REDS TURN IT AROUND AT LIBERTY

REDS TURN IT AROUND AT LIBERTY

Liverpool Rally To Beat Swansea; Chelsea Stem The Rot With Hull Win

James Milner propelled Liverpool to second place in the Premier League as his late penalty secured a 2-1 win against Swansea on Saturday. Milner's spot-kick sealed an impressive comeback for Jurgen Klopp's team and enabled the Reds to move within two points of Premier League leaders Manchester City , who face Tottenham on Sunday .

Liverpool trailed to an early Leroy Fer goal at the Liberty Stadium and looked second-best before Roberto Firmino took control to inspire his side's fourth successive league victory . Brazil forward Firmino scored Liverpool's equaliser early in the second half and won the crucial penalty that Milner converted in the final minutes.

Struggling Swansea's fifth defeat in seven league games will increase the pressure on manager Francesco Guidolin, who has had to deal with speculation he is set to lose his job. Ryan Giggs and Bob Bradley are among the names reported lined up as potential replacements for Guidolin.

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 EPL 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.

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

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.

Substitute Isaac Success scored with a header as Watford fought back twice to draw 2-2 with Bournemouth in an entertaining EPL match. While, Patrick van Aanholt grabbed an 83rd-minute equaliser as struggling Sunderland snatched a 1-1 draw against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday to lift themselves off the foot of the table with only their second point of the season.

Meanwhile, Klopp made one change to the side that thrashed Hull 5-1 at Anfield a week ago, with Dejan Lovren, a rejuvenated presence in the Liverpool defence this season, returned to the starting line-up in place of Ragnar Klavan.There was a solitary change, too, in the Swansea team following their 3-1 defeat by Manchester City as striker Borja Baston starting a Premier League game for the first time in place of the injured Fernando Llorente.

Former Atletico Madrid forward Borja was in the thick of the action, but wasted an early chance to endear himself to the locals by heading over from Wayne Routledge's fine cross.

Liverpool's defence was looking surprisingly fragile despite Lovren's return to action and Fer made the most of the instability to put the home side ahead.

Lukaku, Benteke strike in Everton-Palace draw

Everton-Palace draw Liverpool: Goals by Belgian international strikers Romelu Lukaku and Christian Benteke saw Everton and Crystal Palace draw 1-1 in their Premier League clash on Friday.

(toi)