The fit-again Senegal forward climbed off the bench to poke home his 12th league goal of the campaign and extend champions-elect Liverpool’s winning streak to 17 top-flight matches.

The runaway leaders inched closer to a first title since 1990 by grinding out a nervy win, amid howling winds and driving rain.

Jurgen Klopp’s men are now just one victory away from matching Manchester City’s Premier League record of 18 successive wins.

For much of a weather-ruined clash the Reds feared a first league draw since the 1-1 tie with Manchester United on October 20, only for super sub Mane to deliver in style.

This was Mané’s 100th goal of his English club career in all competitions, scoring 25 for Southampton and 75 for current club Liverpool. The goal was his 57th in the Premier League for Liverpool, but the first of those to come as a substitute.

The match’s sole moment of quality proved a fine way for Mane to mark his first Liverpool action since hobbling out of the Reds’ 2-1 win at Wolves on January 23.

Liverpool have now won 17 Premier League games in a row, matching their best ever winning streak in league football last set between March and October 2019, and just one shy of Manchester City’s all-time English top-flight record of 18 between August and December 2017.

They have opened the scoring in each of their last 14 Premier League meetings with Norwich City; no side has ever scored the opening goal in more consecutive games versus another in the competition’s history (Chelsea also 14 v Portsmouth).

Liverpool have also kept a clean sheet in 10 of their last 11 Premier League matches, this after having only kept one shutout in the previous 11 such games before this.

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