LIVERPOOL: Two deflected Xherdan Shaqiri strikes handed Liverpool victory over Manchester United in the Premier League for the first time in nine attempts to move back to the top of the table with a 3-1 win at Anfield on Sunday.
Liverpool leapfrog Manchester City to finish the weekend where they started, a point clear at the top.
Manchester United now are a mammoth 19 points behind the leader in sixth, but also 11 points off the top four.
PREMIER LEAGUE
Sunday's Results
Liverpool 3-1 Manchester United
Brighton & Hove Albion 1-2 Chelsea
Southampton 3-2 Arsenal
Saturday's Results
Manchester City 3-1 Everton
Crystal Palace 1-0 Leicester City
Huddersfield Town 0-1 Newcastle United
Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Burnley
Watford 3-2 Cardiff City
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 AFC Bournemouth
Fulham 0-2 West Ham United
The BBC match report called Manchester United "desperately ordinary".
Liverpool roared out of the traps at Anfield and took the game to Jose Mourinho's side, grabbing the lead in the 24th minute when Sadio Mane chested down a pass from Fabinho and slotted past David De Gea.
Against the run of play, United drew level in the 33rd minute when Liverpool keeper Alisson Becker spilled a harmless low cross from Romelu Lukaku and Jesse Lingard pounced on the loose ball to find the net.
The hosts continued to dominate but it was not until the introduction of Swiss international Shaqiri that the game turned decisively in their favour.
Shaqiri came off the bench to inspire the Liverpool victory and it was his Shaqiri's rapid-fire double strike in the second half that gave Jurgen Klopp's side the three points they fully deserved.
Sadio Mane's 24th-minute volley from Fabinho's perfect delivery gave Liverpool the lead their lightning start merited, only for a dreadful error by goalkeeper Alisson to give United an unlikely lifeline before the break when he fumbled Romelu Lukaku's cross into the path of Jesse Lingard.
United barely offered an attacking threat but were frustrating Liverpool until Klopp introduced Shaqiri with less than 20 minutes remaining, with devastating effect.
There was an element of good fortune about both goals, one deflected in from close range and the other off Eric Bailly to beat keeper David de Gea.
Chelsea hold on
Chelsea consolidated fourth place in the Premier League with a 2-1 win at Brighton & Hove Albion that became harder work than had seemed likely in the first half.
Having won 4-0 at the Amex Stadium last season, they were on course for a repeat after taking a 2-0 lead at the interval.
Eden Hazard set up the first goal for Pedro after 17 minutes and scored the second himself before halftime following a defensive error.
Brighton came back into contention through Solly March's goal midway through the second half and Lewis Dunk went close to an equaliser.
The home side have not beaten Chelsea in any competition since 1933 but they stayed 13th in the table, nine points clear of the bottom three places.
Chelsea moved three points clear of London rivals Arsenal, who were beaten at Southampton.
Saints stun Arsenal
A late goal by substitute Charlie Austin gave relegation-threatened Southampton a thrilling 3-2 victory over Arsenal in new Austrian manager Ralph Hasenhuettl's first home game, at St Mary's.
The first win in 13 league games since Sept 1 sent Southampton above Burnley into 17th place while Arsenal, who had last lost to Chelsea in the Premier League in August, remained fifth in the table.
It was the Londoners' first defeat in 23 games and meant they lost ground on fourth-placed Chelsea, while Southampton moved out of the bottom three.
Danny Ings, back after injury, headed two fine goals in the first half from equally good crosses by Matt Targett and Nathan Redmond.
In between, Mkhitaryan drew Arsenal level with a header of his own and early in the second half he scored via a big deflection.
Yet in the 85th minute Austin, who had come on for the tiring Ings, headed in a cross by Shane Long.