London: James Milner’s 84th-minute penalty earned Liverpool a gritty 2-1 victory at Swansea City on Saturday that saw Jurgen Klopp’s side climb to second place in the Premier League table.
Leroy Fer gave struggling Swansea an eighth-minute lead, but Roberto Firmino equalised early in the second half before Milner claimed the winner following a foul on Firmino by Angel Rangel.
Chelsea ended a three-game winless run with a 2-0 win at Hull City that provisionally lifted Antonio Conte’s men to sixth, while Dimitri Payet’s memorable goal earned West Ham United a 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough.
Despite Liverpool’s fourth straight league win, manager Klopp said: “I was very angry. I have lost a lot of football games, but today makes no sense. “We were not ready and it is my responsibility. It was not good. The build-up was too static, no movement.”
“The second half was better, but still not brilliant.” Liverpool finished the day two points adrift of leaders Manchester City, who visit third-place Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Fer broke the deadlock by converting from close range after Borja Baston had knocked down a corner at the back post.
The visitors levelled in the 54th minute, Firmino directing a header into the bottom-left corner from Jordan Henderson’s lobbed pass after Philippe Coutinho’s free-kick struck the wall.
After Rangel bundled into the back of Firmino, Milner chipped his penalty down the middle to condemn Swansea to a fifth defeat in six games, piling the pressure on manager Francesco Guidolin.
Beaten by Liverpool and Arsenal in their previous two games, Chelsea bounced back with a 2-0 success over Hull. Willian and Diego Costa scored Chelsea’s goals inside six second-half minutes, both players curling shots into the bottom-right corner.
