brown's Tigers even wasted the best opportunity of the match as Dean Marney screwed his shot just beyond the far post when well placed seven yards from goal.

Referee Lee Mason waved away penalty appeals from Chelsea when Salomon Kalou's well-struck shot hit the arm of Tigers full-back Andy Dawson inside the penalty area.

A section of the home support chanted 'You don't know what you're doing' at boss Luiz Felipe Scolari and then booed the team off at the final whistle.

Elsewhere in Premier League on Saturday:

Man City