PIX: Liverpool opens up 11-point lead over Man City

Liverpool hung on after having goalkeeper Alisson Becker sent off to beat Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 and extend their lead at the top of the Premier League to 11 points thanks to two first-half headers from defender Virgil van Dijk.

Liverpool, who also equalled their unbeaten top flight run of 31 games set between May 1987 and March 1988, have 40 points from 14 games, with second-placed champions Manchester City on 29 after they were held to a 2-2 draw at Newcastle United.

Van Dijk opened the scoring in the 18th minute with a looping header after Trent Alexander-Arnold floated in a free kick from the right and the two combined again for the second goal six minutes later.

Brighton goalkeeper Mat Ryan denied Sadio Mane with a fine reflex save but was powerless when Van Dijk made his run to meet Alexander-Arnold's corner at the near post.

Centre back Lewis Dunk missed two chances to pull one back for Brighton, sending a shot wide from close range shortly before halftime and then glancing a header inches wide of the far post in the 54th minute.

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson was sent off in the 77th minute for handling the ball outside the penalty area. Dunk immediately took advantage as he stroked a quick low free kick past stand-in keeper Adrian.

Shelvey's late gem leaves Manchester City frustrated at Newcastle

Champions Manchester City dropped two vital points in the Premier League title race as Jonjo Shelvey’s stunning late strike earned struggling Newcastle United a 2-2 home draw.

A scrappy game was drifting towards a draw when Kevin De Bruyne’s 82nd-minute thunderbolt looked to have won the game for City who began the day nine points behind Liverpool. 

Yet for the second time in the match, Newcastle replied quickly as Shelvey curled a shot past Ederson in the 88th minute.

Raheem Sterling had fired City in front in the 22nd minute but their lead lasted only three minutes as Jetro Willems finished off a fine Newcastle move.

Despite enjoying overwhelming territorial superiority, City lacked their usual cutting edge as Newcastle sat deep but De Bruyne’s late 25-metre strike which cannoned in off the underside of the crossbar appeared to have sealed it.

Newcastle had other ideas though and grabbed a point to leave City manager Pep Guardiola frustrated.

Should Liverpool beat Brighton & Hove Albion later on Saturday, they will move 11 points clear of the champions.

Steve Bruce’s Newcastle moved six points clear of the relegation zone before the later kickoffs.

Alli double earns rejuvenated Spurs win over Bournemouth

Jose Mourinho's dream start as Tottenham Hotspur manager continued as Dele Alli scored twice in a 3-2 victory at home to Bournemouth -- a third successive win for the Portuguese since replacing Mauricio Pochettino.

Despite watching them win their first back-to-back league games since April, it was not all good news for Mourinho, though, as his side conceded late goals for the second week running.

Alli, whose struggles so far this season had mirrored Tottenham's dismal start, has looked rejuvenated in the past week since Mourinho arrived, and put Tottenham in front in the 21st minute from close range.

Shortly afterwards Davinson Sanchez had a goal scrubbed off by VAR, but Alli doubled Tottenham's lead five minutes after halftime from Toby Alderweireld's long ball.

Moussa Sissoko's 69th minute goal gave Spurs a third, taking their tally to 10 in three games under Mourinho.

While Tottenham's attack has clicked under Mourinho, another impressive display was rather tarnished once more by a failure to keep a clean sheet.

First, Harry Wilson's pinpoint freekick gave Bournemouth a surprise lifeline and when the Welsh international scored again in stoppage time there were some jitters on the home bench.

A second successive league victory for the first time this season lifted Tottenham into fifth spot with 20 points from 14 games, six points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.

Bournemouth dropped to 12 with 16 points.

West Ham snatch unlikely win at Chelsea

A 48th-minute goal from Aaron Cresswell earned West Ham United a surprise 1-0 victory at Chelsea in the Premier League, their first win since September.

Cresswell latched on to a pass from Pablo Fornais and cut inside Chelsea's 19-year-old defender Reece James before shooting into the far corner past Kepa Arrizabalaga.

It was West Ham's second real chance of the game after a 25th-minute effort from Michail Antonio, whose point-blank header was well parried by Arrizabalaga.

Until the goal Chelsea, though looking a little off the pace after their breathless 2-2 draw with Valencia in the Champions League, had looked the more likely to score.

But they huffed and puffed round the West Ham goal without producing the decisive strike. James went closest when his deflected shot hit the outside of the post in the 23rd minute.

Manuel Pellegrini's West Ham had a goal ruled out by VAR in the 69th minute for handball by Antonio but held on under late home pressure to record their first league away win since August.

In the late kick-off basement battle, James Ward-Prowse struck a stunning free kick seven minutes from time as Southampton fought back to beat bottom side Watford and record their first home league win this season.

Danny Ings equalised for the hosts after Watford had taken the lead through Ismaila Sarr and Southampton moved above Norwich into 18th place in the table.

Ward-Prowse strike caps Southampton's late fightback

James Ward-Prowse struck a stunning free kick seven minutes from time as Southampton fought back from a goal down to beat fellow strugglers Watford 2-1 on Saturday and record their first home Premier League win this season.

Southampton came into the game with the weakest defence in the league, and it sprung another leak midway through the first half as Ismaila Sarr chased down a ball over the top and clipped it confidently into the net to put the visitors ahead.

The goal by the powerful Senegalese 21-year-old was just the ninth of the season for Watford, making them the least-potent attack in the Premier League behind Norwich and Everton who have scored 13.

With Southampton pouring forward, second-half substitute Shane Long had a shot cleared off the line before Danny Ings bundled the ball home from close range in the 78th minute after Moussa Djenepo's brilliant dribble set up the chance.

Fired up by the equaliser, Danish midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg won a free kick on the edge of the area and Ward-Prowse smashed it into the top corner, sending the home crowd into raptures.

The win moved Southampton above Norwich into 18th place on 12 points while Watford remained bottom on eight.

"To go 1-0 down tonight and then to come back and win the game like that shows the character of the lads. We're all together, the fans, you could tell by the atmosphere, it was great at the end," Ings told Sky Sports.

"I always say it's under-rated how much the fans mean to you at home games. We've got to make other teams not want to be here when we're playing them, and tonight I thought the fans were unbelievable," he added.