LONDON, Jan 3: Liverpool went fifth in the Premier League with a 2-1 win away to relegation-threatened Norwich on Monday.
Second-half goals from Luis Garcia and John Arne Riise left Liverpool comfortably ahead before Norwich pulled one back two minutes from the end of normal time thanks to a superb first Premiership goal from 18-year-old substitute Ryan Jarvis.
Victory saw Liverpool bounce back from their New Year's Day defeat by leaders Chelsea and meant they leapfrogged Middlesbrough to be just three points behind local rivals Everton, who are currently in the fourth and final Champions League spot.
Elsewhere Crystal Palace's Andrew Johnson netted twice to take his tally for the season to 13 league goals as the Eagles moved out of the relegation zone with a 2-0 win at home to Aston Villa.
Meanwhile Blackburn ensured Charlton suffered a second straight defeat with a 1-0 victory at Ewood Park. Bottom-of-the-table West Brom face Newcastle in Monday's late match.
Liverpool took a 58th minute lead at Carrow Road when Garcia lobbed Norwich keeper Robert Green from the edge of the box and doubled their advantage eight minutes later when Riise followed up the rebound after Green blocked a fierce shot from substitute Florent Sinama-Pongolle.
Jarvis gave Norwich, who drew 1-1 away to Portsmouth last time out despite playing most of the match with 10 men, hope late on but it was not enough. At Selhurst Park, Johnson put Palace ahead in the 33rd minute when he followed up after Villa keeper Thomas Sorensen failed to hold Ben Watson's long-range strike.
Palace thought Johnson had a second on the stroke of half-time when he scored from a corner but his effort was disallowed after the referee ruled the ball had gone out of play from the set-piece.
But the forward eventually made it 2-0 from the penalty spot in the 66th minute after Villa's Mark Delaney had fouled Vassilis Lakis in the box. Australian midfielder Brett Emerton was Blackburn's hero at Ewood Park, his goal four minutes before half-time wrapping up all the points for Mark Hughes's men. Barry Ferguson cut the ball back inside the box to David Thompson and his cross was headed in at the back post by Emerton.
