Late Torres double breaks Chelsea resistance

Fernando Torres scored twice in the dying moments to earn Liverpool FC a 2-0 victory against ten-man title rivals Chelsea FC and move the Anfield club back within two points of Premier League leaders Manchester United FC.

Evenly matched
The two sides started the day level on points, with Chelsea ahead of Rafael Benítez's charges on goal difference, and they appeared destined to finish Sunday in an identical position until Torres struck in the 89th minute before adding a second in stoppage time – his first goals in front of his home supporters this season. Chelsea remain five points behind the leaders as a result and, like Liverpool, have played a game more than Sir Alex Ferguson's side.

Alonso influence
Liverpool had the better of the few first-half efforts with Xavi Alonso calling Petr Čech into action with a drive early on, while the goalkeeper also parried a shot against team-mate Ashley Cole only for the ball to drop wide. Chelsea were reduced to ten men on the hour when Frank Lampard was dismissed for a foul on Alonso, and they nearly fell behind when the Spanish midfielder's deflected effort clipped the crossbar. His fellow countryman Torres finally made the breakthrough, heading in Fábio Aurélio's near-post cross before confirming the three points with a simple finish from a counterattack.

Derby parity
The earlier match saw north-east rivals Newcastle United FC and Sunderland AFC play out a 1-1 draw. Both sides had struck the post before the visitors took the lead on 32 minutes when Djibril Cissé evaded the offside trap and finished at the second attempt. The home side responded midway through the second half when Steven Taylor was fouled and Shola Ameobi coolly levelled from the penalty spot. The draw kept Sunderland in 13th spot, two places and three points ahead of Joe Kinnear's side.