LONDON: What was looking like a gripping finale to the Premier League title race is starting to turn into a procession for Liverpool.

The rampant leaders took a giant step towards their first title in 24 years with a 3-2 win at lowly Norwich City on Sunday, opening up a five-point lead over second-placed Chelsea with three matches remaining and taking their winning run to 11 games.

The win, sealed by two goals from the excellent Raheem Sterling and a 30th of the campaign from Luis Suarez, secured Champions League football for Liverpool next season but Brendan Rodgers’ side will have loftier ambitions than that as they seek a first English championship since 1990.

They moved to 80 points, five ahead of Chelsea who suffered a shock 2-1 defeat by bottom club Sunderland on Saturday. Third-placed Manchester City, on 71 points and with two matches in hand, play West Bromwich Albion on Monday.

The race for the final Champions League spot is tighter.

Arsenal beat Hull City 3-0 in a dress-rehearsal for next month’s FA Cup final to stay one point ahead of Everton, who beat Manchester United 2-0 on the return of David Moyes to Goodison Park, in the race for fourth spot.

Arsenal, for whom Lukas Podolski scored twice after Aaron Ramsey’s opener, moved to 70 points, one clear of fifth-placed Everton, who beat United thanks to first-half goals by Leighton Baines and Kevin Mirallas.

Liverpool have not won the title two years before the Premier League began and they can move to the brink of ending that drought when they meet Chelsea at Anfield next Sunday.

“It was massive,” Rodgers told Sky Sports. “We said before the game, every victory at this stage of the season, whether you’re top, middle or bottom, is important, and I thought we showed great courage today.

“We will go into the next three games looking to perform well. We want to continue to fight and now look to Chelsea next week, where it will be an incredible atmosphere at Anfield.”

Liverpool went ahead in the fourth minute when Sterling scored from 25 yards with a fine shot that took a slight deflection off Michael Turner.

Sterling then teed up Suarez to add a second goal in the 11th minute, making the Uruguayan the first Liverpool player to score 30 league goals in a season since Ian Rush in 1986-87.

Norwich pulled a goal back nine minutes into the second half when Gary Hooper tapped home after Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet miscued an attempted punch.

Sterling restored Liverpool’s two-goal cushion in the 62nd minute with a shot that took a cruel deflection off Bradley Johnson, but Robert Snodgrass’ 77th-minute header set up a nail-biting denouement.

Arsenal kept their noses in front of Everton in the race for the fourth and final Champions League qualifying berth with a comfortable win at Hull.

Arsenal welcomed Mesut Ozil back from a hamstring injury and he played a part in the 31st-minute move that led to Ramsey drilling the visitors in front.

In response, Hull midfielder Jake Livermore drove a low shot against the post, only for Podolski to emphatically volley home Arsenal’s second goal just before half-time from Ramsey’s chested lay-off.

Podolski claimed his second goal in the 54th minute, tucking away the rebound after Hull goalkeeper Allan McGregor had blocked from the irrepressible Ramsey.

“We kept a clean sheet and we scored three goals, and overall I believe the performance was good,” said Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.

“It’s in our hands. Do we win our games? So let’s just focus to win the games. We have a great desire to do it and I think we can, but it’s down to the quality of the performance in every game.”

The victory provisionally put Arsenal four points clear of fifth-place Everton, but Roberto Martinez’s side trimmed their lead back to a point with a clinical defeat of United.

Moyes’ first visit to Goodison Park since he left to succeed Alex Ferguson last year was to prove a chastening one, as his side fell to their 11th defeat of a dismal campaign.

Baines, a one-time United target, put Everton ahead from the penalty spot in the 28th minute after Phil Jones had blocked a shot with his hand and Mirallas added a second shortly before half-time.

On Saturday, Sunderland condemned Chelsea to their first defeat under Jose Mourinho at Stamford Bridge in 78 matches, with the winner coming from a coolly converted penalty by former Chelsea player Fabio Borini, who is on loan at Sunderland from Liverpool.

“When I went to take the penalty I thought ‘goal’. That’s why we take penalties, because you’re confident,” Borini said. “We sho­wed great character and belief.”

The Italian forward tucked home the spot kick in the 82nd minute after Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta brought down Jozy Altidore. Sunderland’s Connor Wickham had equalised in the 18th minute to cancel out Samuel Eto’o’s early opener.

Mourinho and his staff were not happy with the referee after the penalty decision and assistant coach Rui Faria was sent to the stands. Mourinho had to drag Faria away from fourth official Phil Dowd as the hosts’ protests turned bitter.

“Congratulations to my players, because they gave what they have and what they don’t have,” Mourinho, whose unbeaten home record stretched over his two spells at Chelsea, told Sky Sports in a post-match interview that he cut short.

“Congratulations to Sunderland, because they won. Congratulations to [referee] Mike Dean, because he made a fantastic performance, and congratulations to (referees’ chief) Mike Riley, because what they did during the season was fantastic for what the championship is.”

Sunderland, who drew at Manchester City in midweek, stay bottom with 29 points, one behind Fulham and Cardiff City with a game in hand, and three off Norwich.

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