Manchester City, Chelsea record victories

Three of the teams expected to contend for the title — Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool — all picked up wins in back-to-back fixtures on Saturday

London: On a day uncertainty reigned in England as the nation prepared to go back into lockdown, the Premier League returned to something resembling normality.

Three of the teams expected to contend for the title — Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool — all picked up wins in back-to-back fixtures on Saturday. There was also the familiar sight of Liverpool, the defending champion, back atop the standings thanks to a late goal that is becoming its trademark.

Diogo Jota came off the bench and scored in the 85th minute to earn Liverpool a hard-fought 2-1 victory over West Ham, extending the team’s unbeaten record in league play at Anfield to 63 games — tied for the longest streak in the club’s history.

That’s a goal in three straight games for Jota, an off-season signing who is giving an extra edge to Liverpool’s attack. It is needed given the team’s troubles in defense.

Somewhat bizarrely, the defending champions lead the league — by three points from Everton, having played one game extra — despite having the worst defense in the division after conceding 15 goals so far.

The latest goal Liverpool let in was avoidable, too, with Joe Gomez heading a clearance straight at Pablo Fornals, who drove a finish into the bottom corner in the 10th minute.

Mohamed Salah equalised for Liverpool from the penalty spot just before halftime after he was tripped by Arthur Masuaku. That lifted Salah to seven goals, one behind the league’s top scorer, Tottenham’s Son Heung-min.