LONDON: Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the Premier League table in dramatic fashion as they beat high-flying Leicester 2-1.

Of all people, it looked like Brendan Rodgers was going to end Liverpool’s winning run at 16 games as the visitors drew level with the Reds thanks to James Maddison’s goal eight minutes from time at Anfield.

Sadio Mane had put the home side ahead five minutes before half-time with this 50th Premier League goal for Liverpool – but all the drama was to come late on in an end-to-end finish to the game.

First, Maddison drew the visitors level, Liverpool having wasted chances to put the game to bed, before Marc Albrighton’s foul on Mane allowed James Milner to nervelessly convert a penalty in the fifth minute of time added on.

Credit to Rodgers for encouraging his side to go for three points, but the Foxes return home with nothing after Liverpool made it 17 wins on the spin to move eight points clear of Manchester City, who play Wolves on Sunday.

Aston Villa went goal crazy at Carrow Road against fellow newcomers Norwich, with summer signing Wesley scoring twice and missing a penalty in a dominant first-half performance.

Jack Grealish effectively ended the contest four minutes after the break before Conor Hourihane turned the win into a rout with a fourth, followed late on by a fifth from substitute Douglas Luiz

Josip Drmic at least got Norwich on the scoresheet three minutes from the end but that was a mere consolation for punters backing both teams to score in the game rather than anything to note for Norwich, who drop to 18th as Villa leapfrog them and climb to 14th.

New Spurs nightmare

Brighton teenager Aaron Connolly scored twice on his first premier League start as Tottenham’s nightmare run continued on the south coast with an emphatic 3-0 defeat.

It was meant to be Tottenham’s bounce back game after their 7-2 Champions League humiliation against Bayern Munich, but after gifting Brighton the opener after just three minutes they lurched from one disaster to another.

That included losing Hugo Lloris to what looked to be a serious arm injury, one suffered as he made a mess of a high, floating cross which allowed Brighton to take the lead.

Graham Potter’s Brighton were the better side throughout, first to every ball, winning almost every tackle and producing far more cutting edge than Mauricio Pochettino’s stumbling Spurs, who produced another lacklustre showing that will only add to their manager’s frustrations.

Jordan Ayew’s dramatic late VAR-awarded goal earned a 2-1 win for Crystal Palace at West Ham. The striker was flagged offside as he prodded Martin Kelly’s knock-down into the net three minutes from time.

But a lengthy VAR check on two potential offside decisions, for Kelly and then Ayew, went Palace’s way by millimetres.

Sebastien Haller had given the Hammers the lead early in the second half, but a baffling handball by Declan Rice gifted Palace the equaliser.

England midfielder Rice looked like he was hailing a taxi when the ball struck him in the area, and Patrick Van Aanholt took full advantage from the spot.

Then Ayew’s intervention secured all three points for Palace as the Hammers missed the chance to climb back up to third in the table – with Palace instead moving fourth.

Pressure is mounting on Marco Silva after Everton suffered a fourth league defeat in a row after Seamus Coleman was sent off in the second half in defeat by Burnley for picking up his second booking.

That gave Everton just over half an hour to try and survive with ten men, but they couldn’t hold out as Burnley’s Jeff Hendrick scored what turned out to be the winner after 72 minutes.

Sean Dyche’s side recorded a third win of the season that puts them in the lofty position of fourth in the Premier League table with several of the top six playing on Sunday.

Silva’s Everton are languishing down in 17th in the table after a fifth defeat in eight games and it’ll make for an uncomfortable international break for Silva, mulling over how he can turn things around at Goodison Park.

A drab stalemate at Vicarage Road saw bottom side Watford held goalless by Sheffield United and thus continue their wait for a first win of the season after what was their third draw.

Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United enjoyed 61 percent possession as they dominated the ball, showing just how Watford are struggling, although Watford at least matched the visitors when it came to creating chances.

Neither side could find a breakthrough though, and although the Blades will perhaps feel they could have gained all three points, the draw puts them level on points with Manchester United in the table.

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