KEY POINTS:
LONDON - Liverpool continued their hot English Premier League streak by beating Bolton Wanderers 4-0 here today with captain Steven Gerrard scoring one goal and having a hand in the other three.
In the day's other game, Alex McLeish got off to a flying start in charge of
Birmingham City as Sebastian Larsson stuck a terrific injury-time goal to snatch a 3-2 win at Tottenham Hotspur.
Arsenal, who won 2-1 at Aston Villa on Sunday, lead the standings with 36 points. Chelsea are second on 31, having played a game more, after their 1-0 win over West Ham United.
Liverpool moved up to third on 30 points, the same as Manchester United, who host Fulham on Tuesday (NZ time), and Manchester City, who drew 1-1 at Wigan Athletic on Sunday.
Liverpool have won their last five games in all competitions, scoring an impressive 21 goals in the process and although Bolton came into the game on the back of victory over Manchester United last week, it was a straightforward afternoon for the hosts.
Centre back Sami Hyypia nodded them ahead from a Gerrard cross after 18 minutes and the England midfielder was the supplier for the second as Fernando Torres ran on to his through ball and scored with a deft chip at the end of the first half.
In between those goals, Bolton should have been on the scoresheet but Nicolas Anelka somehow shot wide in front of an open goal.
Gerrard got the third from the penalty spot 11 minutes after the interval and then crossed for Dirk Kuyt, whose shot was parried by Jussi Jaaskelainen into the path of Ryan Babel who tucked in the fourth four minutes from time.
"The team is playing well and scoring goals," Liverpool coach Rafael Benitez said.
"It was really important for us to score the second, after that we had more space. I felt the team were creating chances, we were playing with confidence."
Tottenham made all the running against Birmingham but found themselves trailing at halftime to Gary McSheffrey's penalty.
Robbie Keane then took centre stage as he equalised from the spot in the 50th minute then put Spurs ahead three minutes later after Birmingham failed to clear a corner.
Birmingham levelled through Cameron Jerome in the 62nd minute and Keane was sent off five minutes later for a foul on Fabrice Muamba.
Birmingham hit the bar in the closing stages but snatched the points that lift them above Spurs with a stunning long-range strike by Larsson in the second minute of stoppage time.
- REUTERS